Caroline John
Encyclopedia
Caroline John is an English
actress best known for her role as Liz Shaw
in the BBC
science fiction
television series Doctor Who
, as well as several other television
roles.
After training at the Central School of Speech and Drama
, she worked in theatre
, touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company
and the National Theatre
in King Lear
, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Merchant of Venice
and as Hero in Franco Zeffirelli
's production of Much Ado About Nothing
.
's Third Doctor
. Unlike many of the preceding female companions of the Doctor, Liz Shaw was a scientist and understood much of the Doctor's technobabble
. This was perhaps the downfall of the character; Liz and the Doctor discussed things on an equal level of intelligence, and the Doctor respected and rarely patronised her. As the essential role of the companion in Doctor Who is to ask a lot of questions which the viewers might be asking themselves, incoming producer Barry Letts considered her character was unsuitable and decided against renewing her contract. Caroline was pregnant at the time, which would have meant her having to resign anyway.
During her final story, "Inferno", John also played the part of Section Leader Elizabeth Shaw, an alter ego of her regular character that the Doctor encounters in an alternative time stream. John reprised the role of Shaw, albeit as a phantom, in the anniversary episode The Five Doctors
, and also appeared in the special episode Dimensions in Time
(1993), part of the BBC
's annual Children in Need
appeal. In the 1990s she appeared in a series of straight-to-video releases including The Stranger
: Breach of the Peace, and as Liz Shaw in the P.R.O.B.E. stories written by Mark Gatiss
and featuring numerous actors from the history of Doctor Who
– including Jon Pertwee
, Peter Davison
, Colin Baker
and Sylvester McCoy
. In these stories made by the production company BBV
, a pipe-smoking Shaw works as an investigator (for the P.R.O.B.E. organisation); John is seen opposite Linda Lusardi
in the former model's first acting role. John has more recently appeared in two Big Finish Productions
' audio drama
s based on Doctor Who; Dust Breeding
(2001), although playing a character other than Liz Shaw, and The Blue Tooth
(2007) where, as Liz, she recounts in narrative form an adventure she once had with the Doctor and UNIT.
, who played the renegade Time Lord
known as the Master
in The Keeper of Traken
. Beevers also appeared in Dust Breeding
. They both had roles in the political thriller A Very British Coup
though they weren't on screen at the same time. Her most recent notable appearance was a non-speaking role in the film Love, Actually as Sam's grandmother.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actress best known for her role as Liz Shaw
Liz Shaw (Doctor Who)
Dr. Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw is a fictional character played by Caroline John in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, as well as several other television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
roles.
After training at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
, she worked in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
and the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
and as Hero in Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
's production of Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
.
Doctor Who
She played the role of the Doctor's companion in 1970 opposite Jon PertweeJon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
's Third Doctor
Third Doctor
The Third Doctor is the third incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee....
. Unlike many of the preceding female companions of the Doctor, Liz Shaw was a scientist and understood much of the Doctor's technobabble
Technobabble
Technobabble , also called technospeak, is a form of prose using jargon, buzzwords, esoteric language, specialized technical terms, or technical slang that is incomprehensible to the listener...
. This was perhaps the downfall of the character; Liz and the Doctor discussed things on an equal level of intelligence, and the Doctor respected and rarely patronised her. As the essential role of the companion in Doctor Who is to ask a lot of questions which the viewers might be asking themselves, incoming producer Barry Letts considered her character was unsuitable and decided against renewing her contract. Caroline was pregnant at the time, which would have meant her having to resign anyway.
During her final story, "Inferno", John also played the part of Section Leader Elizabeth Shaw, an alter ego of her regular character that the Doctor encounters in an alternative time stream. John reprised the role of Shaw, albeit as a phantom, in the anniversary episode The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago PBS station WTTW and various other PBS member stations...
, and also appeared in the special episode Dimensions in Time
Dimensions in Time
Dimensions in Time is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and the soap opera EastEnders that ran in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993. It was filmed on the EastEnders Albert Square set, and features several of the stars of that programme...
(1993), part of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's annual Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
appeal. In the 1990s she appeared in a series of straight-to-video releases including The Stranger
The Stranger (video series)
The Stranger is a series of direct-to-video science-fiction dramas produced by BBV and starring Colin Baker. They are now available on DVD.The series began in 1991 with Summoned by Shadows, co-produced with the BBC Film Club...
: Breach of the Peace, and as Liz Shaw in the P.R.O.B.E. stories written by Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock....
and featuring numerous actors from the history of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
– including Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
, Peter Davison
Peter Davison
Peter Davison is a British actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, which he played from 1982 to 1984.-Early life:Davison was born Peter Moffett in Streatham,...
, Colin Baker
Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
and Sylvester McCoy
Sylvester McCoy
Sylvester McCoy is a Scottish actor. As a comic act and busker he appeared regularly on stage and on BBC Children's television in the 1970s and 80s, but is best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1987 to...
. In these stories made by the production company BBV
BBV
BBV is a video and audio production company specialising in science fiction drama, known for its links with the British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, a pipe-smoking Shaw works as an investigator (for the P.R.O.B.E. organisation); John is seen opposite Linda Lusardi
Linda Lusardi
Linda Lusardi is an English actress, television presenter and former Page Three Girl. She is married to the actor Samuel Kane; they have two children, both born in Enfield, London: Lucy Anne and Jack Francis ....
in the former model's first acting role. John has more recently appeared in two Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
' audio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
s based on Doctor Who; Dust Breeding
Dust Breeding
Dust Breeding is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.The story marks the return of Caroline John to Doctor Who and the introduction of the Master to the Big Finish continuity.-Plot:The Seventh Doctor's diary has a...
(2001), although playing a character other than Liz Shaw, and The Blue Tooth
The Blue Tooth
The Blue Tooth is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.The Companion Chronicles "talking books" are each narrated by one of the Doctor's companions and feature a second, guest-star voice along with music and sound...
(2007) where, as Liz, she recounts in narrative form an adventure she once had with the Doctor and UNIT.
Personal life
John is married to Geoffrey BeeversGeoffrey Beevers
Geoffrey Beevers is a British actor who has appeared in many different television roles.Beevers has worked extensively at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond upon Thames, both as an actor ; and as an adaptor/director of George Eliot's novel Adam Bede , for which he won a Time Out Award, and Balzac's...
, who played the renegade Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
known as the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
in The Keeper of Traken
The Keeper of Traken
-Cast notes:Denis Carey, who plays the Keeper, also played Professor Chronotis in the uncompleted Fourth Doctor serial Shada, and the Old Man in the Sixth Doctor story Timelash....
. Beevers also appeared in Dust Breeding
Dust Breeding
Dust Breeding is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.The story marks the return of Caroline John to Doctor Who and the introduction of the Master to the Big Finish continuity.-Plot:The Seventh Doctor's diary has a...
. They both had roles in the political thriller A Very British Coup
A Very British Coup
A Very British Coup is a 1982 novel by British politician Chris Mullin. In 1988, the novel was adapted for television, directed by Mick Jackson, with a screenplay by Alan Plater and starring Ray McAnally...
though they weren't on screen at the same time. Her most recent notable appearance was a non-speaking role in the film Love, Actually as Sam's grandmother.