Ros Drinkwater
Encyclopedia
Ros Drinkwater is a Scottish-born actress, best known for her portrayal of Paul Temple
's wife, Steve, in the eponymous television series
, based on the character created by Francis Durbridge
. She later moved into photojournalism
.
Ros Drinkwater was born in Glasgow
, Scotland
on 14 February 1944. Her family was Anglo-Irish and her grandfather had been in the Indian army.
Drinkwater worked as a dancer in Las Vegas
before turning to acting. In the late 1960s she appeared in a number of episodes of British television series, including Dr Finlay's Casebook ("A Matter of Confidence", 1966), Champion House
("The Saddest Words", 1967), The Saint
("Invitation to Danger", 1968) and Special Branch
("The Kazmirov Affair", 1969).
Drinkwater's best known role was as Steve Temple (née Louise Harvey but in the earlier radio serials was a Fleet Street journalist using the name Steve Trent) the wife of writer/detective Paul Temple (Francis Matthews
), in Paul Temple
(1969–71). This was a co-production by the BBC
and Taurus films of Munich
, West Germany
. According to Matthews, Drinkwater chose her own "very expensive" designer
clothes for the part.
Paul Temple lasted for two years and was popular in West Germany. There appears to have been some disagreement between the BBC and Taurus over the casting of Steve Temple (who had been played in the radio series of Paul Temple from 1945-68 by Marjorie Westbury
), the BBC wishing to drop Drinkwater, but Taurus favouring her retention.
Drinkwater subsequently became a photojournalist, based in Ireland
, where she has a small farm in County Monaghan
.
Ros Drinkwater is sometimes referred to as the older sister of actor Carol Drinkwater
but the two in fact are not related.
Paul Temple
Paul Temple is a fictional character created by British writer Francis Durbridge for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple in 1938. Temple is an amateur private detective and author of crime fiction...
's wife, Steve, in the eponymous television series
Paul Temple (TV series)
Paul Temple is a British-German television series which originally aired on the BBC between 1969 and 1971. It features Francis Matthews as Paul Temple, the fictional detective created by Francis Durbridge, who solves crimes with the assistance of his wife Steve...
, based on the character created by Francis Durbridge
Francis Durbridge
Francis Henry Durbridge was an English playwright and author. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School in Yorkshire where he was encouraged to write by his English teacher. He continued to do so whilst studying English at Birmingham University...
. She later moved into photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
.
Ros Drinkwater was born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 14 February 1944. Her family was Anglo-Irish and her grandfather had been in the Indian army.
Drinkwater worked as a dancer in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
before turning to acting. In the late 1960s she appeared in a number of episodes of British television series, including Dr Finlay's Casebook ("A Matter of Confidence", 1966), Champion House
Champion House
Champion House is a BBC television drama series.The series dealt with the Yorkshire-based Champion family and the dramas surrounding the family textiles firm, Champion Mills. Two series were made between 1967 and 1968...
("The Saddest Words", 1967), The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
("Invitation to Danger", 1968) and Special Branch
Special Branch (TV series)
Special Branch is a British television series made by Thames Television for ITV and shown between 1969 and 1974. A police drama series, the action was centred on members of the Special Branch anti-espionage and anti-terrorist department of the London Metropolitan Police.The first two series were...
("The Kazmirov Affair", 1969).
Drinkwater's best known role was as Steve Temple (née Louise Harvey but in the earlier radio serials was a Fleet Street journalist using the name Steve Trent) the wife of writer/detective Paul Temple (Francis Matthews
Francis Matthews (actor)
-Early life:Matthews attended St Michael's Jesuit College, Leeds and started his acting career with Leeds repertory theatre before service in the Royal Navy.-Career:...
), in Paul Temple
Paul Temple (TV series)
Paul Temple is a British-German television series which originally aired on the BBC between 1969 and 1971. It features Francis Matthews as Paul Temple, the fictional detective created by Francis Durbridge, who solves crimes with the assistance of his wife Steve...
(1969–71). This was a co-production by 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...
and Taurus films of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. According to Matthews, Drinkwater chose her own "very expensive" designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
clothes for the part.
Paul Temple lasted for two years and was popular in West Germany. There appears to have been some disagreement between the BBC and Taurus over the casting of Steve Temple (who had been played in the radio series of Paul Temple from 1945-68 by Marjorie Westbury
Marjorie Westbury
Marjorie Westbury was an English radio actress and singer. Her career lasted over fifty years.Born in Oldbury, Worcestershire, she studied Voice at the Royal College of Music in London between 1927 and 1930. During the 1930s she made many radio broadcasts as a soprano from the BBC studios at...
), the BBC wishing to drop Drinkwater, but Taurus favouring her retention.
Drinkwater subsequently became a photojournalist, based in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where she has a small farm in County Monaghan
County Monaghan
County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
Ros Drinkwater is sometimes referred to as the older sister of actor Carol Drinkwater
Carol Drinkwater
Carol Drinkwater is an Anglo-Irish actress and author, best known for her award-winning portrayal of Helen Herriot in the television adaptation of the James Herriot books, All Creatures Great and Small...
but the two in fact are not related.