Born: 10th July 1941 (as Jacqueline Joyce Lane)
Died: 7th June 2021 (aged 79 years)
Episodes Broadcast: 1966

Jackie Lane was born in Manchester to a father who worked as a theatrical costumier and make-up artist. Growing up around actors, she became involved with amateur dramatics as a teenager, and she began training at the Library Theatre in 1960, where she also served as an assistant stage manager. One of the plays in which Lane appeared at the Manchester venue was Never Had It So Good, by future Doctor Who producer John Wiles. She soon adopted the stage name “Jackie Lenya” to avoid confusion with an Austrian-born and American-raised actress who was already being credited as “Jackie Lane”. Seeking work in television, Lenya moved to London in 1962, and she made her television debut in a schools-oriented version of the Bertolt Brecht play The Caucasian Chalk Circle. A recurring role in Compact followed in 1963. The same year, Lenya auditioned to play Susan in the first season of Doctor Who, but she decided against pursuing the part because she was unwilling to commit to a year-long contract.

Over the next two years, Lenya earned credits on episodes of Coronation Street, The Protectors and The Villains. She regained the ability to use her real name for professional purposes -- ironically, because her countpart had reverted to using her actual first name, Jocelyn. Then, at the end of 1965, Doctor Who came calling again; Wiles was now its producer, and he recalled Lane from the Library Theatre. This time, she accepted the role of Dodo Chaplet, and made her debut in the closing moments of 1966's The Massacre Of St Bartholomew's Eve. Unfortunately, Lane's time on Doctor Who was cut short: Wiles abruptly resigned from the programme soon afterwards and his replacement, Innes Lloyd, envisaged more modern companions for the Doctor. Dodo was unceremoniously dumped from Doctor Who halfway through The War Machines, barely four months after her debut.

Becoming sceptical of her future as an actress, Lane left the business to work as an au pair, followed by twelve months as a diplomatic secretary in Paris. She then returned to the United Kingdom to operate an antiques shop for several years. Unable to resist the lure of the entertainment industry, Lane joined the actors' agency London Management in 1976. In the late Eighties, she formed her own company: Jackie Lane Ad Voice specialised in voiceovers, and counted several Doctor Who alumni -- including the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker -- amongst its clients. Lane retired around the turn of the century, and she passed away on June 7th, 2021.