Biography

Maureen O'Brien

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After studying for a teaching diploma at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Maureen O'Brien became a founding member of the Everyman Theatre in her native Liverpool. About three months later she was persuaded to audition for the part of Vicki on Doctor Who. She was reluctant to accept the role, but did so partly to be with her London-based boyfriend (later her husband). It was a decision she later regretted as, although she liked the people she worked with, she did not enjoy the job and the enormous publicity it brought her. After leaving Doctor Who she worked as a supply teacher at a girl's school in Kennington, then returned to the theatre. This was followed by a three-year spell in Canada. Since returning to the UK in the mid-seventies, she has had further success in theatre, TV, radio and film, and as a writer of crime fiction.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

She was cast to replace Carole Ann Ford in Doctor Who (1963), thus becoming the first cast replacement in what was to be an ever-changing line of regulars in the series.
She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Winner of The 1979 Best Radio Actress Award for By Grand Central Station I sat Down And Wept.

I don't mind being famous for something that I'm kind of proud of but as an acting job I wasn't proud of what I did in Doctor Who (1963).
For me, Christopher Eccleston is the closest to Bill (William Hartnell) because he has such danger. He has a dangerous personality and he has a love of danger, which is what makes him want to go and explore, and they knitted that in with Billie Piper. For me, he's the most like Bill.
I'm not the slightest bit interested in Doctor Who (1963) and I don't remember anything at all about it.
We had such wonderful directors, we had Richard Martin, we had Chris Barry (Christopher Barry), we had Dougie Camfield (Douglas Camfield). We had wonderful directors and it seemed wrong to not do the very best you could do with this thing, and I always wanted everything to be the absolute best it could be, and I wasn't going to be happy with it not being as good as it could be.

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