10. Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins is a BAFTA winning and Academy Award nominated actress who brought a touch of royalty to the Doctor Who proceedings with her effortless portrayal of Queen Victoria in Series 2's Tooth and Claw. Internationally beloved for her portrayal of the titular Shirley Valentine in Willy Russell's stage and subsequent film adaptation of the play of the same name, this episode didn't utilise her as much as it could have and quite frankly a lot of fans were just not amused. Her screen presence more than warrants a much bigger inclusion and her career has certainly showcased enough versatility to prove that she could take on the role of either an ally or a villain - this definitely added to her performance in this episode and it's an ability that not many possess. She could've made another appearance as Queen Victoria, at least. She did found Torchwood after all so she's a particularly important figure in the Doctor Who mythology. What's more, she wasn't best pleased with the titular Time Lord at the end of the adventure (well, that's the impression she gave us by banishing him from the country) so it would've been interesting to see them bump into each other again. For the time being, at least, she'll just have to keep talking to the wall (that's a Shirley Valentine reference by the way, if you didn't know - that's not just something that she does).
Dan Butler
Doctor Who Editor
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
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