Wendy Padbury tows a perfect line between effortless elegance and profound cuteness. She’s about as tiny as I am, which is always a refreshing change to having to crane my neck at unhealthy angles to talk to people, but I digress.
Lovely Wendy is, of course, fondly remembered for her portrayal of spangly futuristic girl genius Zoe, playing opposite Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines. Much to the delight of this TARDIS Team Cute fangirl, it is a role she continues to reprise in the Big Finish audio range. And what’s more, in her subsequent work as an agent, she represented a number of later Who actors, and went on to discover Matt Smith, so Eleventh Doctor enthusiasts owe her a big hug, wouldn’t you agree?
We meet on an overcast patio on a grey but comfortable autumn day, where she is enjoying the most elegant cigarette I think I’ve ever seen. It surprises a fellow patiomate that someone who was on children’s television in the 60s occasionally uses grown-up language. Of course she does, but with such affable, down-to-earth grace. Keep being fabulous, Wendy. We love you.
