Sophie Aldred (born August
20 1962) is an English actress and television
presenter, best known for her portrayal of
the Doctor's assistant, "Ace",
in the television series Doctor Who. She
was born in Greenwich, and raised in Blackheath,
London.
She studied drama at the University of
Manchester, before embarking on a career
in children's theatre. In 1987 she was
cast as Ace in Doctor Who.
Aldred's Doctor Who tenure spanned the
last nine stories of the show's run. The
Ace character was a troubled teenager from
West London. The Doctor found her serving
milkshakes on an ice-covered planet in
the episode Dragonfire. She joined the
Doctor on his travels and appeared in several
stories (Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric,
and Survival) that explored her character
to an extent that previous companion characters
had not been.
Both before and since Doctor Who, Aldred
has had a varied and busy television career,
particularly in children's programming,
where she has presented educational programmes
such as Corners, Melvin and Maureen's Music-a-grams
and the long running BBC series Words and
Pictures. She has also performed on radio
and in the theater.
Sophie Aldred married Vince Henderson
on July 12 1997. They have a son. |