Leela

[Prydonian]

Who absolutely fell in love with Leela the moment she came onscreen in 1977's The Face of Evil? Who was sad to see her go in the following year's The Invasion of Time? I feel Leela gets easily overlooked when sandwiched between Sarah Jane and the two Romanas, as far as main companions go.

[tch]

I loved Leela. After the Pertwee years of all the companions being a 'girl from now', Leela with her 'Eliza Doolittle meets Xena' vibe was such a great change of pace from past companions.

That's one of the things I loved about Tom's era, is they tried different types of companions. Much as I love the new show, it's all 'girls from now' and any time a guy steps on board, the writers rush to get rid of him.

[Prydonian]

Yeh tch, the new series really has not taken many risks with regards to original companions and settings for stories. Leela was an experiment in the late 70s that largely worked, I think, even if her exit from the series was less than spectacular. I really enjoyed watching her in stories like The Sunmakers for sure.

[Graceful Leonard]

I like the actress who played Leela (particularly in Omega Factor in the late 70s), but did not like the Leela character at all. I felt she was totally out of keeping with the spirit Doctor Who. That said, I think it has a lot to do with the companion you grew up watching, and I felt enormous loyalty to Lis.

[MCH]

Greetings,

I enjoyed the Leela character. I thought she was a great challenge for the Doctor. He had to keep reigning her in to keep her from killing people without breaking her spirit. I didn't care much for the costume. Too 'One Million B.C' ish. But I'm sure the guys loved it, lol.

I like the character Amy Pond. Except the way she makes Rory look like a dummy all the time. I'm tired of the 'super women' tripe that's continuously shoved down our throats.

I also liked Donna Noble. Feisty but somewhat insecure.

I did not like the character Rose at all. Too clingy and whiny.

I liked the newer Sarah Jane Smith then the younger version. She was always so cute with K-9.

And then there's Ace! The first time I saw her I was like 'What!' and what was with the leather jacket and boom box? What were 'they' thinking ?

Mch

[Marcello Cristiano]

I loved Leela! She kicked some serious ***! Plus I loved Louise Jameson's acting, and her looks! I loved it when Leela would say: "I'LL CUT YOUR HEART OUT!" It was cool how the Doctor reformed her though. However, my all-time favourite companion has to be Amy Pond!

[Prydonian]

I dare say Miss Pond has her fair share of admirers, she has the looks to entice men, that is for certain. But I will always have a soft spot for Leela. her costume is a huge aid in that! Her story arc never quite made it where it was promised to go, but what we got was award-winning. or should have been. leela and the actress who played her was a clever addition to the Whoniverse and long may her memory entrance us.


SO which stories do you think she works best in? I quite like The Sunmakers and The Talons of Weng-Chiang.



Prydonian

[Marcello Cristiano]

My favourite all-time Leela Stories have to be:

-The Horror of Fang Rock
-The Robots of Death
-The Talons of Weng Chiang

She was addictive in every story she was in though, but those are my top 3.

[tch]

I agree with Marcello's list.
I'd also add 'Face of evil' and 'Invasion of time' ( despite her weak leaving scene)

I'm curious to check out the BIg Finish audio series 'Galifry' which features Leela, Rommana and K-9 getting tangled up in political intrigue among the Time Lords.

I liked Leela because, being a 'savage' she could ask all the required 'Why Doctor?' questions without it sounding like an obvious bit to explain the plot, and her being a warrior meant that if she was in trouble you felt that it was a serious menace, as she was no damsel.

[Prydonian]

I loved the bit in The Robots of Death where the Dr tries to teach leela how the Tardis interior is bigger on the inside. And in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, at the theatre the lady is singing and encourages everyone to join in. Leela asks should they repeat the words or something to that effect, and the Doctor says there's no obligation!