BACK IN TIME WITH COLIN BAKER

BoB's very own Time Lord has fond memories of Britain's favourite headmistress, recalls adventures in Middle-earth and laments the loss of the "Acton Hilton" rehearsal rooms

I was very sad to learn that we had lost Gwyneth Powell. She was definitely one of the good guys. She was Mrs Darling to my Mr Darling, and Mermaid to my Captain Hook in Peter Pan at The Dome in Brighton in 1989/90.

We enjoyed ourselves inordinately, despite having to do two quick changes at the beginning and end of the show, when the returning children fail to notice (thankfully) the uncanny resemblance between their father and the scenery chewing villain who has been terrorising them, or their mother and the sultry mermaid on the rock they encountered. Ah, the world of pantomime. Gwyneth had a wonderful dry sense of humour and was a very fine actress. Her last TV appearance was in Not Going Out, in which she played a character credited as "Nice Lady". How appropriate for that is exactly what she was.