The ever-popular Doctor Who actress writes for Dreamwatch…

I was at a playgroup the other day when I noticed one of the other Mums eyeing me up in a rather strange fashion. ‘Oh no,’ I thought, ‘not Marmite smudges on my cheek again!’ As I furtively dabbed at my face with my sleeve she began to sidle up to me and finally confided sotto voce and with a hint of pity in her voice, “Aren’t you the person who used to be Sophie Aldred?”

Well, folks, I guess that just about sums up my so-called glamorous life at present. As I write, I’m sitting at the kitchen table, trying to put away a train jigsaw with one hand, and eating my gourmet supper – strawberry yogurt straight out of the pot – with the other. Ace-ling 2 (William Frederik, 15 weeks) is shrieking and cooing at me, Ace-ling 1 (Adam John, three and three quarters) has had his first day at kindergarten and has retired to bed shattered, and I’m trying to cast my mind back to those heady days before motherhood when I did seem to lead a somewhat jet-setty life.

I don’t get recognised on a daily basis any more, and even in the days before the BBC had gone a bit bonkers and lost faith in one of its best products, people were never quite sure. I remember being at the gym waiting for an aerobics class and a little boy was looking quizzically at me. As I smiled at him condescendingly and reached for a pen to sign an autograph for him, he said, “Excuse me, are you my PE teacher?” Well, at least I must have looked fit!

But I knew I’d really made it when, during another visit to Tesco, I was half listening to the radio station pumping through the loudspeakers and heard my name as the answer to a phone-in quiz.

Longtime Companion

Doctor Who still plays a very important part in my life, and I’m really proud of that, as I was so lucky to get to play such a well-written and unique character as Ace.

I know it’s a bit boring, and that you readers might like a bit of spice and controversy, but I have nothing but good things to say about the time I spent on the programme, and the subsequent Doctor Who life, the length of which has exceeded all my expectations. I’d assumed that Doctor Who fandom would gradually fade away after the cancellation in 1989, and that no one would remain interested in gathering in large numbers to meet us and have a knees-up. Nothing (I’m glad to say) could be further from the truth.

A peek at my diary reveals several recent dates with The Doctor.

A couple of weeks ago I recorded my bit for the 40th anniversary story for Big Finish with Sylvester and Bonnie and a galaxy of other ex-Who people. On Sunday I’m off to Darlington to appear at a convention which will, as usual, be packed with eager fans. And I’ve just accepted my invitation to Panopticon later this year, which promises to be the biggest and most magnificent yet – apparently 1,000 fans have already pre-booked. And every week, I still get letters requesting autographs, or just being plain lovely about my time as Ace.

And yes, I know that there’ll always be someone who asks the inevitable “What’s your favourite Doctor Who monster?” question (Cybermen, actually, because the show gave me a chance to get my own back for a lot of nightmares when I was a child) and “Which was your favourite story?” (OK, it’s The Curse of Fenric, because I was given such a great storyline and so many good acting opportunities, which I hope I put to good use), or even, “Is there a question you’ve never been asked about your time on the programme?” But I’m chuffed to bits that people are still interested enough to ask, and pleased that there are so many new fans who want to know.

Ace of Hearts

The other day I saw a photo of Sophie Aldred BA (Before Ace-lings). Back in those halcyon days of late nights and lie-ins, of cappuccinos and cocktails, of... you get the picture, I had time to wear nice clothes, brush my hair, and even put a dash of make-up on, if I felt so inclined. This particular photo was taken at the annual family Doctor Whoday at Longleat.

This year I was again invited. Great day out for Ace-ling 1, I thought, and I’m sure Ace-ling 2 won’t want feeding that often.

When we arrived we managed to camouflage ourselves quite well as we pushed our way through the families waiting in the queue for my autograph. Part of me started to worry about why I wasn’t being recognised by those very people who were queuing for my signature on their Doctor Who collections. Then I remembered that those expectant Ace fans would hardly be looking for a post-baby plump me with short hair pushing a pram and dragging along a reluctant three-year-old.

Indeed, as I politely made my way towards the estate office where I was to meet Colin Baker, John Leeson (voice of K-9) and organisers Lorne Martin and Gary Downie, a woman turned on me and shouted, “You’re not allowed down there, that’s for the celebrities!” I turned towards her, waiting for her to say, “Oh, I’m so sorry Miss Aldred, I do beg your pardon,” but she remained stony faced.

At least Colin and John recognised me, and soon we were busy signing away for a really lovely bunch of people. Everyone was very polite about the Ace-lings, though I’m sure most of them would have preferred pictures of me without a rather sullen looking Ace-ling 1 sitting on my knee, or (when Ace-ling 2 started screaming) waiting 20 minutes while I dashed into the estate office to feed and burp him.

And call me bonkers (which I quite plainly am to try and combine work and children in such close proximity) but I really had not expected that Ace-ling 1 would be quite so terrified by Daleks and Cybermen! I tried everything in my power, but telling him that Mummy had once smashed a Dalek over the eyestalk with a baseball bat seemed to make it all worse. Even a Cyberman taking his helmet off and a peek inside a Dalek to see the nice, kind man inside were to no avail – fresh wails of, “MUMMY, I WANT TO GO HOME NOW!” soon followed. My husband whisked him off to Postman Pat land and the steam train ride, but apparently he just wanted Mummy.

By the time he’d returned to find her, Ace-ling 2 was having his second course in the estate office. After a pep talk (“Remember how they’re not real, they’re only men dressed up!”), Ace-ling 1 was ready to run the gauntlet through the monsters when a Dalek struck up, “EXTERMINATE, EXTERMINATE!” Exit small boy screaming and sobbing. Lucky I’ve been saving for his sessions with a therapist when he’s older.

So how will I be celebrating Doctor Who’s 40th birthday? A star-studded dinner dance at a swanky restaurant? Or an early night and a cup of Horlicks? Watch this space....

This article was originally published in Dreamwatch 110 (2003).