Nicola Bryant
| Nicola Bryant | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Nicola Jane Bryant 11 October 1960 Guildford, Surrey, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Years active | 1983-present |
| Website | www |
Nicola Jane Bryant (born 11 October 1960,Guildford, Surrey) is an English actress known for her role as Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown, a companion of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1984 to 1986.
Bryant grew up in a small village near Guildford in Surrey, the older of two daughters of Sheila and Denis Bryant. Beginning dance classes at the age of three, Bryant also began to learn the piano. At the age of ten she auditioned to go to ballet schools, but was unable to take up places offered because of asthma. Upset by this development, she joined a local amateur dramatic group. On leaving school, she auditioned for all of the London drama schools and took up a scholarship to the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. In her final year there, she played the part of Nanette in a production of the musical No, No, Nanette.
Bryant's first professional part was as Peri Brown in Doctor Who. She played the part from 1984 to 1986, first with Peter Davison, and then with Colin Baker as the Doctor. Bryant's tenure on the show was met with raised eyebrows in some quarters as series producer John Nathan-Turner admitted (in his book Doctor Who: The Companions and elsewhere) that his intention was to pump up the sex appeal of the ageing series by casting the young actress who was often seen wearing low-cut outfits in the show. Her character was American and for a while a publicity-driven fiction was maintained suggesting Bryant was also American, something Bryant had herself claimed in press interviews when she landed the part. During her final season on Doctor Who, the actress was allowed to dress more conservatively on the show.
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