Helen Blatch

Helen Christine Blatch (née Wilson; 24 January 1934 – 31 December 2015)[1] was a British actress on stage and screen, best remembered on screen for her roles in Doctor Who (in the serials The Deadly Assassin and The Twin Dilemma)[2] and The Practice, and on stage for her casting as "Cerimon, a lord of Ephesus", in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1989–1990 performance of Pericles.[3]

Career

Born in Southampton, Hampshire, Blatch trained at The Questors Student Group Course, finishing in 1958,[4] and performed with the Questors for some years afterwards.[5] She spent some years in repertory, working with directors such as Sam Walters, David Scase, David Thacker and Phyllida Lloyd. Her performances attracted positive reviews ("Miss Blatch .. is capable of an extraordinary tranquillity of both voice and manner, against which slight nuances of intonation or expression register with great effect";[6] "Helen Blatch captures perfectly the fragility and neuroses of the regressing morphine addict living in a dream of the past";[7] "Helen Blatch is strong and striking ... Her wit is waspish, her frailty acute, her quest for affection chilling.")[8]

She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1989,[9] and, in her first season there, was described by one reviewer as "a find".[9] Her casting as Cerimon, "a lord of Ephesus", in Shakespeare's Pericles was considered by one contemporary reviewer as "a brilliant stroke, for Cerimon (Helen Blatch) becomes a healer whose urgent goodness and brightly pitched grief has us eating magic from her hand."[9] Another reviewer said "this presentation of power within gentleness, strength within femininity, was profoundly impressive."[10]

A 2004 survey of performances of Pericles said "Helen Blatch brought to the part a combination of compassionate humanity and priestly authority",[11] and commented, "In a virtuoso piece of doubling, Helen Blatch went on to play the Bawd in brothel scenes that were positively Hogarthian in their fetid realism; by having one actress play parts so different, Thacker emphasized the way in which Pericles ... brings together contrasting extremes: here, .. juxtaposed in a single performer."[11] Since Blatch's performance, Cerimon has often been cast as female.[12]

Blatch appeared in many other classic and modern plays. For her role in Sir Peter Shaffer's The Gift of the Gorgon, she learned Greek from a 'How to Speak Greek' tape and tourist guidebook.[13] Her performance in Sir David Hare's Racing Demon as "Espy's understandably unhappy wife" was particularly noted as "affecting ... their final scene of clenched and frigid misery sends a shiver down the spine."[14] She appeared in films also (including different roles in two versions of A Doll's House) and in many TV series. Her longest-enduring television role was as Nora Madkay in the ITV series The Practice,[15] but she is perhaps best known for her two roles in Doctor Who: the voice of the Matrix in the 1976 serial The Deadly Assassin,[2][16] and Fabian in the 1984 serial The Twin Dilemma.[2][17]

Selected stage performances

Year Title Theatre Role Director
1966 Hecabe Questors Theatre, Ealing Polyxena Alan Clarke[18]
1968 Beware of the Dog Birmingham Repertory Theatre She Peter Jefferies[6][19]
1971 Tree Little Theatre Club, Garrick Yard Derek Oldfield[20]
1973 Night King's Head Theatre, Islington The Woman Sam Walters[21][22]
1977 The Island Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond Dee Roger Swaine[23][24][25]
1980 Past Tense Library Theatre, Manchester David Scase[26]
1980 Love's Old Sweet Song Library Theatre, Manchester Nan Alan Meadows[27]
1981 The Importance of Being Earnest Duke's Playhouse, Lancaster Lady Bracknell David Thacker[15][28]
1982 Long Day's Journey into Night Duke's Playhouse, Lancaster Mary Tyrone David Thacker[7][15]
1983 Just Between Ourselves Haymarket Theatre, Leicester Christopher Honer[29]
1984 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Theatr Clwyd, Mold Gertrude George Roman[30]
1986 The Cheeky Chappie Library Theatre, Manchester Howard Lloyd-Lewis[31]
1986 Julius Caesar The Young Vic Calphurnia David Thacker[32][33]
1987 Just Between Ourselves Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham Phyllida Lloyd[34]
1987 Cider With Rosie Derby Playhouse Martin Houghton[35]
1988 Tom and Viv Library Theatre, Manchester Rose Chris Honer[36]
1988 Noises Off Theatre Royal, York Martin Houghton[37]
1988 Woman In Mind Library Theatre, Manchester Susan [8]
1989 Pericles Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Cerimon; Bawd David Thacker[15][11][9][38][3][39][40][41]
1989 The Duchess of Malfi Swan Theatre, Stratford Midwife Bill Alexander[42][43]
1990 Earwig The Pit, Barbican Centre, London Martha Ron Daniels[42][44]
1990 All's Well That Ends Well Barbican, London Widow Capilet Barry Kyle[15][42][45]
1990 Pericles The Pit, Barbican Centre, London Cerimon; Bawd David Thacker[46][47]
1990 The Duchess of Malfi The Pit, Barbican Centre, London Midwife Bill Alexander[42][48]
1991 Sex Please, We're Italian! The Young Vic Clotilde Salto David Thacker[15][49][50]
1991 The Snow Queen The Young Vic Karen Stephens and Chris White[15][51]
1992 The Gift of the Gorgon The Pit, Barbican Centre, London Katina Peter Hall[15][52][42][13]
1992 Columbus: The Discovery of Japan Barbican, London Felipe Pinzon John Caird[15][42]
1993 The Gift of the Gorgon Wyndham's Theatre, London Katina Peter Hall[42][53]
1993 Live Like Pigs Royal Court Theatre Katie Mitchell[15][54]
1994 Babies Royal Court Theatre Ivy Williams / Valerie Pinkney Polly Teale[15][55]
1995 The Knocky Royal Court Theatre Pearl (grandma) Brian Stimer[56]
1995-1996 The Tempest The Young Vic; Swan Theatre, Stratford; UK tour Mariner, Spirit David Thacker[57]
1995 Bingo: Scenes of Money and Death Swan Theatre, Stratford Old Woman David Thacker[58][59]
1997 Marat/Sade Olivier Theatre A newly-rich lady Jeremy Sams[60][61]
1997 Measure for Measure Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh Mistress Overdone and Sister Francisca Stephane Braunschweig[62][63]
1998 Racing Demon Chichester Festival Theatre Heather Espy Christopher Morahan[64][14][65][66]
1999 Sitting Pretty Chelsea Centre, London Jacob Murray[67]
2001 Blood Red, Saffron Yellow Theatre Royal, Plymouth Daily cleaning woman Jennie Darnell[68]
2002 The Three Sisters Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond Anfisa Sam Walters[69][70]
2002 Three Sisters Two Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond Anfisa Auriol Smith[69][71]
2004 Humble Boy Library Theatre, Manchester Mercy Roger Haines[72]
2005 Arsenic and Old Lace Derby Playhouse Miss Brewster Joseph Alford[73]

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1973 A Doll's House Helene Patrick Garland, director[15][74][75]
1976 Doctor Who - The Deadly Assassin Matrix (voice) Two episodes[2][15][16]
1979 Secret Army Simone Borel One episode[15][76]
1980 Blake's 7 Receptionist One episode[77]
1984 Tenko Mrs. Briggs One episode[78]
1984 Doctor Who - The Twin Dilemma Fabian One episode[2][17]
1985 The Practice Nora Madkay 12 episodes[15]
1988 Coronation Street Muriel Ashton One episode[15]
1992 A Touch of Frost Annie One episode[15]
1992 A Doll's House Anne-Marie David Thacker, director[79]
1991, 1993, 1997, 2002 The Bill Four characters Four episodes[15]
1993 The Buddha of Suburbia Pyke's Maid Four episodes[15]
1998 The Hello Girls Aunt Helen Two episodes [80][81][82]
2001-2010 Doctors Several characters Several episodes[83]

Personal life

Blatch commented in a 2002 interview that she had entered the theatre against her father's wishes.[69] It was announced in January 2018 that Blatch died on 31 December 2015, aged 82.[84][85]

References

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