At this year’s Manchester MCM Comic Con I had the privilege of interviewing Sophie Aldred, best known as Ace from Doctor Who. We had a chat about her career, her obscure roles, audiobooks and other avenues. Enjoy!
JKC: I am here with Sophie Aldred! You are most famous for your role as ‘Suzie’ on Eastenders in 1993.
SA: [laughs]
JKC: How did it feel to play such an iconic role?
SA: Oh it was marvelous! It’s funny you should say, because I only did two episodes, and it was an interesting character to delve into and I got to meet a lot of new people. So it was a good experience, yes, I’m glad someone remembers it!
JKC: You’ve also done a lot of audiobooks, especially Jacqueline Wilson.
SA: Yes I have! I enjoy it a lot, I do, but it’s hard work! You can be in the recording for hours at a time, just sitting down and it’s exhausting. But I do love it. I love doing the voices.
JKC: Sylvester was quite famous for doing voices, did he give you any tips?
SA: [laughs] No! No, I’ve always been doing silly voices, ever since I was a kid, I love it. So, to get to do it as my job is brilliant.
JKC: I’ve read that Russell T Davis planned to have you appear in The Sarah Jane Adventures.
SA: He had, yes! It was going to be an episode where I would turn up at Sarah Jane’s house and I’d be in sort of a smart suit and wearing shades, but he said it wouldn’t be long before I was hitting Daleks with baseball bats again.
JKC: So, Ace’s story has moved on quite a bit in the Big Finish Audio Adventures. We’ve had a few submitted questions asking ‘What’s next for Ace on Gallifrey?’
SA: I can’t tell you, no! Sorry! It’s absolutely top secret, but you’ll love it! It’s very privileged information.
JKC: And another submitted question – Who is better, Sylvester McCoy or Peter Capaldi?
SA: Oh Sylvester, definitely! Well, you’re always most fond of the Doctor you grew up with, or knew best, and Sylvester was mine. But I love them all and what I think is so wonderful is that they are all so different and that’s what makes them so special.
JKC: Can you tell us about what you’re working on now?
SA: Yes, I will just mention Strangeness In Space – it’s a new audio adventure comedy. It’s completely funded by fans and is completely free. It’s a mini series and I star in it. It’s all outer space-y and cool.
