OT - Alexandra Bastedo dead at 67

[Dave Baker]

Growing up in the 60s and 70s I was fascinated by every sci-fi and fantasy program on the telly back then. Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, Kung Fu and also her program The Champions. Like most shows of that era it was pretty "hammy" in parts and had none of the special effects that we're so used to now but I could overlook all that because in my eyes she was one of the most stunningly gorgeous women ever to grace a tv screen. Even as a kid I was utterly mesmerised by her beauty.

Funnily enough I rewatched every episode just a few years ago from torrents available online and even uploaded my own compilation of the whole series because it wasn't available as a complete set on any one torrent site. I've long since had to delete the files from my own hard disk due to lack of space but I'm pleased to see it's still being seeded by others.

After TV fame she very commendably devoted much of her life to animal welfare, also one of my own passions, and ran a sanctuary for them in West Sussex. Before I moved far away to north east Scotland recently I did occasionally idly contemplate visiting it on the off chance of being able to meet her but too late now of course.

67 isn't much of an age nowadays either but sadly cancer still manages to defeat the best of modern medicine.

[harryagain]

Very sad. As a teenager I used to lust after her. Cancer got most of her family too.

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[Bob Eager]

+1 !

[Dave Liquorice]

My era as well but until yesterday had not heard of Alexandra Bastedo or The Champions. ah, one series of 30 episodes Sep '68 to Apr 69 on ITV, we didn't have ITV...

[Huge]

+2

[Bob Eager]

I went to a boys' grammar school in Brighton, and she went to the girls' one down the road. She left 4 years before me though...

[Nightjar]

I don't think you missed much, apart, perhaps, from seeing Alexandra Bastedo., if she was to your taste. Mine ran more to Ruth Pearson (and later Cherie Gillespie) of Pan's People and Goldie Hawn on Rowan and Martin's Laugh In.

Colin Bignell

[Bob Eager]

Ah now...name dropping again...one of Pan's People (and I forget which one) lived next door to me when I was a teenager!

[Nightjar]

Mary Corpe? One of the later Pan's People, who was born in Brighton. They are dying off too - Flick Colby in 2011 and Louise Clarke in 2012.

Colin Bignell

[Mr Pounder]

[Bob Eager]

That's the name! Thanks...I never got round to looking up all their surnames, but it was the Corpes who lived next door....

[Nightjar]

Purdy, as in the gunmaker. I preferred Emma Peel.

Colin Bignell

[Mr Pounder]

Typo.

I was never keen on Diana Rigg.

[Bob Eager]

Me too - by far. I did meet Joanna Lumley (very briefly) once, when we awarded her an honorary degree (she comes from round here in Kent). A good friend of mine worked at a local theatre back when Joanna was about to go for her Avengers audition, and told me she had lunch with her the day before and tried to calm her nerves!

Incidentally, there was a good one on Only Connect recently - you had to get the fourth picture in the sequence:

1) A Vettriano picture of people in a strong wind 2) A curl of orange peel 3) A chess set with the king out in front

Of course, the fourth was a gun. I got that one after two.

(my best ever was seeing "0=black" and immediately saying "3=orange"...)

[Vir Campestris]

Ah Pan's people. Lovely Babs... can't remember her name.

(Ronny Barker, Porridge)

Andy (too young for you lot!)

[Bob Eager]

Look on Wikipedia...

[Nightjar]

Look at Porridge.

Colin Bignell

[Bob Eager]

OIC!

[Nightjar]

If you are old enough to have fancied Purdy, it is more likely the start of senility setting in :-)

I generally find brunettes more attractive than blondes.

Colin Bignell

[Artic]

Nightjar scribbled...

There used to be a good mixture of both in Space 1999. Every week a different 'maiden' to be saved - always wearing a mini-skirt. Ah, bums & legs throughout.