Sophie Aldred

Infobox actor
name = Sophie Aldred


imagesize = 300px
caption = Sophie Aldred at The Television & Movie Store, Norwich, England, on 2 February 2008.
birthdate = birth date and age|1962|8|20|df=y
location = Greenwich, England, UK
spouse = Vince Henderson (1997-present)

Sophie Aldred (born 20 August 1962) is an English actress and television presenter, best known for her portrayal of The Doctor's assistant Ace in the television series "Doctor Who" during the late 1980s.

Early life

Aldred was born in Greenwich, London, but grew up in nearby Blackheath. Having attended Blackheath High School from 1973 until 1980, before enrolling as a Drama student at University of Manchester. She graduated in 1983 and decided to embark on a career in children's theatre.

Career

In 1987, she was cast as Ace in "Doctor Who". Her tenure on the show spanned the last nine stories of the programme's original run, from 1987 to 1989.

Both before and since "Doctor Who", Aldred has had a varied and busy television career, particularly in children's programming, where she has presented educational programmes such as "Corners", "Melvin and Maureen's Music-a-grams" and the long-running BBC series "Words and Pictures". She also played the character Minnie The Mini Magician from Series 8 onwards on CITV's "ZZZap!" between 1999 and 2001. Aldred has presented and sung in several BBC Schools Radio series, including "Singing Together", "Music Workshop", "Time and Tune" and "Music Box". She has also performed on radio and in the theatre. She has also reprised her role as Ace in the charity special "Dimensions in Time" and the "Doctor Who" audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions.

She co-wrote the hardback reference book, "Ace, The Inside Story of the End of An Era" with Mike Tucker, published by Virgin Publishing in 1996. (ISBN 1-85227-574-X).

Personal life

Sophie Aldred married Vince Henderson on 12 July 1997. They have two sons, Adam and William, who make occasional convention appearances with their mother.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2008/02/04/doctor_who_sophie_aldred_20080204_feature.shtml BBC Norfolk interview: Sophie Aldred - Feb '08]
*imdb name|id=0017644|name = Sophie Aldred

Persondata
NAME=Aldred, Sophie
SHORT DESCRIPTION=English actor
DATE OF BIRTH=August 20 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH=Greenwich, England, United Kingdom