Tenko characters

This is a list of characters from the British BBC drama Tenko that aired from 1981 to 1985.

The British PoWs

Marion Jefferson

Marion was the main character of Tenko, the series starting as it did with her reluctance to stay in Singapore. Missing her son in England, Marion wanted to return to England to do something for the war effort but this was met by refusal by her husband Clifford. As the wife of an army officer, she felt surplus to requirements and so when the invasion of Singapore looked likely, she left to go to Australia. After the ship was torpedoed, she was arrested and interned at a prisoner of war camp in the Kampong Getah. Here, she became leader of the British prisoners but found the role extremely difficult. Over the next 3 years, we saw Marion trying to cope with the various hurdles thrown at her. She rarely lost her composure and managed to build a working relationship with Major Yamauchi. After she was liberated in 1945, she found it hard to return to her pre-war life and enraged her husband when she visited Yamauchi in Changi prison. Marion and Clifford's marriage became strained and she felt that she no longer knew her son. After returning to England, the pair divorced and Marion took a job with the Red Cross. Marion was played by Ann Bell.

Christina Campbell

Christina Campbell, born to a Chinese mother and Scottish father, felt inferior in colonial Singapore where she was a tour guide. She experienced racism throughout camp life but was given special status when she became an interpreter and personal assistant for Yamauchi. She was fluent in Japanese, Chinese, English, Dutch, German and French and was spared manual work for office duties and it was while in this role that she formed a special bond with the Commandant. She was close to the other women but as time went on, she became increasingly aware of the problems facing people in Singapore. After being liberated, she became involved with a Chinese communist called Lau Peng while working with Dr Mason at the Monica Radcliffe Foundation. After engineering an attack on the Forster-Brown estate in which Sister Ulrica was shot, she was outed as a communist and imprisoned where she apparently remained. Christina was played by Emily Bolton.

Dr Beatrice MasonThe daughter of a vicar, Beatrice Mason was a Doctor who specialised in tropical medicine and had lived in Singapore for many years before the invasion. After being captured, Bea began to work in the sick bay but found the strain of a lack of medical supplies hard to cope with as women died from illnesses that could have been easily cured with quinine or yeast tablets. In the 2nd camp, Bea was initially admitted as a patient with signs of nervous exhaustion and was then second-in-command due to new camp already having a doctor, Natalie Trier, in charge of the sick bay, but soon became the head doctor after Natalie Trier was repatriated. She found her morals questioned several times and was forced to carry out an abortion, as well as being asked to euthanise a patient. As her eye-sight deteriorated, Dr Mason found life hard to cope with and the persistent mortality rate sent her into a depression. Upon liberation, she discovered cupboards packed with medical supplies, including large bottles of quinine held back by Major Yamauchi. Furious with the find, she testified against Yamauchi at his war crimes trial. For a time, she ran the Monica Radcliffe Foundation with Stephen Wentworth but as her eyesight became worse, she decided to move back to England before going totally blind. Dr Mason was portrayed by Stephanie Cole.

Kate NorrisAustralian by birth, Kate Norris was a nurse at the Singapore Hospital under Dr Mason. She was becoming increasingly tired of nursing and was more concerned with her blossoming relationship with her boyfriend Tom Redburn. They became engaged on the night of the first Japanese air raid on Singapore. Both Kate and Tom were captured by the Japanese after being shipwrecked but were separated and sent to different camps. She worked as a nurse in the sick bay at the Kampong Getah camp under Beatrice Mason. However, she was unwilling to serve under Dr Trier in the 2nd camp and didn't reveal she was a nurse until Sally Markham committed suicide and wanted to help prepare her body. She remained a key part of the internee group and was reunited with Tom after liberation, however, he had TB and died soon after. After giving up Doctor's training in Australia, she returned to Singapore to take over the running of the Monica Radcliffe Foundation from Dr Mason and Stephen Wentworth. She was portrayed by Claire Oberman.

Blanche SimmonsBlanche Simmons (1912-1944) was a cockney rebel in every sense of the label. Not averse to using her body to keep her in cigarettes and make-up, she also did so to get vital quinine and the occasional piece of chocolate for birthdays. Blanche came from a working class background, abandoned by her mother and adopted. She became extremely close to Debbie Bowen much to the concern of Debbie's mother Judith, who later died from Malaria and asked Marion to look after her. When Blanche attempted to escape, Debbie found out and asked her to take her with her as her mother had just died, however they were caught when Marion and Rose found out that Debbie had escaped with Blanche and informed the commandant resulting in the pair being staked. Blanche was finally cut free and before long, was separated from the other women and sent to a different camp along with Sylvia and Nellie. By the time she was reunited with the rest, her friendship with Rose Millar had taken a sour turn as Blanche blamed Rose for Debbie who had died from a spider bite on the journey to second camp. She eventually made friends with Rose, helping her when she arranged to break out to meet Bernard. Blanche wasn't caught but kept the bullet removed from Rose's body. She asked Beatrice Mason to euthanise Rose and herself died of Beri-Beri in the 3rd camp. Blanche Simmons was portrayed by Louise Jameson.

Dorothy BennettDorothy Bennett entered the camp with her newborn baby, Violet in 1942. Her husband Dennis had been shot by the Japanese and she became despondent. When she did turn her attention to Violet, it was clear that the baby needed milk as her breast milk had dried up. She turned to smuggling but was caught and punished. As she couldn't feed Violet, the baby died and Dorothy turned away from her fellow internees. She became friendly with the Japanese guard Shinya but was also having sex with other guards in order to get supplies for herself. In the 2nd camp, she fell pregnant and had an abortion. Her closest friend was Sister Ulrica who affectionately called her "Dorotee". After her liberation, Dorothy returned to the bungalow in Malaya that her husband had bought for the family but it had been graffited and vandalised. She was attacked and claims of collaboration were thrown at her but these were not taken seriously by the British forces in Singapore. Dorothy returned to England where she opened an antiques shop. She became involved with Jake Haulter and was accepted as a very wealthy woman. Dorothy was portrayed by Veronica Roberts.

Maggie ThorpeMaggie Thorpe was introduced in Series 3. Much in the mould of Blanche Simmons, the pair had evidently been friends in the third camp on the site of an old prison. After the Japanese surrender had been announced, she organised a mob to kill Captain Sato but the gang was stopped by Marion Jefferson. She was liberated with the others but faced claims of collaboration like her friend Dorothy Bennett and when she found out she was pregnant, was concerned that it was a Japanese baby, however it turned out that she had slept with a British PoW the day after liberation. She had the baby and returned to England where she married a man called Jim and had another child. Maggie was portrayed by Lizzie Mickery.

Sally MarkhamSally Markham arrived at the first camp constantly being sick and separated from her new husband Peter, who had been sent to the mens camp. Beatrice Mason confirmed she was pregnant a few weeks after arriving at the camp but gave birth to a stillborn baby girl. She became increasingly reliant on Nellie Keane who Nellie had fallen in love with. However this was not reciprocated by Sally who had seen Nellie as just a friend. Before the women were sent to the second camp a list of male prisoners that were alive was issued to the women, Peter's name was not on the list and her mood worsened and she became very despondent and depressed as she realised Peter was dead, this being confirmed by Bernard when he met with Rose. After purchasing a mirror from Verna Johnson, she smashed it and slashed her wrists, an act which caused punishment for all of the women in the camp. She was portrayed by Joanna Hole.

Eleanor "Nellie" KeaneIrish by birth, Nellie Keane was a nurse at the Singapore Hospital under Dr Mason. She originally was seen shirking her duties, preferring to look for possible husbands instead but as the series went on, Nellie developed a close relationship with fellow prisoner Sally Markham. The relationship turned heads, becoming more intimate after Sally gave birth to a stillborn baby that she named after Nellie. The two were accused of perversion which Sally was disgusted at as Sally only saw Nellie as a friend. As Nellie realised this, she focussed her energies on the sick bay and stayed away from Sally. When she was separated from the other women in series 2, she apparently took control of the sick bay in her new camp, treating many ill internees before dying herself of malaria shortly before the end of the war. Nellie Keane was portrayed by Jeananne Crowley.

Lady Jocelyn 'Joss' HolbrookJoss was introduced in Series 2, being discovered by the internees on their way to the new camp. After suffering from a broken arm, Joss had been left for dead in an abandoned house but was sent to the next camp with the British and Dutch PoWs. Forthright and typically British, she hid her status as the daughter of an Earl from her fellow prisoners but when it was discovered, she suffered sycophantic attention from Mrs Van Meyer. Keen to be taken as "one of the girls", she enjoyed causing trouble for the Japanese and was punished quite often for sabotaging vehicles or answering the guards back. For most of the series, she was seen with an arm in a sling and suffered quite a few broken bones which failed to dampen her fighting spirit.

She became a special friend to Bea and Marion but was keen to trace her friend Monica Radcliffe whom she later discovered had died from heart failure. Upon her liberation, she met up with Monica's partner Stephen Wentworth and the two worked in a makeshift medical centre. While out walking, Joss was mugged and suffered broken ribs which eventually led to her death. She was buried in Singapore and in her will, left £1000 to all of her fellow internees with the exception of Stephen and Bea, whom she left £52,000 to found the Monica Radcliffe foundation, a medical centre. Her name lived on in the Joss Holbrook Education Wing. Joss was portrayed by Jean Anderson.

Judith Bowen/CohenJudith Bowen was the over protective mother of Debbie Bowden and one of the oldest internees in the original camp. She soon went down with malaria but was saved by Blanche Simmons who stole some quinine that had been delivered in red cross parcels which the Japanese had not yet handed out. However, she soon contracted Malaria again, the second bout being cerebral and she died in 1942. It was revealed after her death and Christian funeral that she had in fact been Jewish and that her real surname was Cohen. She was played by Ann Queensberry.

Debbie Bowen/CohenDebbie Bowen was the daughter of Judith Bowen. After her mother's death, she became increasingly friendly with Blanche Simmons and accompanied her on an attempted escape but the two were caught after Marion and Rose informed on them. After being staked out in the sun, Debbie was allowed to return thanks to Marion's pleading with Yamauchi. After being separated, the women were forced to walk many miles to the new camp and it was on a stop-over at a beach while collecting fruit that Debbie was bitten by a spider. She survived for a few days before dying. Like her mother, she was given a Christian burial but had her Star of David charm placed under the foot of the wooden cross. Debbie was played by Karin Foley.

Rose MillarRose Millar "(1914-1943)" was a snotty, vain journalist's girlfriend living in Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion. After being shipwrecked with Marion Jefferson and the others, she seemed more concerned with finding her luggage than finding her boyfriend Bernard, but it soon became her priority to see him when they were separated. In the Kampong Getah camp, she became extremely friendly with Blanche Simmons and was reluctant to take part in camp life. However, their relationship broke down when Rose informed the Commandant of Blanche's planned escape and the two broke friends. This caused Rose much suffering when the women were split into two camps but her major priority was to see Bernard. She arranged to meet him through a series of notes passed by Christina Campbell but news of the meeting reached Miss Hassan via Lilian Cartland. Bernard and Rose did get to meet but tragically, both were shot. Bernard died but Rose survived thanks to all of the women giving things to Beatrice Mason to remove the bullet. After a few days in the hospital hut, it became clear that Rose was paralyzed from the waist down and feeling suicidal, she asked Dr Mason to kill her. When she refused, Rose went on hunger strike but was forced to eat by Captain Sato. Rose eventually did die but whether Dr Mason helped her or not was never revealed. Rose was portrayed by Stephanie Beacham.

Sylvia AshburtonA typical colonialist wife, Sylvia Ashburton was pompous and proud of her nationality, refusing to bow to her Japanese captors at tenko before being forced into it. Even then, she'd mumble, "God Save the King" while doing so. Hard-working with a jolly-hockey sticks attitude, a darker side was seen in her relationship with Christina Campbell who she refused to sleep next to because she was a non-white. She was unashamedly racist but this attitude changed as the series progressed and she soon became good friends with Christina. As her husband was an Army Major, Sylvia already knew Marion Jefferson when she arrived in the Kampong Getah camp. At the beginning of Series 2, the women were split into two groups. Later in Series 2, we learned that Sylvia had died from cholera. Sylvia was portrayed by Renee Asherson.

Verna JohnsonVerna was introduced in Series 2 as the British leader of the 2nd camp, answerable to Miss Hassan. She had her own special hut which contained many rare items such as chocolate and saki and she employed Daisy Robertson to clean for her, while also keeping a pet cat. It soon became evident that Verna was collaborating with the Japanese to keep herself in luxury and the women began to get increasingly suspicious. As time went on, Verna became increasingly unstable as money ran short and she struggled to pay back a loan to Miss Hassan. Finally, Verna was exposed as having stored up Red Cross parcels to sell to the women. These included important medical supplies and food, sending the women into a rage. They beat her before turning their attention to Miss Hassan but an air-raid killed her before they had the chance to confront both Verna and Miss Hassan together. Verna herself died in the 3rd camp. She was played by Rosemary Martin.

Lillian CartlandA childhood friend of Marion, she showed signs of paranoia concerning the welfare of her son Bobby. She sold all of her possessions to Verna Johnson to buy extra food and became violent when Bobby shared it with a girl called Suzy. She was sure of their repatriation but this never came. Her fellow prisoners became extremely concerned about her mental state but this concern turned to anger after she informed the Commandant of Rose Millar's break out resulting in her death. She was treated as a collaborator, beaten and forced down to the floor while Blanche Simmons sheared her hair off. Marion suggested that she be transferred to another camp and Major Yamauchi arranged it. They left the camp in 1943. She survived the war, along with her son Bobby, and upon liberation, they were quickly shipped back to England. Lilian was portrayed by Philippa Urquhart.

Other British Characters

Brigadier Clifford JeffersonMarion's husband. At the beginning of the series, Clifford was increasingly concerned with Marion's wishes to return home to England but changed his mind when it became increasingly evident that Singapore would fall to the Japanese. He waved his wife off on the boat that would lead to her imprisonment. Upon their reunion after liberation, the marriage because extremely strained. Clifford wanted to use Marion's diary from the camp as evidence in the war crimes trial against Major Yamauchi. He couldn't understand Marion's reluctance to settle back into the pre-war way of life and the Jefferson's drifted apart. Clifford felt that Marion was spending too much time with the other internees but Marion felt Clifford only wanted to use her accounts of camp life to further his career. Eventually, they divorced. Clifford Jefferson was played by Jonathan Newth.

Phyllis BristowPhyllis Bristow was a British RAPWI Officer stationed in Singapore and given the role of repatriating the internees. Bristow found it difficult to control the women based in Raffles Hotel but befriended Alice Courtenay in order to keep her away from Maggie Thorpe, whom she felt was leading Alice astray. She was portrayed by Elspet Gray.

Victoria ArmstrongVictoria Armstrong was the wife of a British Army officer in Singapore and left on the same boat as her best friend Marion Jefferson. She drowned when the boat was torpedoed. She was played by Wendy Williams.

The Dutch

Domenica Van MeyerMrs Van Meyer was a resident of Kampong Getah who was captured in 1942. She was transferred with other Dutch prisoners to the camp in Kampong Getah in February 1942. Nouveau-Riche, selfish, vain and very extravagant, she was arrested at her home and arrived at the camp with various luxurious possessions, most of which were later destroyed by the camp guards. Although causing many arguments with her fellow internees, she showed a lighter side by performing magic tricks at a camp Christmas concert. For a time, she employed Dorothy to carry out her chores in return for money which Dorothy used to buy milk for Violet from local traders. Van Meyer soon became the resident sycophant, favouring those with colonialist backgrounds. She especially took a liking to Joss Holbrook when she discovered she was titled and even became a maid to Verna Johnson in Camp 2 to gain influence. Van Meyer faced claims of being a collaborator after she became a hairdresser to Miss Hassan but these claims were not taken seriously. She suffered twice with Beri-Beri but survived, being liberated in 1945. Her fellow internees called her 'Metro Goldwyn'.

After the war, Mrs Van Meyer presumed her husband dead (indeed, she hoped he hadn't survived). She gave interviews to Dutch newspapers in which she painted herself as a hero, much to the anger of Beatrice Mason. Domenica began spending from her personal account but couldn't access her inheritance until she could prove Mr Van Meyer's demise. She pawned jewellery in order to buy lavish dresses to keep up appearances but her world came crashing down when her husband was found to be alive. It became evident that the Van Meyer family of which she had been so proud was less than friendly to her and she finally revealed that her husband (15 years her senior) had very little love for her as she'd failed to give him a son. Her family had forced her to marry him for the wealth and position associated with the Van Meyer name. However, in the 1985 Tenko Reunion, we learned that Mr Van Meyer had died and Domenica had remarried a man called Edward Forster-Brown with whom she was much happier. After communists attacked their home, they moved to England. Domenica was played by Elizabeth Chambers.

Sister UlricaSister Ulrica, a Dominican nun of the St Therese Mission, was interned at the Kampong Getah camp in 1942. She became spokeswoman for the Dutch prisoners and became close to the other prisoners after a period of initial arguments. Sister Ulrica helped in the sick bay and became close to the British prisoners, especially Dorothy Bennett. When Sally Markham committed suicide in the 2nd camp, Sister Ulrica conducted a funeral for her which she received the admonishment of a visiting priest. Her penance was not to talk to the other women but she broke this when Dorothy became pregnant and had an abortion. She was sent away to a convent to care for the elderly, sick and mentally disturbed but returned to Singapore to be reunited with her friends after their liberation. She refused to testify against Major Yamauchi. Ulrica was injured in a Communist rebel attack in 1950 but recovered and was last seen helping Kate at the Foundation at Christmas. Sister Ulrica was played by Patricia Lawrence.

The Japanese

Major YamauchiCommandant of the 1st camp in the Kampong Getah and later District Commander of Area 3. His relationship with Marion Jefferson was a key theme of the series and over time, he came to respect Marion. The two built up an understanding and he would often take a less harsh course of action based on Marion's requests. He was a keen family man and learned that he had a grandson just a few months before his arrest by the allies. Yamauchi engaged Christina Campbell as his personal assistant in the 2nd and 3rd camp. He believed that the surrender was right and was emotionally drained by the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, later learning that his daughter and grandson died in the latter. After the handover of power was completed, he was arrested and after being treated for stomach ulcers in a Singapore hospital, was interred at Changi prison. He was tried with many of the former internees testifying against him and hanged for war crimes in 1945. Portrayed by Burt Kwouk.

Miss HassanAdministrator of the 2nd camp. Miss Hassan was a corrupt Japanese official, employed originally to interpret for Lt. Nakamura. However, her position became more untenable after Nakamura was replaced and Yamauchi took a deeper interest in the camp. She was a money-lender and alcoholic who formed a special relationship with Verna Johnson. The pair deliberately kept back Red Cross parcels in order to sell to the women. Miss Hassan was killed in an allied air strike on the camp in 1943. Portrayed by Josephine Welcome.

ShinyaJapanese soldier who engaged in a relationship with Dorothy, though not sexual. Shinya would give her cigarettes in return for English lessons. He often spoke negatively about his Japanese colleagues, especially Captain Sato but this didn't stop him shooting Rose Millar when she broke out of the camp. He was killed in an allied air strike on the camp in 1943. Portrayed by Takashi Kawahara.

Captain SatoKnown as Satan by the internees, Sato rose through the ranks to become Commandant of the 2nd and 3rd camp. Violent and harsh, he especially disliked Marion Jefferson and Joss Holbrook and considered Yamauchi's relationship with the women, notably Christina Campbell, far too lenient. He couldn't accept the Japanese surrender in 1945 and committed hari-kari the day the allies entered the camp to liberate the women. Portrayed by Eiji Kusuhara.