Zienia Merton

Zienia Merton:

† Dec 11 1945 – Sep 14 2018

With her elegant gamine good looks and sophisticated demeanour, Anglo/French/Burmese actress Zienia Merton was cast in a number of 'vaguely exotic' roles in her early days, including the 'Marco Polo' story strand from the William Hartnell-era Doctor Who (now sadly wiped), a Kashmiri girl in 'Tales from Rudyard Kipling', and as the middle-eastern Zeba Hameed in an episode of the 'Strange Report'. On the big screen, she turns up as an Indian priestess in 'Help!' (1965 ), and as Maoist Mata Hari, Ting Ling, in the Gregory Peck spy romp, 'The Most Dangerous Man in the World', aka 'The Chairman' (1969).

    

In 'The Most Dangerous Man in the World' (1969) 

Dennis Potter's (very racy for the time) 'Casanova' in 1971 saw her playing Cristina to a world-weary Frank Finlay's eponymous libertine. Although the screenplay was intended to highlight the sadness, religious guilt and regrets behind his great romantic reputation (it is Dennis Potter, after all), most people, Mary Whitehouse included, tended to remark on the indulgent use of nudity (did I mention Dennis Potter?).      

In 'Casanova', the BBC's most talked-about drama of 1971

However, it was the Gerry Anderson sci-fi drama 'Space: 1999' which ran for two seasons of 48 episodes and gave her international exposure. Playing sensitive officer Sandra Benes, she featured in most of the show's heavy-handed plots, as the Andersons attempted to prove that it wasn't a children's show. Personal melodramas and cod-mystic astro-psychedelia vied for prominence, as the kids waited patiently for some explosions and spaceships. 

Since her Moonbase days, she has been in an interesting mix of mundane and fantasy fare, from 'EastEnders', 'Coronation Street', 'Casualty' and 'The Bill', to 'Hammer House of Mystery & Suspense', 'Dinotopia', 'Wizards vs Aliens' and 'The Sarah Jane Mysteries', which ties in nicely with her early adventures in 'Doctor Who'.       

Zienia Merton officiating at the wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (the late Elizabeth Sladen),
until the Doctor (in this case Tennant) arrives to stop her marrying Nigel Havers      

Zienia Merton-imdb

Trevor Peacock

Trevor Peacock:

† May 19 1931 – March 8 2021

'No, no, no, no, no...'

But yes, 'The Vicar of Dibley's endearingly speech impeded Jim Trott is the most widely known of the many TV characters played by this fascinating veteran actor, born in London in 1931, but he's been equally prolific on the stage, particularly with the RSC and the Royal Exchange in Manchester. He has acted with a star-studded roll-call of luvvies including (deep breath) Kenneth Cranham, Judi Dench, Barry Foster, Michael Gambon, Brian Glover, Nigel Havers, Patricia Hayes, Michael Hordern, Martin Jarvis, Anna Massey, Geraldine McEwan, Julia McKenzie, Bill Nighy, Diana Quick, Ralph Richardson, Paul Scofield, Fiona Shaw, Imelda Staunton, Maggie Steed, Zoe Wanamaker, Billie Whitelaw, Penelope Wilton and David Yelland - to name but a few.   

Looking uncannily like his son Daniel Peacock in
the Adam Faith comedy 'What A Whopper!' (1961)

In the early days he seems to have knocked about Tin Pan Alley with RADA-trained 'Oh Boy!' producer Jack Good and the early stars of the British rock'n'roll scene.

He wrote this mostly forgotten 45, but a jukebox burst on the
soundtrack of 'Victim (1961) might have raised a few guineas

He is credited as a scriptwriter on 'Six Five Special', 'Oh Boy!' and the less well remembered 'Wham!'. When Jack Good put together the 'Around The Beatles'  TV special in 1964, he got Peacock to lead the Fab Four in their Midsummer Night's Dream skit. And not many people know that Trevor Peacock wrote the winsome pop novelty 'Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter', later a hit for Herman's Hermits, as well as Billy Fury's 'Stick Around', and the lyrics for the vocal numbers on the 'Beat Girl' (1959) soundtrack.     
   

In the 1964 TV special, 'Around The Beatles'

On TV, he was in a number of serious dramas and classic serials: 'Edward VII', 'The Borgias', 'The Old Curiosity Shop' (as Quilp, BBC 1979), 'Henry VI', 'Pericles', 'Titus Andronicus' and Neil Gaiman's 'Neverwhere', but was also seen in comedy shows ranging from 'Father Dear Father' to 'The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'. Not forgetting the dipsomaniac human cannonball, Captain Zero, in 'Last of the Summer Wine'.  The pre-Dibley mainstay has been from the better end of popular primetime drama. See for example 'Minder', 'Boon', 'Underworld', 'Van Der Valk', 'Lytton's Diary', 'Jonathan Creek' and so on.     


As old lag and golf caddy, Previous, making things tricky for
Arthur at the golf club in a '90s episode of 'Minder'

On the big screen, a few fleeting glimpses: 'Hamlet' (1990) as the gravedigger, 'The Trial' (1993) prosecuting Anthony Hopkins as Joseph K, 'Sunshine' (1999), and 'Fred Claus' (2007). A couple of London-centred films sound really interesting, but I don't know if they are available these days, 'The Barber of Stamford Hill' (1962)* and 'Tersons Were There' (1967). Any information gratefully received.  

Arranging a pugilistic contest for a rather flimsy Lord Byron
(Richard Chamberlain) in 'Lady Caroline Lamb' (1972)

Trivia: When he appeared on 'The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer', he played a Vox Continental organ while wearing a red catsuit in Uncle Peter's Band.

The father of Daniel Peacock. And Harry Peacock - best known as Ray Bloody Purchase from 'Toast of London'.

* You can now watch this little gem on the BFI website.

Trevor Peacock-imdb