Mary Tamm, who has died of cancer aged 62, was best known for her role as one of the many female assistants to Doctor Who in the long-running BBC television science fiction series as Romanadvoratrelundar or Romana for short or Romana 1 by fans.
She appeared in the 16th series, in 1978-79 during the The Key to Time story arc in which the White Guardian commissions the Doctor (Tom Baker), K9, and new companion the Time Lady Romana to find the six segments of the Key to Time, a cosmic artifact resembling a perfect cube that maintains the equilibrium of the universe. Her last Doctor Who appearance was in the Gallifrey audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, Gallifrey: Lies and the special features in the 2007 DVD boxed set release of The Key to Time.