Cheryl Hall, who is best known for roles in Citizen Smith and Doctor Who, has died at the age of 76.
The news of her passing was confirmed on social media by the actor Robin Askwith, who Hall dated for three years in the 1970s.
He wrote on X:
“What a force of nature she was. A really innovative working class, charismatic actress coming out of the late 60s. Brave in every way.
“And now I have the sad news she has passed away. I am devastated…
“She was my beginning. RIP Cheryl Hall.”
Hall’s acting career began in the late 1960s, with early credits including the psychological comedy drama film Deep End, Within These Walls, Callan, Public Eye and Z-Cars.
But it was her role in the 1971 On the Buses episode The Epidemic that launched her to fame.
Hall went on to appear in the 1973 Doctor Who serial Carnival of Monsters as the carnival worker and glamorous assistant Shirna. Two years previously, Hall had been in the final shortlist of three actresses for the part of the Doctor’s companion Jo Grant, alongside eventual winner Katy Manning and Gabrielle Drake, with Jenny McCracken fourth in the list. Producer Barry Letts remembered Hall and McCracken and cast them both in Carnival of Monsters, which Letts also directed.
On Citizen Smith, Hall appeared as Shirley Johnson, the girlfriend of Wolfie Smith (played by Robert Lindsay). Hall was also married to Lindsay in real life between 1974 and 1980.
Other TV credits include The Bill, Poirot, Inspector Morse, Grange Hill, Casualty, and Silent Witness, while some of Hall’s most notable film credits include To Catch a Spy (1971), The Love Ban (1974) and Three for All (1975).
Alongside her acting career, Hall also stood as a parliamentary candidate for Canterbury in the 1997 general election.
In more recent years, she served as the Labour Leader of Kent County Council.
