Wanda Ventham - wikipedia Wanda Ventham Wanda Ventham ( 1935 - 08 - 05 ) 5 August 1935 ( age 82 ) Brighton, Sussex, England Alma mater Central School of Speech and Drama Occupation Actress Years active 1956 -- present Spouse ( s ) James Tabernacle ( m. 1957 -- 1974 ) Timothy Carlton ( m. 1976 ) Children Tracy Tabernacle Benedict Cumberbatch Wanda Ventham ( born 5 August 1935 ) is an English actress, known primarily for her role as Colonel Virginia Lake in the 1970s science - fiction television series UFO, and for her recurring role as Cassandra Trotter 's mother Pamela Parry in the sitcom Only Fools and Horses from 1989 -- 92. She also appeared in two episodes of The Saint alongside Roger Moore. In April 2014, People magazine featured her in its `` Most Beautiful People in the World '' edition. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 4.3 Theatre 5 References 6 External links Early life Ventham was born in Brighton, the daughter of Gladys Frances ( née Holtham ) and Frederick Howard Ventham. Originally aspiring to become an artist, she attended art school for a year, whilst working as a scenic painter for the Connaught Theatre, in Worthing, West Sussex, during her school holidays. The exposure to professional theatre prompted her to leave art school and pursue a career in acting. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, alongside Judi Dench, graduating in 1956. Career Ventham 's first film role was in My Teenage Daughter ( 1956 ), with Anna Neagle and Sylvia Syms. She also appeared in Carry On Cleo ( 1964 ) and Carry On... Up the Khyber ( 1968 ). She starred alongside Mark Burns in the mystery film, Death is a Woman ( 1966 ). Her best known role was on television as Col. Virginia Lake, second in command to Cmdr. Ed Straker ( Ed Bishop ) in the cult series UFO. Ventham 's numerous other TV credits include regular roles in Heartbeat as Fiona Weston, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as Margaret Balshaw, and The Rag Trade as Shirley. She also played a love interest for Arthur Daley in Minder, Susan 's mother in Coupling, and Deborah 's mother in Men Behaving Badly. She appeared in the lead role in the 15 - part BBC series The Lotus Eaters ( 1972 -- 73 ), opposite Ian Hendry, and made a guest appearance in Rutland Weekend Television. She was in an episode of Danger Man, and the series Patrick McGoohan completed immediately afterwards - the allegorical spy series The Prisoner - as well as the sitcoms Executive Stress and Next of Kin, and the sketch show The Two Ronnies. She has appeared in Doctor Who on three occasions over three decades : as Jean Rock in The Faceless Ones ( 1967 ), as Thea Ransome in Image of the Fendahl ( 1977 ) and as Faroon in Time and the Rani ( 1987 ). Her appearance in Image of the Fendahl was opposite Denis Lill. Ventham and Lill would later play Pamela and Alan Parry in the sitcom Only Fools and Horses. In 2014, she and her husband Timothy Carlton appeared in the BBC adaptation of Sherlock as the parents of Sherlock Holmes, who is played by their son Benedict Cumberbatch. Ventham appeared in Holby City as Myrtle McKee, a hospital patient who leads a double life. Personal life Ventham married her first husband James Tabernacle in 1957 and they had one daughter, Tracy. They were divorced on 12 November 1974. She met actor Timothy Carlton in 1970 while filming sequences for the drama series A Family at War and they have been married since April 1976. The couple appeared together in the second series of BBC drama The Lotus Eaters in 1973, and in the third series of BBC 's Sherlock in 2014, where they played the title character 's parents. Their son, actor Benedict Cumberbatch, played Sherlock. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1956 My Teenage Daughter Gina 1959 The Navy Lark Mabel 1961 We Joined the Navy The `` Initiative test '' girl 1962 Solo for Sparrow Waitress 1964 Carry On Cleo Pretty Bidder Uncredited 1965 The Big Job Dot Franklin 1965 The Knack... and How to Get It Gym Mistress Uncredited 1966 Death Is a Woman Priscilla Blunstone - Smythe 1966 The Spy with a Cold Nose Mrs. Winters 1967 Mister Ten Per Cent Kathy 1968 The Blood Beast Terror Clare Mallinger Ventham also provided stunt work for the film and appeared in costume as the giant moth monster. 1968 Carry On Up the Khyber Khasi 's First Wife Invasion : UFO Col. Virginia Lake Captain Kronos -- Vampire Hunter Lady Durward 2002 Mrs Caldicot 's Cabbage War Victoria 2005 Asylum Bridie Straffen 2012 Run for Your Wife Lady on Bus Cameo 2016 Absolutely Fabulous : The Movie Violet Cameo Television Year Title Role Notes 1962 -- 1963 The Rag Trade Shirley Series regular ; 18 episodes 1964 -- 1965 Danger Man Stella Dorset Penny 2 episodes 1964 -- 1966 The Saint Laura Stride Penny Pearson 2 episodes 1965 The Likely Lads Angela 1 episode 1965 The Avengers Nurse Spray 1 episode 1967 The Prisoner Computer Attendant 1 episode 1967 The Caesars Ennia 1 episode 1967 -- 1971 The Troubleshooters Moira Hart Recurring ; 4 episodes 1967 1977 Doctor Who Jean Rock Thea Ransome / Fendahl Core Faroon Serial : `` The Faceless Ones '' ( 6 episodes ) Serial : `` Image of the Fendahl '' ( 4 episodes ) Serial : `` Time and the Rani '' ( 3 episodes ) 1969 The Gold Robbers Dee Lattery 1 episode 1969 Department S Leila Rankin 1 episode 1970 Z - Cars Mrs. Owen 1 episode 1970 -- 1971 A Family At War Jenny Graham Recurring ; 3 episodes 1970 Doctor At Large Maggie Weston 1 episode 1970 -- 1973 UFO Col. Virginia Lake Series regular ; 9 episodes 1971 Thirty - Minute Theatre Jasmine `` Walt, King of the Dumper '' 1972 -- 1973 The Lotus Eaters Ann Shepherd Lead role ; 15 episodes The Sweeney Brenda 1 episode Rutland Weekend Television Various characters 2 episodes 1976 Emmerdale Farm Heather Bannerman Recurring ; 6 episodes 1977 Crown Court Sybil Halstead 2 episodes 1978 -- 1979 Fallen Hero Dorothy Hopkins Lead role ; 11 episodes 1980 The Two Ronnies Jack 2 episodes 1982 Minder Beryl Murdoch 1 episode 1986 -- 1987 Executive Stress Sylvia Recurring ; 4 episodes All Creatures Great and Small Mrs. Ridge Series 5, Episode 11 Capstick 's Law Madge Capstick Recurring ; 6 episodes 1989 -- 1992 Only Fools and Horses Pamela Parry Recurring ; 4 episodes 1995 -- 1996 Next of Kin Rosie Recurring ; 6 episodes 1996 -- 1997 Heartbeat Fiona Weston Recurring ; 4 episodes Coupling Edna 1 episode 2005 Midsomer Murders Romany Rose 1 episode 2007 Lewis Eleanor Mallory 1 episode 2014 - 2017 Sherlock Mrs. Holmes ( Sherlock Holmes ' mother ) 3 episodes 2018 Holby City Sheilagh Chiltern 2 episodes Theatre Year Title Role Venue 1960 Watch It, Sailor ! Daphne Pink Apollo Theatre, London 1979 Julius Caesar Portia Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester Out of Order Pamela Shaftesbury Theatre, London It Runs in the Family Rosemary Mortimore Playhouse Theatre, London 2002 One for the Pot Amy Hardcastle Theatre Royal, Windsor 2012 Quartet Cissy Theatre - on - the - Bay, Cape Town 2014 Entertaining Angels Ruth Theatre - on - the - Bay, Cape Town References ^ Jump up to : Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index : 1916 - 2005 ( database on - line ). Provo, UT, USA : Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data : General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England : General Register Office. Jump up ^ `` Stars & Their Hot Moms ''. People : 139. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2015. Jump up ^ FreeBMD. England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837 - 1915 ( database on - line ). Provo, UT, USA : Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data : General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England : General Register Office. ^ Jump up to : Ventham, Wanda. Audio commentary for `` Timelash ''. In : The Complete UFO Megaset ( DVD ). A&E Home Entertainment. 2003. Jump up ^ MARTIN, ANNIE ( 19 September, 2014 ) `` Benedict Cumberbatch is ' a true gentleman, ' says Judi Dench ''. UPI Entertainment. Jump up ^ Central School of Speech and Drama Alumni Newsletter ( 19 ) : 19. July 2012. Missing or empty title = ( help ) ; access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Benedict Cumberbatch ' so proud ' of parents ''. The Daily Telegraph. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014. Jump up ^ Lazarus, Susanna ( 14 October 2014 ). `` Benedict Mumberbatch ! Wanda Ventham to appear on Holby City ''. Radio Times. Retrieved 1 October 2014. ^ Jump up to : Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Marriage Index : 1916 - 2005 ( database on - line ). Provo, UT, USA : Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data : General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England : General Register Office. Jump up ^ Knowles, Stewart ( 28 July 1979 ). `` Timothy, Wanda... and the rose that changed her mind about marriage ''. TV Times : 14 -- 15. Jump up ^ `` TV star Wanda 's friendly divorce ''. Daily Mirror. 13 November 1974. p. 9. Jump up ^ Passingham, Kenneth ( 22 March 1975 ). `` It 's good news to know I 'm still fanciable ''. TV Times : 21 -- 22. Jump up ^ `` Sherlock : Benedict Cumberbatch ' so proud ' of parents ''. The Telegraph. 2 Jan 2014. Jump up ^ IMDB External links Wanda Ventham on IMDb Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wanda_Ventham&oldid=821164387 '' Categories : 1935 births 20th - century English actresses 21st - century English actresses Actresses from Sussex Alumni of the Central School of Speech and Drama English film actresses English television actresses Living people People from Brighton English stage actresses Hidden categories : Pages with citations lacking titles Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Use British English from November 2012 Use dmy dates from November 2012 Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español 한국어 Italiano 日本 語 Русский Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Edit links This page was last edited on 18 January 2018, at 20 : 08. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who played cassandra's mum in only fools and horses
Answer: Wanda Ventham