# Alethea Charlton

Alethea Blow Charlton (9 August 1931 – 6 May 1976) was a British actress.

## Life

She was born in Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, and attended Ripon High School and the Northern Theatre School which was based at the Bradford Playhouse. After working in repertory for a few years in Yorkshire, she moved to London in 1960 before touring American universities as a member of a group. Alethea's family history was traced by people investigating the Naylor family history. The report indicates that she was descended from a line of people with the surname Charlton, as well as Blow, Dickerson, Naylor and Heyes.

## Acting career

Charlton was a cast member in episodes two, three and four of the first ever Doctor Who serial (An Unearthly Child) broadcast in late 1963, as a cavewoman called Hur. She returned playing the character Edith in the serial The Time Meddler in 1965.
Her other TV credits include: Z-Cars, Follyfoot, The Borderers, Doomwatch, Out of the Unknown, Upstairs, Downstairs and a three-year recurring role in the Granada Television drama Sam.

## Death

She died of a malignant melanoma at the age of 44. Her last known acting role was in the soap opera The Cedar Tree, which was aired posthumously.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Episodes |
| 1961 | Deadline Midnight | Objector | Season 3, episode 9: "Why George Brown Hanged" |
| 1962 | Silent Evidence | Sister Cook | Season 1, episode 6: "Prophet of Truth" |
| 1962–63 1965 1969–71 | Z-Cars | Vicky Carron Millie Lovegrove Mrs. Rosser Margaret Thomson Mary Smith Fran Rachel Edmunds | Season 1, episode 22: ''Incident Reported'' Season 2, episode 24: ''Follow My Leader'' Season 4, episode 24: ''The Long Spoon'' Season 5, episode 11: ''But the Crying...'' Season 6: (6 episodes) |
| 1963 1965 | Doctor Who | Hur Edith | Season 1, An Unearthly Child (3 episodes) Season 2, The Time Meddler (4 episodes) |
| 1964 | Sergeant Cork | Rose | Season 1, episode 27: "The Case of the Medicine Man" |
| 1964 | The Sleeper | Ilina | TV movie |
| 1964 | The Villains | Mary Bates | Season 3, episode 1: ''Bent'' |
| 1964 | The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling | Mrs. Bent | Season 1, episode 23: ''A Second-Rate Woman'' |
| 1964 1965 | Cluff | Miriam Bateson Liz Meller | Season 1, episode 5: ''The Daughter in Law'' Season 2. Episode 13: ''The Village Constable'' |
| 1964 1967 | Armchair Theatre | Unknown | |
| 1965 | Sherlock Holmes | Mrs. Rucastle | Season 1, episode 3: "The Copper Beeches" |
| 1965 | Hereward the Wake | Gunhilda | Episode 9: "The War Arrow" |
| 1966 | The Woman in White | Marian Halcombe | Season 1, (6 episodes) |
| 1966 1969 | The Wednesday Play | Elizabeth Delorea Sweeting | Season 1, episode 51: ''A Game, Like, Only A Game Season 1, episode 149: ''The Mark II Wife'' |
| 1966 1970 1971 1972 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Margot Winters Younger sister Cynthia Holmes Mrs. Runca | Season 2, episode 6: ''Play to Win'' Season 6, episode 3: ''Did the Nanny Come From Bergen?'' Season 6, episode 12: ''Waugh on Crime: In Which Inspector Waugh Plays Cops and Robbers'' Season 7, episode 19: ''The Penthouse Apartment'' |
| 1967 | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Anastasia | Season 1, episode 2: ''The Croxley Master'' |
| 1967 | Out of Town Theatre | Sister Ursula | Season 1, episode 5: '' A Nun's Tale'' |
| 1967 | The Revenue Men | Janice Brent | Season 2, episode 12: ''Fox in the High Street'' |
| 1967 | ITV Playhouse | Madge | Season 1, episode 2: "They Said Let's Live Together" |
| 1967 | Softly Softly | Mrs. Forbes | Season 3, episode 9: ''The Hunt'' |
| 1967 | Emergency Ward 10 | Renee | Season 3, episode 8: "A Cry for Help" |
| 1968 1969 | The Expert | Alice Simpson Pat Elliot | Season 1, episode 7: ''Nobody's Going to Hurt You'' Season 2, episode 12: ''Do Not Go Gentle'' |
| 1968 1971 | Public Eye | Maureen Judy Marchmont | Season 3, episode 8: ''Honesty Is the Best Policy – But Who Can Afford the Premiums?'' Season 5, episode 5: ''The Beater and the Game'' |
| 1969 | The Gold Robbers | Fay Hartford | Season 1, episode 2: ''Grounded'' |
| 1969 | Detective | Harriet Ward | Season 3, episode 7: ''Elimination Round'' |
| 1969 | Paul Temple | Enid Bray | Season 1, episode 5: ''The Man Who Wasn't There" |
| 1970 | Hardy Heating Company Ltd | Jean Wilkins | Season 1: (6 episodes) |
| 1970 | Manhunt | Helene | Season 1, episode 20: ''Machine'' |
| 1970 | Special Branch | Brenda Clifford | Season 2, episode 7: ''Not to be Trusted'' |
| 1970 | Ryan International | Unknown | Season 1, episode 8: ''The Muck Raker'' |
| 1970 | Menace | Alice Campbell | Season 1, episode 6: ''Man with a Mission |
| 1971 | Out of the Unknown | Ann Meredith | Season 4, episode 3: ''This Body is Mine'' |
| 1971 | Trial | Julia Samuels | Season 1, episode 4: '' On The Evidence You Will Hear'' |
| 1971 | Upstairs, Downstairs | Enid | Season 1, episode 3: "Board Wages" |
| 1971 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | Doris Pratt | Season 1, episode 11: "The Assyrian Rejuvenator" |
| 1971 1972 | Play for Today | Miss. Rone Anne | Season 2, episode 4: ''O Fat White Woman'' Season 3, episode 8: ''The Bankrupt'' |
| 1972 | Six Days of Justice | Molly Foster | Season 1, episode 5: ''With Intent to Deceive'' |
| 1972 | The Lotus Eaters | Monica Turton | Season 1, episode 6: '' A Tiger on Bristol Street'' |
| 1973 | Thriller | Mrs. Oxhey | Season 1, episode 3: ''Someone at the Top of the Stairs'' |
| 1973 | Away From It All | Alice | Season 1, episode 6, ''The Summer House'' |
| 1973 | Follyfoot | Phyllis Weatherby | Season 3, episode 10: ''The Helping Hand'' |
| 1973–75 | Sam | Ethel Barraclough | Season 1: (13 episodes) Season 2: (13 episodes) Season 3: (13 episodes) |
| 1974 | Crown Court | Betty Tring | Season 3, episode 112: ''Strange Past: Part 1'' |
| 1976 | Big Boy Now! | Marjorie Marchant | Season 1, episode 7: ''Staff Relations'' |
| 1976 | The Cedar Tree | Mrs. Whickham | Season 1: (2 episodes) |