Louise Jameson, known to ITV soap fans as Mary Goskirk in Emmerdale, has had a rich career and personal life beyond the Dales. The actress, who joined the soap in 2022 as Rhona Goskirk's mother, has been involved in several dramatic storylines, including coming out as a lesbian, being scammed by a lover, and losing her love interest Suzy Merton in a tragic limo crash.
Doctor Who Legacy and Co-Star Tensions
Before Emmerdale, Jameson was best known for playing Leela, the companion of the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) in Doctor Who from 1977 to 1978. However, behind the scenes, the two actors did not get along. Jameson has since repaired the relationship, and after returning to the TARDIS with Baker to celebrate his MBE earlier this year, she told Doctor Who Magazine: "Today's been really lovely. It is so good to be here, to see Tom in such fine form. What a stroke of genius to put the TARDIS there, he was clearly right at home." She added: "I've known Tom for a long time, and it is no secret that we had our problems back in the seventies. We've absolutely come full circle, and being invited to this, I feel I'm firmly on the friendship list."
Marriage and Divorce
Jameson met her husband, artist Martin Bedford, while filming Bergerac in Jersey between 1985 and 1990. The couple married in 1990 at a church near her cottage in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Martin became a stepfather to her two sons, and they blended their families. However, after seven years, they divorced. Jameson reflected: "It got to the stage where had we continued living together we'd have been in real danger of losing that love entirely. We became careless of one another's feelings and no longer put each other first. I'm an incurable romantic. I love intimate suppers, cards and flowers, all of that. I will never regret marrying Martin because he made me happy for such a long time. Perhaps I'm difficult to live with, but I can't compromise my feelings. When things start to slip away, I think, 'Right's let's work at it'. And if things still don't work, I see no point in carrying on."
Emmerdale Storylines
Mary's character has been through turmoil, including the death of Suzy Merton, who was in a relationship with Vanessa Woodfield but truly loved Mary. Mary also helped her family through April Windsor's storyline involving manipulation by drug dealers Celia Daniels and Ray Walters. Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
