BUCKS Free Press columnist and former Doctor Who, Colin Baker, has paid tribute to actress Mary Tamm who has died aged 62.

Mary played Doctor Who companion, Romana, alongside the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, in the late 1970s. She died in a London hospital this morning following a long battle with cancer.

Colin said he knew Mary very well.

He told the Free Press: "She was a really lovely lady and far too young to be leaving us.

"I did panto with her in the 80s in Southampton.

"I was Buttons and she was Dandini."

But they first met when they were both at drama school through mutual friends. Mary was at RADA and Colin at LAMDA.

He added: "She was one of the most finest, down to earth actors I had ever worked with. A really lovely lady."

Colin said his heart goes out to her husband, Marcus, and daughter, Lauren.

And he said a week wouldn't go by without them being in touch with each other somehow.

Colin said Mary also did a couple of big films including The Odessa File, with Jon Voight.

He said: "There was one day I was with a friend around at her flat. She asked us to leave as a couple of important people were coming around.

"As we left Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor came in."

Mary appeared in six stories of Doctor Who as Romana, who was a Time Lady from the Doctor's home planet of Gallifrey.