This Year’s Guests

SUSAN PENHALIGAN

Born in Manila, Phillipines, in 1949 and brought up in St Ives Cornwall, Susan Penhaligon is a proud Cornish woman. She is perhaps best known for her role in the drama series Bouquet of Barbed Wire (1976), and for playing Helen Barker in the sitcom A Fine Romance (1981–1984).

Her screen career is comprehensive and impressive. Her film appearances include Under Milk Wood (1972), No Sex, Please, We’re British (1973), The Land That Time Forgot (1974), House of Mortal Sin (1976), The Uncanny (1977), Count Dracula (1977), The Masks of Death (1984), and Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013). Her many TV appearances include two episodes of Play for Today (1971 and 1975), Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), Doctor Who (1972), Public Eye (1973), Return of the Saint (1978), two episodes of Tales of the Unexpected (1982 and 1983), Bergerac (1989), The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1997), the TV movie Junk (1999), Mark Gatiss’s A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Dead Room (2018) and Beyond Paradise (2026). Susan has also had a substantial stage career.

Tagged the ‘British Bardot’ in the 1970s, she was described by Clive Aslet in The Daily Telegraph as ‘the face of the decade’.

SPENCER BANKS

Born in Manila, Phillipines, in 1949 and brought up in St Ives Cornwall, Susan Penhaligon is a proud Cornish woman. She is perhaps best known for her role in the drama series Bouquet of Barbed Wire (1976), and for playing Helen Barker in the sitcom A Fine Romance (1981–1984).
Her screen career is comprehensive and impressive. Her film appearances include Under Milk Wood (1972), No Sex, Please, We’re British (1973), The Land That Time Forgot (1974), House of Mortal Sin (1976), The Uncanny (1977), Count Dracula (1977), The Masks of Death (1984), and Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013). Her many TV appearances include two episodes of Play for Today (1971 and 1975), Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), Doctor Who (1972), Public Eye (1973), Return of the Saint (1978), two episodes of Tales of the Unexpected (1982 and 1983), Bergerac (1989), The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1997), the TV movie Junk (1999), Mark Gatiss’s A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Dead Room (2018) and Beyond Paradise (2026). Susan has also had a substantial stage career.
Tagged the ‘British Bardot’ in the 1970s, she was described by Clive Aslet in The Daily Telegraph as ‘the face of the decade’.

LOUISE JAMESON

In Louise Jameson’s 55-year career (and counting!), she has performed in over 250 plays, been a regular in ten different TV series, including Doctor Who, where she played the role of the 4th Doctor’s companion Leela (1977-78), The Omega Factor (1979), Tenko (1981-82), Bergerac (1985-90) and EastEnders (1998-2000), and she has also dipped her toe into the film world. She is currently playing Mary Goskirk in Emmerdale, a feisty lesbian with no censorship between her brain and her mouth! She also pursues a writing career and is currently developing a TV series, a comedy centred around mental health.

Louise’s website.

SEAN HOGAN

Sean Hogan is a UK filmmaker and author. His feature credits include TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST, THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS, FUTURE SHOCK! THE STORY OF 2000AD and THE BORDERLANDS. In collaboration with Kim Newman and a host of other genre writers, he co-created and directed the anthology horror plays THE HALLOWE’EN SESSIONS and THE GHOST TRAIN DOESN’T STOP HERE ANYMORE. He is also the author of the novels ENGLAND’S SCREAMING, TWILIGHT’S LAST SCREAMING and THE CORPSE ROAD. He is currently in post-production on a new feature film, THE DARK GETS IN.