Nicola Jane Bryant (born 11 October 1960 in Guildford, England) is an English actress best known for playing the character of Peri Brown on Doctor Who. Peri was initially a companion of the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) but most of her tenure was spent with the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker). Bryant's time on Doctor Who was cut short when the series was put on an 18-month hiatus. When it finally returned to the airwaves, she appeared in only half of the 23rd season before being replaced by a new character. Despite the behind-the-scenes turmoil associated with her run on the show, Bryant remains on good terms with her co-stars and the Doctor Who fanbase. She has reprised her role in many audio dramas from Big Finish Productions.
Bryant has also appeared in shows like Blackadder, CASUAL+Y, Doctors and Holby City and the web series Star Trek Continues in addition to having an ongoing career in the theatre.
Her roles include:
TV- Doctor Who: 33 episodes / 11 storiesshow list (1984-86) — Peri Brown
- Blackadder: "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" (1988) — Millicent
- Children in Need: "Dimensions in Time"note (1993) — Peri Brown
- CASUAL+Y: "Fall Out" (2000) — Susan Harris
- Holby City:
- "Someone to Watch Over Me" (2007) — Catherine Sloman
- "The Butterfly Effect: Part One" (2010) — Reporter
- Doctors:
- "Catch" 22 (2000) — Sonia Heyward-Smith
- "Naked Ambition" (2010) — Jackie Fallon
- My Family:
- "A Very Brief Encounter" (2009) — Anne
- "Ben Behaving Badly" (2010) — Janet
Film
- Parting Shots (1998) — Beverley
Web Video
- Star Trek Continues: "To Boldy Go" Parts 1 & 2 (2017) — Lana
Audio Play
- Big Finish Doctor Who:
- Main Range: 29 releasesshow list (1999-2020) — Peri Brownnote , Queen Annenote , Doctor Stone & Ouidanote
- Special Releases: 4 releasesshow list (2004-13) — Peri Brown
- Companion Chronicles: "Peri and the Piscon Paradox" (2009) — Peri Brown
- The Lost Stories: 12 releasesshow list (2009-19) — Peri Brown, Mariananote
- Destiny of the Doctor: "Trouble in Paradise" (2013) — Peri Brown
- Bernice Summerfield: "The Revolution" (2014) — Professor Geller
- Iris Wilthyme: "Comeback of the Scorchies" (2015) — Maggie
- Iris Wilthyme: "The Slots of Giza" (2015) — Mable
- Short Trips: 6 releasesshow list (2015-20) — Peri Brown
- The Sixth Doctor and Peri: 4 releasesshow list (2020) — Peri Brown
- Doctor Who Unbound: "Dust Devil" (2022) — Peri Brown
Tropes:
- Fake American: Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner wanted to capitalize on the series' growing popularity in the United States by introducing an American companion. Even though Bryant is English, he told the press that she was in fact American. Bryant herself is the first to admit that her early attempts at an American accent were not the best.
- Ms. Fanservice:
- Peri's sex appeal was an undeniable part of her character. She spent a good portion of her first story in a skimpy bikini and could be seen wearing form-fitting outfits for most of her time on the show.
- In the film Parting Shots, Bryant appeared as a prostitute who plays backgammon while wearing a bra.