TUBULAR KNELLS: DIANA

Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997, ten years ago today. Even before her death, the People's Princess had her life translated for the universe of the Toob, and she was played by a wide variety of actresses. There have been enough portrayals of the Princess to ensure that there would be enough for all of the major alternate TV dimensions to have one of their own.

And that's the way that we would have to play it, for there were far too many recastings to even make an attempt to splain away the differences in how she looked - especially since most of these made-for-TV movies covered the exact same ground anyway. It's not like the situation with Doc Holliday, where we'd see him in different circumstances with each guest appearance on a TV show - 'Bonanza', 'Maverick', 'Lawman', as well as 'The Life And Legend of Wyatt Earp'. At least with Doc we can splain away all his different looks to the wasting progression of his tuberculosis. (And with his portrayal by John McLiam in the pilot episode of 'Bret Maverick', well he must have been pretty much at Death's door by then.

I once proposed there might be an alternate TV dimension in which Germany reigned supreme in the world, which is why there was a version of Sherlock Holmes who spoke Deutsche. This may be a good splainin for Katharina Schubert's televersion. Otherwise, the only recommendation I'd make would be that Nathalie Brocker's portrayal should be relegated to the evil mirror universe, as they actually come out and claim her death was murder.

So here's a list of the actresses who have portrayed Princess Diana over the years on Television.....

Nathalie Brocker (Princess Diana) . . . Murder of Princess Diana, The (2007) (TV)

Edita Brychta (Princess Diana) . . . Behind the Palace Doors (1993) (TV)

Edita Brychta (Princess Diana) . . . Fergie & Andrew: Behind the Palace Doors (1992) (TV)

Julie Cox (I) (Princess Diana) . . . Princess in Love (1996) (TV)

Nicola Formby (Diana, Princess of Wales) . . . Women of Windsor, The (1992) (TV)

Nicky Lilley (Princess Diana) . . . "Midsomer Murders" (1997) {Hidden Depths (#8.6)} TV Series

Emily Mortimer (Diana, Princess of Wales) . . . Jeffrey Archer: The Truth (2002) (TV)

Genevieve O'Reilly (Princess Diana) . . . Diana: Last Days of a Princess (2007) (TV)

Catherine Oxenberg (Princess Diana) . . . Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (1992) (TV)

Katharina Schubert (I) (Princess Diana) . . . Willi und die Windzors (1996) (TV)

Serena Scott Thomas (Princess Diana, Princess of Wales) . . . Diana: Her True Story (1993) (TV)

Amy Seccombe (Diana, Princess of Wales) . . . Diana: A Tribute to the People's Princess (1998) (TV)

They won't be the last to play the part of Diana. I figure she'll have as many future incarnations on Television as JFK and Jackie, and Abraham Lincoln.

The attention may seem ghoulish, but you know what they say: Give the people what they want. And she was the People's Princess.....

BCnU!
Toby OB