Ling Tai is a Chinese actress, remembered for being a presenter on the final year of children's programme '' Crackerjack!'' as well as playing Lily in the first series of children's comedy ''

Spatz ''Spatz'' is a children's comedy series that ran on Children's ITV during the 1990s, produced by Thames Television and created by Andrew Bethell. The show originally ran from 21 February 1990 to 10 April 1992. The show centred on a fast food r ...

''.

Early life

In 1960, she was found abandoned as a baby on the streets of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. Rescued by a policeman, she was taken to an orphanage. Aged six months, the girl was brought to Britain with nine other babies, where she was adopted by a couple from

Eastcote Eastcote is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in northwest London. In the Middle Ages, Eastcote was one of the three areas that made up the parish of Ruislip, under the name of Ascot. The name came from its position to the e ...

. Aged 18, Ling planned to return home to China with her adoptive parents but decided to enter the world of acting.

Acting career

Acting work includes appearances in ''

The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, seria ...

'', '' Bergerac'', ''

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ...

'', ''

Never the Twain ''Never the Twain'' is a British sitcom that ran for eleven series from 7 September 1981 to 9 October 1991. It was created by Johnnie Mortimer, and was the only sitcom he ever created without his usual writing partner, Brian Cooke. Mortimer w ...

'', ''

Alas Smith and Jones ''Alas Smith and Jones'' is a British comedy sketch television series starring comedy duo and namesake Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones that originally ran for four series and two Christmas specials on BBC2 from 1984 to 1988, and later as ''Smi ...

'', ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' and ''

Soldier Soldier ''Soldier Soldier'' is a British television drama series. The title comes from a traditional song of the same name - "Soldier, soldier won't you marry me, with your musket, fife and drum?" - an instrumental version of which was used as its t ...

''. ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' fans recall Ling for her part as Shou Yuing in the 1989 story ''

Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...

'' (after previously being an uncredited extra in ''

The Leisure Hive ''The Leisure Hive'' is the first serial of the Doctor Who (season 18), 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 30 August to 20 September 198 ...

'' and ''

Warriors of the Deep ''Warriors of the Deep'' is the first serial of the 21st season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 5 to 13 January 1984. In the serial, two human power b ...

''). On stage, the actress has appeared as the Princess in two pantomime productions of ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

'': firstly in 1984 at the Darlington Civic Theatre (starring

Iris Williams Iris Williams OBE (born 20 April 1944) is a Welsh singer. Williams reached the peak of her popularity during the 1980s. Early life and education Williams was born in Rhydyfelin. Brought up in a children's home in Tonyrefail, and later adopted ...

) and then in 1985 at the

Theatre Royal, Brighton The Theatre Royal, Brighton is a theatre in Brighton, England presenting a range of West End and touring musicals and plays, along with performances of opera and ballet. History In 1806 the Prince of Wales (later George IV) gave Royal Assent fo ...

(starring

Christopher Biggins Christopher Kenneth Biggins (born 16 December 1948) is an English actor and television presenter. Early life Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of William and Pamela Biggins. He was brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, attended St P ...

). Other work includes '' South Pacific'' at

Connaught Theatre The Connaught Theatre is a Streamline Moderne-style theatre and cinema in the centre of Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Built as the Picturedrome cinema in 1914, the venue was extended in 1935 and became the new home of the Connaught Theatre ( ...

, Worthing in 1983 and in Alex Finlayson's ''Winding the Bell'' at the

Royal Exchange, Manchester The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...

in 1989, as well as various ''Crackerjack'' productions."A laughter line-up for half term", ''Caterham Times'', 14 February 1986 (pg.19) Her last known acting role was in the 2006 film ''

The Missing Star ''La stella che non c'è'' ( English title: ''The Missing Star'') is an Italian 2006 drama film written and directed by Gianni Amelio. The story talks about an Italian engineer who went to China to fix a defect of old Italian steel-making equipm ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tai, Ling Living people Chinese television actresses Chinese emigrants to the United Kingdom Child abandonment Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)