Valerie
Ex-颅Customs, Valerie was there on Ash鈥檚 first day in Customs and operated as his mentor during his on-颅the-颅job training.
For commitment and ability, she’s never met anyone like him. It didn’t take much time for her to recommend her old charge to Cartwright when Ash and Tommy stumble into the middle of a UNIT operation. Catching Cartwright’s eye, Valerie was the first recruit to his new cause and can be fearless in sharing a few home truths with her boss.
She’s de facto leader of the audio surveillance group but she’s certainly savvy and experienced enough to work in the field and a middle-aged woman is a godsend for close surveillance – even the most suspicious crim won’t look twice. She’s by no means a shrinking violet but does believe in manners and berating the others to keep the place tidy.
Valerie’s intuitive skills make her a natural shoulder to cry on. With her antennae always finely tuned, she often steps in to remind the UNIT members of each other’s value when feelings run high.
Unmarried, work is Valerie’s bedrock, finding a family at the office on which to direct her maternal instincts. She’s proud of her colleagues’ strengths and understanding of their weaknesses. She, more than anyone, knows that a team requires different characters with different skillsets - it needs to be greater than the sum of its parts.
With her natural optimism and commitment, nobody chooses to question her staying late every night, ignoring the possibility that it hides a melancholy life beyond the walls of the UNIT.
Lorraine Ashbourne
Lorraine has had a long and distinguished career on stage and screen.
Just some of her TV credits include memorable dramas such as: Pie in the Sky, Peak Practice, Playing the Field, Jimmy McGovern’s , Mrs Fairfax in Jane Eyre alongside Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson, Public Enemies, Thorne where she starred alongside O.T. Fagbenle and Oranges and Sunshine, directed by Ken Loach and also starring Emily Watson, amongst many other popular dramas.
Lorraine has appeared regularly on stage most prolifically at the Royal Exchange, Manchester as well as London’s Royal Court Theatre and for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
