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Alexandra Bastedo starred as Nemesis agent Sharron Macready in the cult 1960s TV series The Champions - and guest starred in many others. These included The Saint, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) The Adventurer, Jason King and Department S - all of which were filmed nearby.
Alexandra and her Champions co-stars Stuart Damon and William Gaunt were recently re-united when they filmed a special documentary about The Champions.
Says Alexandra: " I very much enjoyed the recent reunion in Los Angeles with Stuart and Bill. We fell into the easy banter we had on the set of The Champions.
"Stuart lives too far away to see him regularly, but I always enjoy seeing Bill. He wanted to come to the ABC Animal Sanctuary Open Day but couldn't because he was rehearsing at Glyndebourne. A particular friend of mine is Kate O'Mara whom I met on The Champions, we often see each other and she stayed with us recently when she was starring in a play about Marlene Dietrich."

Alexandra has appeared extensively on stage and in film and TV. Recent roles include "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" by Jeffrey Archer starring opposite Leslie Grantham. She also appeared in Batman Begins and two episodes of EastEnders - the latter marking a return to Elstree, where The Champions and other classic series were filmed.
"It was great fun filming the EastEnders episodes," she says, "and it brought back lovely memories of working with William Gaunt and Stuart Damon - not to mention Roger Moore and Peter Wyngarde!"
Alexandra also has another life that runs parallel to her acting career. Since 1983 she has run the Alexandra Bastedo Champions (ABC) Animal Sanctuary in West Sussex.
She's passionate about her rescue work and the Sanctuary is home to 150 animals, including donkeys, ponies, miniature shetlands, sheep, goats, cats, pigs and poultry.
She has also gained a considerable reputation as a writer on animal health, and published a number of books on the subject.
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