Women’s History Month: 15 most influential women in TV history

Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols was a direct beneficiary of Lucille Ball’s support of television shows like Star Trek. Nichols’ portrayal of Lt. Uhura on the USS Enterprise was groundbreaking not only for women in general but particularly for women of color.

She was a trusted member of a diverse crew. She was a woman in the chain of command and considered an equal among her male co-workers. She was a respected specialist in a scientific field. She and William Shatner also shared one of the first interracial kisses on American television.

Early on in Star Trek’s floundering three-season run, Nichols contemplated leaving the show to explore other options. However, her friend Martin Luther King Jr. urged her to stick with it, telling her that Uhura was more important than she knew.

Verity Lambert

The history of women in science fiction runs strong. While science fiction is still an extremely male-dominated genre, it is also where women defy expectations and push boundaries. Verity Lambert was the first producer of the ultimate underdog success story, Doctor Who (1963).

She was also both the only female drama producer at the BBC at the time and the youngest. She took what was supposed to be a children’s educational program and helped turn it into a generations-spanning icon.

The 2013 television special An Adventure in Space and Time dramatized her rise from underestimated outcast to the producer of a national sensation. She went on to produce other British classics like Jonathan Creek (1997) and The Naked Civil Servant (1975) starring John Hurt.