Some sad news: actress Deborah Watling, fondly remembered for playing Doctor Who companion Victoria Wakefield, has died at the age of 69.
Deborah acted opposite Second Doctor Patrick Troughton in 1967 and 1968, appearing in multiple classic Doctor Who serials including The Tomb Of The Cybermen, The Ice Warriors and many more.
A great deal of her work on the sci-fi drama didn’t survive due to the BBC’s erasure policy in the 1960s. However, in October 2013, previously missing serials The Web Of Fear and The Enemy Of The World were released by the BBC after being discovered in Jos, Nigeria by Philip Morris.
Deborah and former co-star Frazer Hines attended the launch for the rediscovered episodes, and spoke fondly of her time on the show. One of the recovered serials, The Web Of Fear, held a particularly special meaning for Deborah as it also starred her father, actor Jack Watling. “Saw my dad again on the screen,” she told journalists asking for her reaction at the 2013 screening, “that’s brilliant. Lovely.”
Our thoughts go out to her family and friends. Rest in peace.