Deborah Watling (1948 – 2017)

We’re sad to report the death of Deborah Watling who played Victoria Waterfield, companion to the Second Doctor in the late 1960s.

Deborah joined Doctor Who in 1967’s, The Evil of the Daleks and featured in classics including The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Ice Warriors. She left the TARDIS in 1968, bowing out in Fury from the Deep, although she remained closely identified with the show and made cameo appearances as Victoria in specials including Dimensions in Time.

Away from the world of Doctor Who Deborah starred in the David Essex movie, That’ll be the Day (1973) and her TV work included Rising Damp, Danger UXB and Doctor in Charge.

But to fans of the Doctor, she will be remembered forever as the brave and compassionate orphan, Victoria Waterfield, and Deborah made no secret of the affection she held for the role and the show. ‘I have said this before and it is true, Pat [Patrick Troughton – the Second Doctor] became like a second father to me both on the show and after I left...’ she once recalled. ‘The other person on the show at the time was Frazer Hines playing the part of Jamie. He and I became like brother and sister. We had such a great rapport, and even today when we meet up at Doctor Who events things haven’t changed.’

You can see Deborah Watling as Victoria in a scene from The Tomb of the Cybermen.