Doctor Who Memoriam

It's been a minute since I last did a Doctor Who themed post. 

Sadly the occasion for this post is to mark a time of loss.

Last week, Bernard Cribbins passed away at the age of 93. 

Cribbins came to fame in the modern Doctor Who era as the beloved Wilfred Mott, the slightly dotty and doting grandfather of Donna Noble.

art by Shay@shay_0505

It is amazing how Bernard parlayed his one off cameo as a street vendor in the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned" into a recurring part as one of the most beloved characters in modern Doctor Who.  

Even as her mother Sylvia was constantly berating Donna for her shortcomings, Wilfred was warm and supportive of his granddaughter, able to see past her limits and to accept was she was truly capable of.

It was a character that was elevated to companion status for David Tennant's last two episodes as the name Bernard Cribbins hurled through the time vortex in the opening credits. 

His role as Wilfred Mott was not Cribbin's first association with Doctor Who.  He had a featured role in the 2nd Doctor Who movie starring Peter Cushing,  Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. from 1966.   

Last week also saw the passing of actor David Warner.  Warner appeared as Professor Grisenko in the Doctor Who episode "Cold War" where he helped the Doctor battle an Ice Warrior.

Warner got to play the Doctor in an audio play in 2003 called "Sympathy for the Devil". He also provided voices for the Doctor and other characters in several more Doctor Who audio dramas. Warner had recorded just before his death a return to his version of the Doctor for an upcoming Doctor Who 60th Anniversary audio production.

And Warner voiced a role for the animated special, "Doctor Who: Dreamland". 

David Warner was no stranger to sci-fi and fantasy: 

• He played various characters in the Star Trek franchise. 
• Warner  was Jor-El in  Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. 
• He was the  voice of Ra's al Ghul  in Batman: The Animated Series.   

Finally there was a 3rd celebrity death last week which may be surprising to associate it with Doctor Who.  Tony Dow died at age 77 after a long illness. Dow was mostly known for his role as older brother Wally in the classic TV sitcom Leave It To Beaver. 

But Dow also ran a special effects company that provided effects for a variety of sci-fi TV projects including the 1996 Doctor Who movie starring Paul McGann.  

It is sad to note the passing of these men but it is remarkable how three very different people could be linked by their work on Doctor Who and the way it touched their lives.