Deborah Watling
Deborah Watling | |
|---|---|
Watling in 2008 | |
| Born | Deborah Patricia Watling 2 January 1948 London, England |
| Died | 21 July 2017 (aged 69) Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Education | Braeside School, Buckhurst Hill |
| Alma mater | Italia Conti Stage School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1958–2016 |
| Known for | Doctor Who Take Me High That'll Be the Day |
| Spouses | Nicholas Field
(m. 1980; div. 1983)Steve Turner (m. 1992) |
| Father | Jack Watling |
| Relatives |
|
Deborah Patricia Watling (2 January 1948 – 21 July 2017) was an English actress who played the role of Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in the BBC television series Doctor Who from 1967 to 1968.[1][2] She began her career as a child actress, making her debut as a regular in The Invisible Man (1958–1959). Watling also starred in the films Take Me High (1973) with Cliff Richard and That'll Be the Day (1973) with David Essex as well as playing Julie Robertson in The Newcomers (1969) and Norma Baker in Danger UXB (1979) on television.
Early life
Deborah Patricia Watling was born 2 January 1948[3][4][5] at the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London, the daughter of actors Jack Watling and Patricia Hicks. Her brother Giles and her half-sister, Dilys, were also actors.[6] She was raised in Epping until the family moved to the 16th-century Alderton Hall in Loughton, Essex.[7] Educated at Braeside School in Buckhurst Hill, Watling considered becoming a dentist before enrolling at the Italia Conti Stage School.[6] Watling made her film debut aged three and started playing background roles in her father's films. During one of her half-sister's parties, Watling started talking to a boy who turned out to be Michael Craze from whom she would take over as a companion in Doctor Who many years later.[6]
Career
Beginning as a child actress, Watling had a regular role as the niece of Peter Brady in The Invisible Man (1958) television series. She was later cast for the lead role in Alice (1965),[8] Dennis Potter's play about Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell, for the BBC's The Wednesday Play. She co-starred with Cliff Richard in the 1973 film Take Me High,[9] and the same year had a small role in the film That'll Be the Day.[10] She played Norma Baker in the ITV series Danger UXB (1979),[11] and appeared regularly in the theatre.[7]
According to the short BBC Video documentary The Dalek Factor about the making of the story, released in September 2021 as part of the animated restoration of the serial, Denise Buckley was cast in the role of Victoria Waterfield by director Derek Martinus. The production team had been hoping that Pauline Collins would continue in the role of Samantha Briggs, that she had played in the previous story The Faceless Ones, but had created Victoria as a potential ongoing character should Collins decline. When Collins confirmed she did not want to join the regular cast, it was decided to introduce Victoria as the new companion and Denise Buckley was released, but paid in full, with Watling replacing her as a more suitable actress for the continuing role.[12] Watling played Victoria in Doctor Who from 1967 to 1968,[13] though owing to the BBC's wiping policy of the time, The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967) and The Enemy of the World (1967–1968) are the only serials in which she appeared that still exist in their entirety. She reprised the role in Dimensions in Time (1993) and Downtime (1995).[13] Her favourite missing Doctor Who story was Fury from the Deep.[14]
Watling also appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama Three's a Crowd and regularly attended Doctor Who conventions and events. In November 2013, she appeared in the one-off 50th anniversary comedy homage The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.[15]
Personal life
In her later years, Watling lived with her husband in Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex, where she directed the local pantomimes. Her autobiography, entitled Daddy’s Girl, was published in 2010.[8]
Watling died on 21 July 2017, aged 69, at Beaumont Manor nursing home in Frinton-on-Sea, six weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer.[16][17][8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | That'll Be the Day | Sandra | |
| 1973 | Take Me High | Sarah Jones | |
| 1977 | Where Time Began | Glauben | Voice; English version |
| 1995 | Downtime | Victoria Waterfield | Direct-to-video |
| 2000 | Out of Site | Mrs Pearson | |
| 2001 | Possessions | Lady Winkworth |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958–1959 | The Invisible Man | Sally Wilson | 11 episodes |
| 1959 | The Adventures of William Tell | First Child | Episode: "The Spider" |
| 1960 | A Life of Bliss | Carol Fellows | 6 episodes |
| 1965 | The Wednesday Play | Alice Liddell | Episode: "Alice" |
| 1966 | Gretchen Westermann | Episode: "Calf Love" | |
| The Power Game | Jennifer | Episode: "Late Via Rome" | |
| This Man Craig | Clare Maitland | Episode: "Period of Adjustment" | |
| Out of the Unknown | Sarah Richards | Episode: "The World in Silence" | |
| Horizon | Sophy | Episode: "Hand Me My Sword, Humphrey" | |
| 1967 | No Hiding Place | Valerie Forbes | Episode: "A Girl Like You" |
| 1967–1968 | Doctor Who | Victoria Waterfield | 40 episodes |
| 1969 | The Newcomers[7] | Julie Robertson | 26 episodes |
| 1971 | Crime of Passion | Leonie Juhan | Episode: "Magdalena" |
| 1972 | ITV Sunday Night Drama | Nurse Beverly | Episode: "Old Newsome" |
| Doctor in Charge | Emma Livingstone | 2 episodes | |
| 1973 | Late Night Theatre | Annabelle Walsh | Episode: "Death to the General" |
| Jane | Episode: "The Gypsy's Revenge" | ||
| Arthur of the Britons | Thuna | Episode: "The Slaves" | |
| 1977 | A Roof Over My Head | Maureen | Episode: "A Roof Over My Head" |
| 1978 | Rising Damp | Lorna | Episode: "Hello Young Lovers" |
| Lillie | Georgie Reed | Episode: "Sunset and Evening Star" | |
| 1979 | Danger UXB | Norma Baker | 7 episodes |
| Accident | Miriam Saxon | Episode: "Ends and Ways" | |
| 1981 | The Jim Davidson Show | Various | 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time | Victoria Waterfield | TV short (Part Two) |
| 2013 | The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot | Deborah Watling | TV film |
Audio dramas
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Doctor Who: Three's a Crowd | Auntie | [18] |
| 2008 | Doctor Who: The Great Space Elevator | Victoria Waterfield | [19] |
| 2010 | Doctor Who: The Emperor of Eternity | [20] | |
| 2012 | Doctor Who: Power Play | [21] | |
| 2015 | Doctor Who: The Black Hole | [22] | |
| 2016 | Doctor Who: The Second Doctor Volume One | [23] |
References
Citations
- ^ "Doctor Who – Classic Series – Companions – Victoria Waterfield". BBC. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ A critical history of Doctor Who on television, John Kenneth Muir, McFarland & Co (1999), p.144
- ^ Scott, Cavan; Wright, Mark (2013). Who-ology: Doctor Who: The Official Miscellany. London: BBC Books. p. 119. ISBN 9781849906197.
- ^ Wright 2018, p. 44.
- ^ "Deborah Watling Official Site". Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Watling & Ballard 2010.
- ^ a b c "Deborah Watling – The Doctor Who Cuttings Archive". Cuttingsarchive.org. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Hadoke, Toby (24 July 2017). "Deborah Watling obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ Cliff Richard: The Biography, Steve Turner, Lion Books (2008), p.257
- ^ [1]
- ^ Variety international showbusiness reference, Mike Kaplan, Garland Publications (1981), p.687
- ^ BBC Video. ASIN: B098412KTK. Release date: 27 Sept. 2021
- ^ a b Hayward, Anthony (27 July 2017). "Deborah Watling: actress whose short stint as a Doctor Who companion made a lasting impression". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ The Doctor returns! Missing episodes discovered. Mirror Online. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot", BBC programmes, retrieved 26 November 2013
- ^ "Deborah Watling, Doctor Who companion dies aged 69". BBC News. 21 July 2017.
- ^ Dwan, James (21 July 2017). "Tributes paid to former Doctor Who companion Deborah Watling". Clacton Gazette.
- ^ "69. Three's a Crowd". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ "3.2. The Great Space Elevator". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ "4.08. The Emperor of Eternity". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ "3.05. Power Play". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ "2.3. The Black Hole". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ "10. The Second Doctor Volume 01". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
Sources
- Watling, Deborah; Ballard, Paul W.T. (2010). Daddy's Girl: The Autobiography. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2023 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation. Fantom Publishing.
- Wright, Mark, ed. (2018). "Fury From the Deep, The Wheel in Space and The Dominators". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. ISSN 2057-6048.
External links
- Deborah Watling at IMDb
- Deborah Watling's official website (archived)
- BBC Norfolk Online – RealAudio interview from the Holt Doctor Who Midsummer Invasion 2006
- Deborah Watling Archived 28 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine(Aveleyman)