The actor Bernard Cribbins, one of the most beloved actors of his generation, has died at the age of 93.

His first West End appearance was in 1956 at the Arts Theatre playing the two Gromios in A Comedy of Errors; this was followed by leading roles in the West End.

He co-starred in the revue And Another Thing at the Fortune Theatre His recording of a song from the show entitled Folksong reached Number One.

This chart success prompted the release of two more comic songs Hole in the Ground and Right Said Fred, both of which reached the Top Ten. Cribbins was incredibly proud that the former was chosen by Noël Coward as one of his Desert Island Discs

His long Television career began in 1956 in The Black Tulip followed by playing Thomas Traddles in David Copperfield. 

Very quickly Cribbins became known for comic character acting with appearances in three Carry-On films. 

His most famous movie role is often considered to be that of Albert Perks in the 1970 version of The Railway Children. 

Regular appearances on the BBC series Jackanory endeared Cribbins to a whole generation of children, who had the delight of Cribbins reading out such stories as The Wind in the Willows, The Hobbit and The Emperor's New Clothes. He appeared in 114 episodes of the series, more than any other presenter.

His bond with children was cemented by his voice work on the animated series The Wombles, where his gentle storytelling enchanted generations of all ages. 

Cribbins would often appear as a guest artist in well-known series, Appearances in The Avengers and Coronation Street were followed by a show-stealing appearance in Fawlty Towers.  

His first link with Doctor Who came in 1966. He was cast as Tom Campbell in the big screen version of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. He was playing the role played by William Russell in the TV series, alongside Peter Cushing as Doctor Who. It was a masterful performance full of comedy and pathos.  

It would be nearly 40 years before he made his debut on the television version of Doctor Who. He was cast as Wilf in the 2007 Christmas special Voyage of the Damned. It was a small role and expected to be a one-off. However, the character was so successful he was brought back in the 2008 series and given a back story as Donna Noble's Grandfather. He appeared in six episodes in the series cementing his place in Doctor Who history. His role in the Tenth Doctor's swan song The End of Time was vital, providing the reason for the Doctor's regeneration. 

Cribbins worked well into his 90's including many appearances in the CBeebies series Old Jack’s Boat.

Cribbins was married to Gillian McBarnet in 1955 until her death last October. In 2011 he received the OBE for services to drama.

Bernard Cribbins's death was announced by his agent this morning. . 

The actor David Warner has died at the age of 80.

David Warner was well known for his many appearances in film and television during a career spanning 60 years. 

He appeared in Doctor Who in 2013 playing Professor Grisenko alongside Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor in the story Cold War.  In 2009 he lent his vocal talents to the series playing Lord Azlok in the animated Tenth Doctor story Dreamland, as well as playing many roles for Big Finish. 

Warner also made many appearances in the Star Trek franchise appearing in the films Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and the Star Trek: The Next Generation two-part Chain of Command episode.

David Warner was born in Manchester in the North West of England in July 1941. He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. 

His professional debut came in 1962 at the Royal Court Theatre playing Snout, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 playing many roles including Hamlet.  

His film debut was in 1963 playing Blifi in Tom Jones, while early television roles included playing alongside Bob Dylan in the play Madhouse on Castle Street. He became known for playing villains including in films such as The Thirty Nine Steps, Time After Time, Time Bandits, Tron and Hanna's War. 

In 1976 he played opposite Gregory Peck in The Omen, where he played photographer Keith Jennings, one of a number of appearances in horror films. 

Other roles included parts in The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Straw Dogs, Cross of Iron, Holocaust,  A Christmas Carol, Portrait in Evil, Titanic, and  Mary Poppins Returns. 
 

David Warner died on Sunday at Denville Hall, a care home for people in the entertainment industry.

His family confirmed his death in a statement. 

Warner is survived by his partner Lisa Bowerman, his son Luke and daughter-in-law Sarah.

The actress Anne Davies has died at the age of 87 

Ann Davies appeared in five episodes of the 1964 first Doctor story The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Davies played Jenny, the freedom fighter who teamed up with Barbara to try to reach the Dalek mines and defeat the Daleks. She was asked to dye her hair blond for the studio sessions of the story so as to contrast with the two female leads. For the earlier location filming she wore a balaclava. 

Davies appeared in many British television programmes during her long career, including parts in Grange Hill, EastEnders and The Bill. 

She was married to actor Richard Briers for over 50 years until his death in 2013. The couple appeared together in many productions including the comedy Ever Decreasing Circles and  the film Peter’s Friends. 

Ann Davies' death was announced by her agent  on Tuesday, She is survived by her two daughters Katie and Lucy Briers.

The actor Sonny Caldinez has died at the age of 89.

Sonny Caldinez appeared in 17 episodes of Doctor Who between 1967 and 1974. 

Born in Trinidad in 1932, then part of the British West Indies, his large and imposing frame saw him win many parts in film and television. 

His first appearance in Doctor Who came in 1967 when he played Kemel in The Evil of the Daleks, working with Jamie to free Victoria Waterfield from the Daleks.

Later the same year he played Turoc, The Ice Warrior, in the debut story of the Martian invaders.  He would return playing Ice Warriors in three more stories, The Seeds of Death in 1969, The Curse of Peleadon in 1972, and The Monster of Peladon in 1974.

Other TV roles included parts in The Champions, Jackanory Playhouse, Mind Your Language, Sexton Blake and the Demon God and The Return of Sherlock Holmes

Fim roles included parts in The Man with the Golden Gun, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. 

Sonny Caldinez died on Tuesday 12th April. 

The actress June Brown has died at the age of 95.

June Brown appeared in the 1973 Third Doctor story, The Time Warrior, playing Lady Eleanor.

She was most famous for creating the role of Dot Cotton in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, playing the role between 1985 and 2020. 

June Brown was born in Suffolk in 1927. She trained at the Old Vic Theatre School in London. 

She was a familiar face on British TV throughout the 1960's and 1970's appearing in shows such as Dixon of Dock Green, ITV Television Playhouse, Coronation Street, Z Cars, General Hospital, The Prince and the Pauper, and The Duchess of Duke Street. 

She joined the cast of EastEnders in 1985, recommended to the producers by fellow star Leslie Grantham,  She played Dot Cotton, mother of 'nasty' Nick Cotton until 1993, returning to the series in 1997. In 2008 she became the first soap actor to carry an episode single-handed, a performance which led to a nomination for a Bafta award.

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 Birthday Honours and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to drama and to charity. 

June Brown was married twice. She is survived by her six children from her marriage to her second husband Robert Arnold, who died in 2003

The actress Lynda Baron has died at the age of 82.

Lynda Baron was best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC Comedy series Open All Hours. She took part in 7 episodes of Doctor Who, one of the select few who appeared in both the original and the revived series. 

Lynda Baron was born Lilian Baron in March 1939 in Urmston, Lancashire. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dance and after graduating worked in reparatory theatre and in London's West End. 

Her first television appearance was in 1958, appearing in Theatre Night, the BBC series of 45-minute extracts from plays. Small roles followed including playing June in The Rag Trade and Madame Kronstadt in the thriller Breaking Point. 

Her first encounter with Doctor Who came in the 1966 story The Gunfighters. Baron played the role of narrator. Out of vision, she sang The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon to guide the audience through the plot. 

May small roles on television followed including parts in Z-Cars Her big break came in 1976 when she was cast as Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, opposite Ronnie Barker and David Jason, in the BBC TV sitcom Open All Hours. As the object of corner shop owner Albert Arkwright's affections, Baron was a vital part of the team, appearing in all four series of the show. 

She told The Sunday Post

The success of the series led to many more comedic roles including parts in Last of the Summer Wine,  Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt, Grundy and A Roof Over My Head.

Her second role in Doctor Who came in 1983, playing Captain Wrack, one of the Eternals, in the last two episodes of the Fifth Doctor story Enlightenment. 

In the 1990's she played Auntie Mabel in the 1990s BBC children's show Come Outside and played Grandma in the pre-school series Fimbals. Other appearances included roles in Doctors, The Upper Hand, Come Outside, Coronation Street, Down to Earth, Fat Friends and Chasing Shadows.

In 2000 she played opposite Bernard Cribbins in the BBC One drama Down to Earth about a couple who move to a farm in Devon.

Her third appearance in Doctor Who came in 2011 alongside Matt Smith playing Val Cane in the story Closing Time.

At Christmas 2013 she reprised her most famous role, playing Nurse Gladys in a one-off sequel to Open All Hours called Still Open All Hours. The show was watched by over 12 million viewers, almost a 40% share in audience figures on Boxing Day, and its success led to a series being commissioned. Baron would return to the role for a further 12 episodes. 

Throughout her career, she made many stage performances. In 1987 she was in the West End version of the musical Follies, and later appeared in the stage version of 2007's In Celebration alongside Orlando Bloom. Other theatre shows included An Inspector Calls, Stepping Out and The Full Monty.

She was nominated for a Bafta Award in 2011 for her role in The Road To Coronation Street, a one-off drama about the early days of the soap, playing actress Violet Carson. 

She was still working at the age of 80 appearing in the film Dream Horse, about a racehorse breeder

Lynda Baron's death was announced by her agent who said

The writer Henry Lincoln has died at the age of 91.

Henry Lincoln was the last surviving writer to have worked on Doctor Who in the 1960s. He wrote three Doctor Who stories, co-creating The Yeti and the character Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. 

He was a best-selling author writing The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, the book which later inspired Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.

Henry Lincoln was born Henry Soskin in London in 1930. He studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. As an actor, he was a regular on television from the mid-1950s appearing in programmes such as  Our Mutual Friend, Spy-Catcher, Strange Concealments, The Avengers, The Barnstormers, The Saint, Z-Cars, and Man in a Suitcase. 

He started writing in the 1960s writing an episode of The Barnstormers as well as starring in two episodes. 

In the 1960s he formed a writing partnership with Mervyn Haisman and together they were commissioned to write a six-part story for the second Doctor. The result was The Abominable Snowmen which saw the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria battle The Great Intelligence and their robot servants The Yeti. The story was so successful the team was immediately commissioned to write a sequel, this time bringing the Yeti into the claustrophobic world of the London Underground in The Web of Fear.

The story introduced a new character in the form of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart played by Nicholas Courtney. Not only was the story highly regarded but the new character caught the imagination of the producers and would return the following year, albeit with a promotion, and become a regular throughout the Pertwee years. 

Henry Lincoln and Mervyn Haisman's third outing with the Doctor was not so successful. Their six-part story, The Dominators would cause a permanent rift with the BBC following an argument over who owned the characters The Quarks. The story was rewritten and reduced to five episodes resulting in the writers asking for their names to be removed from the credits. The story was transmitted under the pseudonym Norman Ashby. 

In 1969 Lincoln was traveling in France when he became intrigued by the local story of a great treasure being hidden in the region. His research lead to a series of documentaries for the BBC and a book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail which became a bestseller in 1982, co-written with Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent. 

Some of the ideas put forward in the book were later used by the author Dan Brown in his bestseller The Da Vinci Code. A High Court case against Brown, taken by his co-writers, failed. 

Lincoln returned to the subject of ancient hidden treasure in a series called The Secret, which screened in 1993.

In 2003, Lincoln was awarded an Honorary Knighthood in the Militi Templi Scotia order, in recognition of his work in the fields of sacred geometry and Templar history. 

The actor Stewart Bevan has died at the age of 73.

Stewart Bevan appeared in the 1973 Doctor Who story The Green Death, playing Professor Clifford Jones

Jones was the leader of the Nuthatch community who ended the story by marrying Jo Grant, played by his then-girlfriend Katy Manning. 

Bevan was in London to Welsh parents. His love of amateur dramatics led him to seek a career in the theatre and he trained at the Corona Theatre School. 

One of his first roles was in the film To Sir With Love starring Sidney Poitier. Other film credits include Lock Up Your Daughters!,  Burke & Hare, The Flesh and Blood Show, and Steptoe and Son Ride Again.

His television career was extensive, appearing in shows such as Emmerdale Farm, where he played Ray Oswell, Shoestring, Blakes 7, The Onedin Line, Ivanhoe, Nanny, Casualty, Grange Hill,  The House of Eliott, and Brookside

His former co-star, close friend, and ex-partner Katy Manning posted this tribute on twitter 

Toby Hadoke has compiled his annual end of year tribute to all those involved in Doctor Who who died in 2021.

Doctor Who In Memoriam 2021

The artist Chris Achilléos has died at the age of 74

Chris Achilleos designed the covers for many Target novelisations of Doctor Who stories throughout the 1970s. His inspirational illustrations were for many fans of the era, their primary visual connection with Doctor Who.

His artwork had a seminal influence on the science fiction and fantasy genres, and throughout a career spanning five decades, he consistently remained one of the most respected and in-demand artists in his field.

The signature Achilléos style combined vivid colours, minute detailing, and an innovative blend of historical, psychedelic, and comic book influences. Although much of his work was produced on commission, to be miniaturised and serve as book covers, album covers, and film posters, Achilléos produced all his canvasses at largescale, which allowed him to showcase his rare technical skill, refined during his studies of Scientific and Technical Drawing.

Such was the ambition of his artwork that it earned the attention of George Lucas, who hired him as a conceptual artist for the visual-effects showpiece Willow; it was a position Achilléoshad previously held on the production of the cult classic Heavy Metal, starring John Candy and Harold Ramis.

It was, however, for his book covers that Achilléos was perhaps best known. His work has adorned hundreds of books, for authors such as Robert E Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Michael Moorcock.

His prolific work for the Target range of Doctor Who novelisations, meanwhile, left an indelible mark upon the show and its universe. In the worlds of Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi, a guest at the opening of a 2016 exhibition of Achilléos’ Doctor Who artwork:

Lavishly detailed, with psychedelic overtones and an unapologetically pulpy sensibility, Achilléos’ work both reproduced and reinterpreted the eccentric energy of the show’s classic era, defining a generation’s image of the Doctor and his adventures in the days before repeats or VHS recordings.

From the depths of outer space to the realms of fantasy, Achilléos’ subject matter was a far cry from his childhood in rural Cyprus, during the last days of British rule. He moved to England in his early teens, along with three siblings and a widowed mother. He spoke no English and described himself as an introvert who sought solace from prejudice in his art.

Lacking the money for art supplies, he produced his earliest sketches on the back of wallpaper and on paper donated by a local butcher. Having always fiercely maintained his rights over his work, retaining wherever possible the original canvasses, his professional pieces have become highly sought after, and adorn the walls of collectors the world over. Their abiding influence is evident in the work of the admirers he inspired.

He leaves behind a wife, two daughters and two grandsons.

Thanks to Candy Jar Books