Former Doctor Who companion Deborah Watling dies aged 69

Doctor Who actress Deborah Watling, who played a companion to the second Doctor, has died aged 69,  her family has confirmed.

Watling was best known for playing Victoria Waterfield opposite Patrick Troughton in the popular sci-fi series between 1967 and 1968.

Her brother Giles Watling, MP for Clacton, told the Press Association: “She was a lovely, lovely girl, bubbly and vibrant. She will be sorely missed.”

Born in Loughton, Essex in January 1948, to film star Jack Watling and actress Patricia Hicks, Watling made her first television appearance as a child in an episode of William Tell, before landing the part of Sally Wilson in HG Wells’ The Invisible Man between 1958 and 1959.

In 1965 she played Alice in Play For Today: The Life of Lewis Carroll before her big break in Doctor Who, which saw her star opposite her father in two episodes: The Abominable Snowman and The Web Of Fear.

After starring in Doctor Who, Watling opened her own boutique before returning to acting with roles in The Newcomers and Danger UXB. She also appeared in an episode of Rising Damp.

She reprised her role as Victoria Waterfield for a Children In Need short, Doctor Who: Dimensions In Time on 1993 and again in the video Downtime, which also featured her father.