Deborah Watling
Deborah Patricia Watling was an English actress who portrayed the role of Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in the BBC television series Doctor Who.
Early life
Watling was born at Loughton, Essex, the daughter of actors Jack Watling and Patricia Hicks. Her brother Giles and her half-sister, Dilys, are also actors.Career
Beginning as a child actress, she had a regular role as the niece of Peter Brady in The Invisible Man television series. She was later cast for the lead role in Alice, Dennis Potter's play about Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell, for the BBC's The Wednesday Play, a small role in That'll Be the Day and as Norma Baker in the ITV series Danger UXB. She also co-starred with Cliff Richard in the 1973 film Take Me High.Watling played Victoria in Doctor Who from 1967 to 1968, though owing to the BBC's wiping policy of the time, The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Enemy of the World are the only serials in which she appeared that still exist in their entirety. She also appeared in Dimensions in Time and Downtime.
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 Doctors Reboot.
Death
Watling died on 21 July 2017 at Beaumont Manor nursing home in Frinton-on-Sea, six weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer.Credits
Filmography
Selected television filmography
Year | Title | Role |
1958–1959 | The Invisible Man | Sally Wilson |
1965–1966 | The Wednesday Play | Alice Liddell/Gretchen Westermann |
1967–1968 | Doctor Who | Victoria Waterfield |
1969 | The Newcomers | Julie Robertson |
1978 | Rising Damp | Lorna |
1979 | Danger UXB | Norma Baker |
1993 | Victoria Waterfield | |
2013 | The Five Doctors Reboot | Herself |