Deborah Watling
Encyclopedia
Deborah Watling is a British
actress best known for her role as Victoria Waterfield
, a companion of the Second Doctor
in the BBC
television series Doctor Who
.
Watling was born at Fulmer
, Buckinghamshire
, the daughter of actors Jack Watling
and Patricia Hicks. Her sister Dilys
and her brother Giles
are also actors. Beginning as a child actress, notably as the niece of Peter Brady in the 1958 series The Invisible Man
, she later starred in Alice, Dennis Potter
's version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
, for the BBC's The Wednesday Play
strand in 1965, a small role in That'll Be the Day
and as Norma Baker in the ITV series Danger UXB
in 1979.
Watling played Victoria in Doctor Who from 1967 to 1968, though due to the BBC's wiping
policy, only one serial that she played in exists in its entirety, "The Tomb of the Cybermen
". She also appeared in Dimensions in Time
(1993) and Downtime
(1995). Her father, Jack Watling, appeared in Doctor Who as Professor Travers in the serials The Abominable Snowmen
and The Web of Fear
as well as Downtime
. She co-starred with Cliff Richard
in the 1970s film Take Me High
.
Deborah has also appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama, Three's a Crowd
. Watling regularly attends Doctor Who conventions and events, where she meets fans and speaks about her time on the programme.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actress best known for her role as Victoria Waterfield
Victoria Waterfield
Victoria Waterfield is a fictional character played by Deborah Watling in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A native of Victorian England, she was a companion of the Second Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1967 to 1968.-Character history:Victoria first...
, a companion of the Second Doctor
Second Doctor
The Second Doctor is the second incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by character actor Patrick Troughton....
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
Watling was born at Fulmer
Fulmer
Fulmer is a village and civil parish in South Buckinghamshire district in Buckinghamshire, England. The village is now contiguous with Gerrards Cross but remains administratively separate....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, the daughter of actors Jack Watling
Jack Watling
Jack Watling was a British actor.-Early life:Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as a child and made his stage debut in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire in 1936...
and Patricia Hicks. Her sister Dilys
Dilys Watling
Dilys Watling is an English actress, possibly best known for appearing on British television ....
and her brother Giles
Giles Watling
Giles Watling is an English actor.Giles is the son of actor Jack Watling and actress Patricia Watling, and the brother of actresses Dilys Watling and Deborah Watling...
are also actors. Beginning as a child actress, notably as the niece of Peter Brady in the 1958 series The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man (1958 TV series)
The Invisible Man was a 1958 ITP Production/Official Films Inc. presentation for Associated TeleVision. The series was networked on CBS in the United States. It ran for 26 half-hour monochrome episodes across two seasons and was nominally based on the novel by H.G...
, she later starred in Alice, Dennis Potter
Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
's version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, for the BBC's The Wednesday Play
The Wednesday Play
The Wednesday Play was an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. Every week's play was usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured...
strand in 1965, a small role in That'll Be the Day
That'll Be The Day (film)
That'll Be the Day is a 1973 British film starring David Essex and Ringo Starr, written by Ray Connolly and directed by Claude Whatham. It is set in the late '50s/early '60s and was partially filmed on the Isle of Wight. A sequel, Stardust, was released in 1974.-Plot summary:Jim MacLaine's mother...
and as Norma Baker in the ITV series Danger UXB
Danger UXB
Danger UXB is a 1979 British ITV television series developed by John Hawkesworth and starring Anthony Andrews as Lieutenant Brian Ash, a new direct commission officer in World War II....
in 1979.
Watling played Victoria in Doctor Who from 1967 to 1968, though due to the BBC's wiping
Wiping
Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
policy, only one serial that she played in exists in its entirety, "The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Tomb of the Cybermen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that originally aired in four weekly parts from September 2 to September 23, 1967 and is the earliest serial starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor to exist in its entirety...
". She also appeared in Dimensions in Time
Dimensions in Time
Dimensions in Time is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and the soap opera EastEnders that ran in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993. It was filmed on the EastEnders Albert Square set, and features several of the stars of that programme...
(1993) and Downtime
Downtime (Doctor Who)
Downtime is a direct-to-video spin-off of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was released direct-to-video and produced by the independent production company Reeltime Pictures...
(1995). Her father, Jack Watling, appeared in Doctor Who as Professor Travers in the serials The Abominable Snowmen
The Abominable Snowmen
The Abominable Snowmen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from September 30 to November 4, 1967. The story is notable for the introduction of recurring foes, the Yeti....
and The Web of Fear
The Web of Fear
The Web of Fear is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 3 February to 9 March 1968. This serial — which marks the return of the Yeti, the Great Intelligence, and Professor Travers — is the sequel to The Abominable...
as well as Downtime
Downtime
The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable.Downtime or outage duration refers to a period of time that a system fails to provide or perform its primary function...
. She co-starred with Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
in the 1970s film Take Me High
Take Me High
Take Me High is a 1973 British feature film, directed by David Askey, written by Christopher Penfold and starring Cliff Richard in his final film role, with Deborah Watling, Hugh Griffith, George Cole and Anthony Andrews....
.
Deborah has also appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama, Three's a Crowd
Three's a Crowd (Doctor Who audio)
Three's A Crowd is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
. Watling regularly attends Doctor Who conventions and events, where she meets fans and speaks about her time on the programme.
External links
- Deborah Watling's website
- BBC Norfolk Online - Real Audio interview from the HoltHolt, NorfolkHolt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
Midsummer Invasion 2006 - The Spotlight: Deborah Watling