The MP brother of former Doctor Who companion Deborah Watling has paid tribute to his sister, who has died aged 69, saying: “She had the fighting spirit of a giant”.
The actress was best known for playing Victoria Waterfield opposite Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, in the popular sci-fi series between 1967 and 1968.
Giles Watling, MP for Clacton, wrote on Twitter: “Sad day – little sister gone, but she had the fighting spirit of a giant! Bye bye Debs…”
Sad day – little sister gone, but she had the fighting spirit of a giant! Bye bye Debs…
— Giles Watling (@GilesWatling) July 21, 2017
He 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, Deborah 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.
