Deborah Watling

Deborah Patricia Watling (2 January 1948 – 21 July 2017) was an English actress who played the role of Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in the BBC television series Doctor Who from 1967 to 1968. She began her career as a child actress, making her debut as a regular in The Invisible Man (1958–1959). Watling also starred in the films Take Me High with Cliff Richard and That'll Be the Day (1973) with David Essex as well as playing Julie Robertson in The Newcomers (1969) and Norma Baker in Danger UXB (1979) on television.

Early life Deborah Patricia Watling was born 2 January 1948 at the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London, the daughter of actors Jack Watling and Patricia Hicks. Her brother Giles and her half-sister, Dilys, were also actors. She was raised in Epping until the family moved to the 16th-century Alderton Hall in Loughton, Essex. Educated at Braeside School in Buckhurst Hill, Watling considered becoming a dentist before enrolling at the Italia Conti Stage School. Dennis Potter's play about Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell, for the BBC's The Wednesday Play. She co-starred with Cliff Richard in the 1973 film Take Me High, and the same year had a small role in the film That'll Be the Day. She played Norma Baker in the ITV series Danger UXB (1979), and appeared regularly in the theatre. 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 (1967) and The Enemy of the World (1967–1968) are the only serials in which she appeared that still exist in their entirety. She reprised the role in Dimensions in Time (1993) and Downtime (1995).

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(ish) Doctors Reboot.

Personal life In her later years, Watling lived with her husband in Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex, where she directed the local pantomimes. Her autobiography, entitled Daddy’s Girl, was published in 2010. 2008

2010 Doctor Who: The Emperor of Eternity| 2012 Doctor Who: Power Play| 2015 Doctor Who: The Black Hole| 2016 Doctor Who: The Second Doctor Volume One|