December 2nd 2023.
Doctor Who fans were overcome with emotion as the late Bernard Cribbins made a surprise appearance in the latest 60th anniversary episode. Wild Blue Yonder saw the Doctor and Donna Noble trapped at the edge of the universe and upon their return to Earth, fans at home were sent into a state of shock.
Cribbins, who played Donna's grandfather Wilfred Mott, had filmed his scenes for the show only weeks before his death in July 2022 at the age of 93. Even though it was known he would have a role in the special episodes, viewers weren't expecting to see the beloved character at the very end of episode two.
The Doctor embracing Wilf and the reunion of David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Bernard Cribbins sent viewers into an emotional frenzy, with reactions flooding in on Twitter. "Man, I'm gonna cry... RIP Bernard Cribbins," one person wrote. Another was not at all prepared for the ending, tweeting "The way I legit BURST INTO TEARS when Bernard Cribbins appeared," with a GIF of Cribbins' character holding back tears from a previous episode of Doctor Who.
The episode ended on a cliffhanger with Wilfred revealing to Donna and The Doctor that the world was going mad. It was also a poignant tribute to the legendary actor with the words "In loving memory of Bernard Cribbins, 1928 - 2022" appearing in the credits.
Tributes poured in from around the world for the actor, including from Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies. ‘Bernard Cribbins, I love this man. I love him,’ he wrote. ‘He loved being in Doctor Who. He said, ‘Children are calling me grandad in the street!’ His first day was on location with Kylie Minogue, but all eyes, even Kylie’s, were on Bernard. He’d turned up with a suitcase full of props, just in case, including a rubber chicken.’
Cribbins' performance in Doctor Who enabled him to gain a whole generation of new fans, and his legacy and memory will live on forever.
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