• 23rd April 2011 • Blog Post by Seb Patrick •
As we gear up for what promises to be one of Doctor Who‘s most exciting series, it’s hard for things not to be overshadowed by the absence of two of the programme’s dearest friends.
We posted a brief tribute to Nicholas Courtney after his passing earlier this year, but the untimely death of Elisabeth Sladen has shaken us even further. Others have paid tribute in far more elegant and correct fashion than we could hope to, so all I can really add is that she, along with Nicholas, will be sorely missed. That she was able to become a hero to countless children across the country entirely independently of her appearances in Who itself is testament to what a brilliant, lively, wonderful and inspiring figure she was. It’s arguable that she has had a greater impact on Doctor Who than any actor outside of its lead eleven, and she has been taken from us far too soon.
Elisabeth Sladen 1946-2011
The Doctor’s best friend – and all of ours, too
That’s lovely, Seb.
I’ve posted elsewhere how taken aback I was on tuesday. I glanced at Twitter just after half-eight that evening, just as the rumours were starting to ciculate. I really could not believe it, I was just so shocked. My first Tweet on the subject upon the confirmation of the tragic news was “Lis Sladen? You are f**king kidding me.”
Tonight’s tribute on CBBC was very touching, as the was the caption at the beginning of Doctor Who itself (although I was a little sad there was no mention of Nicholas Courtney – I was hoping perhaps there’d be a joint caption, of the two of them together, either in their 70s days, or from Nick’s appearance in SJA)
A great loss to the Doctor Who family.