There are few characters who hit the hearts of fans in the way that Wilfred “Wilf” Mott did on Doctor Who. Played by the ever brilliant Bernard Cribbins, he was a character that you felt for, and you sure were mad when the Doctor seemed to blame him. For many (myself included), I hoped we’d continue to see Wilf pop up in new specials now with the return of David Tennant’s Doctor and beyond, but today was met with sad news for fans of Cribbins. The actor passed away at the age of 93 and will surely be missed by the fans who have loved him through his wide-ranging career of over seven decades.
His management team at Gavin Barker Associates released a statement on Cribbins’ death, writing a beautiful note about his life and career, as well as a note about Cribbins’ wife of 66 years, Gill, who passed away last year:
Beloved actor Bernard Cribbins OBE has passed away at the age of 93. His career spanned seven decades with such diverse work ranging from films like The Railway Children and the Carry On series, hit 60’s song “Right Said Fred”, a notorious guest on Fawlty Towers and narrating The Wombles. He worked well into his 90’s, recently appearing in Doctor Who and the CBeebies series Old Jack’s Boat. He lost his wife of 66 years, Gill, last year. Bernard’s contribution to British entertainment is without question. He was unique, typifying the best of his generation, and will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him.
Our thoughts go out to Bernard Cribbins’ family and friends, and we know he will be missed within the fandom that loved him.
(featured image: BBC)
Here are some other stories we saw out there today:
- Daniel Kaluuya talks about his Oscar speech where he thanked his parents for having sex. (via Pop Sugar)
- PewDiePie called out for mocking a deaf woman’s TikTok (via Cosmopolitan)
- Jon Stewart furious at the state of America and the PACT Act (via Pajiba)
- There’s a teaser and new image from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (via Deadline)
- Mark Hamill continues to reveal items he has from Star Wars (via ComicBook.com)
Anything we missed, Mary Suevians? Let us know what you saw in the comments below!
