The following article was written in July 2017 just after I heard the news that Deborah Watling had died. This was my tribute to her.
I am going to talk about a few specific scenes from 1960’s Doctor Who. It is to remember Deborah Watling and the companion she played – Victoria Waterfield. I have a real fondness for the character and for Debbie, not least because ‘Web of Fear’ and ‘Fury from the Deep’ and the rest of season 5 are some of my favourite stories. I have happy childhood memories of reading ‘The Abominable Snowmen’, ‘Web of Fear’ (the first book I bought as a child) and ‘The Ice Warriors’ and only really knowing what they looked like from those Chris Achilleos cover illustrations. Through those books – Victoria, Jamie and The Second Doctor were the third TARDIS line-up that I had encountered – after Jo, Sarah and Harry. In that respect they feel very much part of my childhood and they are still one of my favourites.
I first saw some of her surviving episodes – ‘Web of Fear‘ episode 1 and ‘Enemy of the World’ 3 at a Second Doctor themed convention in 1984 – there were very few surviving episodes at that time – before the recovery of ‘Evil of the Daleks‘ 2, ‘Tomb of the Cybermen’, ‘The Ice Warriors‘ and obviously ‘Web of Fear‘ and ‘Enemy of the World‘. It is a joy to have all of those back and to be able to see them. I will hopefully be covering these stories on the blog – but the scenes I have chosen here are really to pay tribute to Debbie, to stick up for Victoria, who I feel is often unfairly maligned as a character and to the era as a whole.
The only time I met her was at the 50th celebration at Excel, being interviewed with Frazer and then had a very brief chat afterwards. Two of their stories had just been returned a week or so beforehand and they were talking to Dr Mathew Sweet about that and their time on the show. Debbie and Frazer’s relationship after all these years seemed very similar to Jamie and Victoria’s – he gently teases her like a naughty schoolboy and she acts slightly like his older, wiser, slightly prim sister – like the following scene from ‘The Ice Warriors’:
JAMIE: You see how those lassies were dressed?
VICTORIA: Yes, I did. And trust you to think of something like that.
JAMIE: Well, I couldn’t help thinking about it.
VICTORIA: Well, I think it’s disgusting, wearing that kind of thing.
JAMIE: Oh, aye, so it is, so it is. You don’t see yourself dressed like that then?
VICTORIA: Jamie!
JAMIE: Oh, I’m sorry. It was just an idea.
VICTORIA: We will now change the subject, please
The next is from ‘Tomb of the Cybermen’ and is one of my favourite scenes in the history of the programme – beautifully played and written:
VICTORIA: I thought you should rest.
DOCTOR: Why me?
VICTORIA: No reason really.
DOCTOR: Oh, I think I know. Is it because I’m
VICTORIA: Well, if you are 450 years old, you need a great deal of sleep.
DOCTOR: Well that’s very considerate of you, Victoria, but between you and me, I’m really quite lively actually, all things being considered.
DOCTOR: Are you happy with us, Victoria?
VICTORIA: Yes, I am. At least, I would be if my father were here.
DOCTOR: Yes, I know, I know.
VICTORIA: I wonder what he would have thought if he could see me now.
DOCTOR: You miss him very much, don’t you?
VICTORIA: It’s only when I close my eyes. I can still see him standing there, before those horrible Dalek creatures came to the house. He was a very kind man, I shall never forget him. Never.
DOCTOR: No, of course you won’t. But, you know, the memory of him won’t always be a sad one.
VICTORIA: I think it will. You can’t understand, being so ancient.
DOCTOR: Eh?
VICTORIA: I mean old.
DOCTOR: Oh.
VICTORIA: You probably can’t remember your family.
DOCTOR: Oh yes, I can when I want to. And that’s the point, really. I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The rest of the time they sleep in my mind, and I forget. And so will you. Oh yes, you will. You’ll find there’s so much else to think about. So remember, our lives are different to anybody else’s. That’s the exciting thing. There’s nobody in the universe can do what we’re doing. You must get some sleep and let this poor old man stay awake.
Victoria has just lost her father, having already lost her mother and the Doctor and Jamie have taken her under their wing. Her relationship with the two of them is a mixture of them encouraging her to move beyond the restrictions of Victorian life and gentle teasing. The thing I really love about Victoria is that she brought this out of an otherwise quite elusive Second Doctor – he becomes protective of her in a way that the First Doctor was with another orphan – Vicki. I love these scenes – he is very gentle with her, tender and comforting – it is very touching. We haven’t heard anything much about the Doctor’s life and his family since Susan left – the end scene in ’The Massacre’ possibly being the closest to hearing his thoughts. Patrick Troughton and Deborah Watling play this scene absolutely beautifully and I don’t think, Victoria’s leaving scenes aside, we see anything quite so emotional until Jo’s leaving in ‘The Green Death’.
That line – ‘the memory of him won’t always be a sad one.‘ is the one that really affects me – it is very true and is probably the scene where Doctor Who, certainly in it’s original run, that most embraces and addresses bereavement and loss. It a beautiful thing to offer to a young audience – the sadness of loss will fade and life goes on, don’t let it diminish your spirit of adventure and sense of wonder. The scene is simple, emotional and touching in a way that some later more emotionally manipulative scenes aren’t always.
The last set of scenes that I wanted to talk about were from ‘Fury from the Deep’, as Victoria leaves. The Doctor is again gently supportive of her and her decision:
DOCTOR: You don’t want to come with us, do you, Victoria.
VICTORIA: I don’t know. I don’t really want to leave you.
DOCTOR: Well, I suspected as much.
VICTORIA: Would you mind?
JAMIE: Victoria, you can’t
DOCTOR: Just a minute, Jamie. You mean you want to stay here and settle down. Well, if you want to, you must.
VICTORIA: I’m sorry.
DOCTOR: No, that’s all right. Mrs Harris, I wonder if you’d mind if Victoria stayed with you for a little while. You see, she’s got no parents or home and it is a bit difficult
MAGGIE: Well, of course. We’d be delighted to have you for as long as you want to stay.
VICTORIA: Oh, would you?
MAGGIE: Yes.
DOCTOR: There, thank you very much. Jamie and I will stay for another day, just in case you want to think again.
JAMIE: Look, we’ll talk it over later.
DOCTOR: Now, Jamie. She must make up her own mind. It’s her own life. It’s her decision.
JAMIE: Aye.
Again the Doctor is very gentle with her, realising that she wants to leave and has had enough. It is very unusual for the Doctor (especially this one) to stay, but he is beautifully supportive of her as she takes control over her life. It is her life and her choice.
And there is this beautiful scene, where Victoria and Jamie discuss her leaving.
JAMIE: Are you not tired?
VICTORIA: No. No, I’m fine. I’m not tired at all.
JAMIE: Do you know what the Doctor’s just gone and done?
VICTORIA: No.
JAMIE: He’s only gone down the beach for a swim. He gets worse. You’re still not sure, are you?
VICTORIA: Yes. But it doesn’t make it any easier leaving you and the Doctor.
JAMIE: Aye, we’ve been together a long time now. Has the Doctor said anything to you?
VICTORIA: No. No, you know what he’s like, he wouldn’t. He believes in people making up their own minds.
JAMIE: Oh, Victoria. Do you think you’ll be happy here?
VICTORIA: Oh, I think so. The Harrises are very nice people.
JAMIE: Yes, I know that, but they’re not from your time, are they?
VICTORIA: I wouldn’t be at ease back in Victorian times. I had no parents or family left there anyway.
JAMIE: Aye, that’s true. Oh, well.
VICTORIA: Jamie.
JAMIE: Yes?
VICTORIA: You wouldn’t go without saying goodbye, would you?
JAMIE: Of course not. That won’t be till the morning anyway. Goodnight, Victoria.
VICTORIA: Goodnight, Jamie.
And then the final scene between Jamie and the Doctor as they leave:
JAMIE: We can’t just leave her.
DOCTOR: We are not leaving her, Jamie. It was her decision to stay. She’ll be quite all right with the Harrises. Now don’t worry so much, Jamie.
JAMIE: I’m not, I’m just. Och, come on, let’s go.
DOCTOR: Well, where would you like to go?
JAMIE: I couldn’t care less.
DOCTOR: I was fond of her too, you know, Jamie.
Victoria’s story is picked up on in ‘Downtime‘ which I have already reviewed. It is rather sad – rather like Nyssa, she lost her mother, her father and is left an orphan stranded in a world 100 years after the one she left in ‘Evil of the Daleks‘. The story finds her looking for a father figure, for a purpose in life and taking a wrong direction. As the Doctor once told her though – it wasn’t always sad, for all the terrifying events of her time with the Doctor – Daleks, Cybermen, Yeti, Ice Warriors and killer seaweed, there was also a lovely relationship between her and Jamie and the Doctor and they visibly have fun together – the scenes on the beaches in ‘Enemy of the World‘ or ‘Fury form the Deep‘ for example. Her character might not chime so much with modern sensibilities, but it seems rather more realistic to me. Being kidnapped, imprisoned, bullied and shouted at by homicidal machine creatures is something that most of us would be scared of.
And I have no truck with the idea that she isn’t brave, I’m not sure how anyone could watch ‘Tomb of the Cybermen‘ and come to that conclusion. She stands up for her right to explore, confronts Kaftan, shoots a Cybermat, gives Hopper short shrift (I love their relationship), all while wearing a mini skirt that would have made most Victorians blush. Likewise in ‘The Abominable Snowmen‘ she runs rings around poor Thonmi, goes off on her own to explores the sanctum of Padmasambhava – her bravery allowing the Intelligence to possess her. For a young Victorian orphan, she is pretty liberated and self-assured at times. Ultimately, though she is a young girl, out of her time, dealing with loss she has suffered and surviving a series of terrifying events. In the end she has to move on and leave her new family behind.
A Journal of Impossible Things 