The iconic actor returned to film Doctor Who before his death in 2022.
Doctor Who’s second 60th anniversary special Wild Blue Yonder has been dedicated to the late Bernard Cribbins after he made his return as beloved character Wilf.
It’s the first time in 15 years that Cribbins has returned to Doctor Who, and it was his final role before he died in July 2022 at the age of 93.
The second special showed the Doctor and Donna returning to Earth after quite the adventure – albeit a day or two out.
As they opened the TARDIS doors, they stumbled across Donna’s grandfather, Wilf, with the world in chaos, presumably heralding the arrival of Neil Patrick Harris’s Toymaker in the next special.
“Hello, me old soldier!”
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) December 2, 2023
In memory of Bernard Cribbins ❤️❤️ #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/ZXb4BPMcUg
The final scenes of the special saw Wilf assuring Donna that the rest of the Noble family are safe and that he promised to keep watch, as the world descends into chaos.
A message at the end of the episode read: “In loving memory of Bernard Cribbins, 1928 to 2022.”
Cribbins’s return to Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary specials was confirmed by David Tennant earlier this year, who said: “I am thrilled to say that – although very sadly he wasn’t in those episodes as much as we hoped – he was on set with us and Wilfred lives on.
“Bernard is much missed and much grieved for, but I am so excited that his final screen performance will be [one] I had the great honour of being part of, and you’ll see it all on your screens.”
He also appeared in behind-the-scenes footage of the read-through, with showrunner Russell T Davies saying: “The whole room sighed when Bernard Cribbins said his first line.”
Outside of Doctor Who, Cribbins was known for his appearances in the Carry On films, as well as The Railway Children, and his various roles in children’s TV, including voicing The Wombles and being the most-featured celebrity storyteller on BBC series Jackanory.