{"id":40357,"date":"2023-11-23T12:08:44","date_gmt":"2023-11-23T11:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1932038"},"modified":"2023-11-23T13:42:39","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T12:42:39","slug":"what-happened-to-wilf-in-doctor-who-bernard-cribbins-character-explained","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/what-happened-to-wilf-in-doctor-who-bernard-cribbins-character-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened to Wilf in Doctor Who? Bernard Cribbins character explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Tennant previously revealed that Cribbins will make his final TV appearance in the 60th anniversary specials. <\/p>

By James Hibbs\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 23 November 2023 at 11:08 AM<\/p>

\n\n

As Doctor Who<\/a> returns to our screens, so too do David Tennant<\/a> and Catherine Tate<\/a>, two stars who haven\u2019t appeared in an episode of the show together since 2010.<\/p>\n

While Tennant is playing a new incarnation of the Doctor, the Fourteenth<\/a>, Tate is once again playing Donna Noble, with members of her character\u2019s family, including Sylvia Noble (Jacqueline King) and Shaun Temple (Karl Collins)<\/a>, also set to return.<\/p>\n

Bernard Cribbins, who played Donna\u2019s grandfather Wilf, was also seen on set for the show before he died in July last year, and Tennant previously revealed<\/a> that his appearance in the 60th anniversary specials will be his last TV appearance.<\/p>\n

Tennant said: \u201cI am thrilled to say that \u2013 although very sadly he wasn\u2019t in those episodes as much as we hoped \u2013 he was on set with us and Wilfred lives on.<\/p>\n

\u201cBernard 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\u2019ll see it all on your screens.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, if you need a recap, what did happen to Wilf during his previous appearances on Doctor Who? Read on for everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

When did we first meet Wilf?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Bernard\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott in Doctor Who.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

We were first introduced to Wilf in 2007 Christmas special Voyage of the Damned, in which he was seen running a stall in the centre of London.<\/p>\n

The Doctor had been on a replica of the Titanic in space, but took a teleport along with other guests down to Earth, as part of a scheduled trip.<\/p>\n

Confused by the streets being empty, The Doctor approached Wilf, along with Astrid Peth, to ask him what was going on.<\/p>\n

Wilf revealed that most people had left London for fear of another alien attack, after the previous two Christmases had seen mayhem on the city\u2019s streets.<\/p>\n

The Doctor agreed with Wilf that he was right to stay in London, and that he thought nothing alien would happen this year. At that point, he and Astrid were immediately and unexpectedly teleported back aboard the ship, in front of a startled Wilf.<\/p>\n

How did Wilf come back into the Doctor\u2019s life?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Bernard\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott in Doctor Who.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

We next saw Wilf in the subsequent episode, Partners in Crime, where it was revealed that he was, in fact, Donna\u2019s grandfather.<\/p>\n

He was immediately supportive of Donna\u2019s dreams to travel with the Doctor and set off among the stars, and aimed to help the pair however he could in any of their adventures.<\/p>\n

When planet Earth was stolen and invaded by the Daleks, he took to the streets and attempted to take one out by shooting it with a paintball in the eyestalk. The Dalek was unharmed by this and attempted to kill him and his daughter Sylvia, but they were saved by Rose Tyler.<\/p>\n

Later, when the Doctor had to wipe Donna\u2019s memory of him and their adventures in order to save her life, Wilf helped him carry her upstairs and put her to bed.<\/p>\n

He told the Doctor that he would help to stop Donna from remembering, but was saddened because she had been \u201cbetter\u201d when she was with him.<\/p>\n

He told the Doctor that every night he would look up and think of him on Donna\u2019s behalf. He saluted as the Doctor left in the TARDIS.<\/p>\n

When did we last see Wilf?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Bernard\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott in Doctor Who.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Wilf reappeared in the Doctor\u2019s life in The End of Time Parts 1 and 2, where he was seen to be having visions of the Master returning. He also had multiple mysterious interactions with a woman in white, who showrunner Russell T Davies intended to be the Doctor\u2019s mother, although this was left unconfirmed in the episodes.<\/p>\n

After she cryptically told him that the Doctor was coming back, Wilf put together a search party of friends to find him, and managed to track him down.<\/p>\n

The Doctor, who was fearful having been warned of a prophecy that \u201che\u201d would \u201cknock four times\u201d, said this shouldn\u2019t have been possible and confided in Wilf that he believed he was going to die.<\/p>\n

The Doctor then warned him once again not to tell Donna anything, but he found himself later looking to Wilf for answers, as the Ood had shown him a vision of Wilf.<\/p>\n

Together, they travelled to the house of billionaire Joshua Naismith, who had tasked the Master with restoring a Vinvocci medical device. However, he had done more than that, and reprogrammed it so it would turn every human on Earth into him. Wilf shielded himself from the effects in a control room, so he wasn\u2019t affected.<\/p>\n

He went on to give the Doctor a gun, telling him to use it against the Master. When the Doctor discovered that the Time Lords were returning, he briefly considered using it against Rassilon, but instead used it to break a link between then and the Time War, sending them, and the Master, back.<\/p>\n

The Doctor thought it was over, but Wilf had got stuck in the control room and, in order to get the Doctor\u2019s attention, knocked four times.<\/p>\n

The Doctor explained that the Master had left a nuclear bolt running and that it had gone into overload, and would soon flood the control room with excess radiation. As it had gone critical, the only way to save Wilf was to take his place and absorb the radiation.<\/p>

Having saved Wilf, the Doctor dropped him at home, and then went on a farewell tour of his incarnation\u2019s friends. One of the final visits he paid was to Donna\u2019s wedding, where Wilf and Sylvia greeted him away from Donna.<\/p>\n

He gave them a wedding present for Donna, which he had bought in the past with money he got from Geoffrey Noble, Donna\u2019s father. It turned out to be a lottery ticket.<\/p>\n

Wilf saluted the Doctor once again as he left, with tears in his eyes as he knew that his regeneration was imminent.<\/p>