It seems almost every issue of Doctor Who Magazine includes sad news about the death of a former cast or crew member. It’s inevitable, given the programme’s remarkable longevity. But while we’re lucky that we always have new episodes to look forward to, it doesn’t make the losses of the past any easier to bear.
On page 42 Toby Hadoke pays tribute to Shane Rimmer, an actor who only appeared in one Doctor Who story, back in 1966, but who made a big impact in many other films and television series that I suspect DWM readers hold dear. I’m very fond of The Gunfighters, but Shane’s passing was upsetting for more personal reasons – I was the publisher of his autobiography and I counted him as a friend.
Shane was best known for providing the voice of Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds. His work on the lavish ‘Supermarionation’ series was largely confined to attending recording sessions over several stints from summer 1964, and it was pretty much over by the time he joined the cast of The Gunfighters in March 1966. He had no idea that Thunderbirds, a job that spanned little more than a couple of years, would overshadow the rest of his career. His contribution to Doctor Who took even less time, but I bet he was asked about it more than his roles for such celebrated film directors as Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas and Tim Burton.