R.I.P Bernard Horsfall (1930 - 2013)
So we've lost our first Doctor Who actor of 2013. Bernard Horsfall was a memorable guest star on four different occasions. Firstly, he was Gulliver in 'The Mind Robber' and then in 'The War Games' he was one of the Time Lords who condemned Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor to regeneration and exile on Earth. He was leader Taron in 'Planet of the Daleks' and probably most memorably, he was Time Lord Chancellor Goth in 'The Deadly Assassin' who hunted Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor through Gallifrey's Matrix. One cliffhanger moment, in which Goth strangled the Doctor and held his head underwater, outraged infamous moral campaigner Mary Whitehouse, who claimed children would try and imitate the dangerous scene. Whitehouse often complained about Doctor Who's 'too violent' content and in fact, in that incidence only, producer Philip Hinchcliffe later conceded that Whitehouse was right and so only an edited version of that shot remained in repeats of the story.
Horsfall was a tall imposing-looking actor and achieved great success on stage, particularly in several Shakespearean roles. He also appeared in films such as the Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Braveheart. He was married with children and grandchildren and seems to have been loved and respected by all he worked with.
I always enjoyed seeing him on Doctor Who DVDs as he was always interesting about the episodes he'd featured in. I'm glad he was cast so many times - always by superb Who director David Mahoney - as he was such a terrific actor and strong memorable presence. He featured at conventions and always seemed happy to talk about the Whovian part of his life. He just seemed like a good bloke, one full of stories and comfort. I would have liked to have met him. I'll certainly always remember him, for Gullivar, the unnamed Time Lord, and for Goth.
His obituary in The Guardian