RIP Verity Lambert OBE

[WhiteCrow]

Is Unearthly Child being shown on TV today?

[Milky Tears]

Her death might be mentioned on The One Show. I think Barrowman is meant to be appearing tonight.

[Stuart Wallis]

I think maybe we should have her on the banner to commemorate her life.

I agree, if Pip's willing.

Counting Philip Segal, (I know he was exec. Producer, but I'm going to be pedantic), I think there's now only four producers of "classic" Who who are still alive. Which is depressing really.

Verity seemed as though she was going to be around forever; she was easily going to be around for the 50th anniversary, she had the strength and the will to make bloody well sure she was. Even if she didn't enjoy certain periods of the show's history, she always stood up for it, as though it were her child, not just metaphorically. RIP

[WhiteCrow]

Even if she didn't enjoy certain periods of the show's history, she always stood up for it, as though it were her child, not just metaphorically. RIP

Ironically she never had children, although I guess in some way every fan is a child of hers.

[Stuart Wallis]

Ironically she never had children, although I guess in some way every fan is a child of hers.

I've known childless shop managers to be incredibly maternalistic over their places of work, so I think I understand her outlook now. With Minder and (as a foster child) Jonathan Creek being hers as well, she wasn't a bad mum, was she?

[Andrew Curnow]

I just saw this on the BBC news, and it came as a real surprise. I don't know why really - on the face of it, she was a woman in her 70s, and it's a fair age. But in all her recent appearances on DVD documentaries and the like, she's seemed so full of life, and, as the third Doctor once put it, quite spry for her age. She seemed almost timeless, in that she had always been around as 'a name' in the Doctor Who world.

It's a great shame, and as the various obituaries show, she had a very successful career indeed, of which Doctor Who was really just the first triumph. I think it's fair to say that without the very unusual selection of a YOUNG, WOMAN producer to head the show at the start, it might not have been quite as unique as it would have been under a more conventional BBC pipe-smoking type.

I can't help but think how much I enjoyed her comments on the DioE commentary, when she recalled going around with the Daleks ("Dalek wrangler" I think was the term she used) during that very early morning location filming in the heart of London.

A sad loss.

[Paul Hayes]

One of the true greats of British television. Her legacy is imposing indeed. If we could fill our lives even one tenth as productively and positively as she filled hers, we'd have all done incredibly well indeed.

[MacNimon]

If it wasn't for Verity, then the chances are that the series wouldn't have become as big a hit as it did. And so, not only do we have her to thank for the numerous excellent tv series she has produced over the years, but indirectly we also have her to thank for us having a Planet Skaro site to visit (and others...after all, no Doctor Who = no PS) and from where many lasting friendships have been made between people who otherwise wouldn't have even known each other existed.

So we have much more to thank her for than is immediately obvious. Verity, you'll be greatly missed. RIP.

[WhiteCrow]

You know she said in an interview she didn't like babies/children.

And yet in a lot of what she did there is a playfulness in the format which kind of appeals to the inner child - Doctor Who, Rumpole of the Bailey, Jonathon Creek particularly coming to mind.

[Si Hunt]

I think maybe we should have her on the banner to commemorate her life.

It looks like Pip has complied

Or since JNT perhaps.

Shamefully, I forgot about JNT! Not that he'd gone, I'm just bad at remembering the order these things happened. Yes indeed, the greatest loss for many a year.

She could have gone on for another decade, and was still busy working, so in that sense, at 71 she was gone before her time. A shame she never wrote her life story, it would have been a good read.

We've just watched "An Unearthly Child". I know she didn't solely devise it, but it's still a stunning, unique, crazy bit of work in which she had a major hand. There's so many "Where on Earth did that come from?!" elements. The TARDIS, the Doctor, the title.

Doctor Who? Where did that come from! What realm of genius!

Doctor Who? That's the genius of the show we love isn't it. We'll never, ever have a clue what it means.

Yet through Doctor Who Verity will surely be remembered as long as there are people to remember.

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

This probably sounds very clichéd & contrived but I feel that I’ve lost an Auntie that I haven’t seen since I was 3, should have visited but never made the time & never can now.

That banner has made me quite emotional. This has affected me more so the John Nathan-Turner's ever did which is silly as I never saw any of her Doctor Who stuff until it was about 15 years old or there a bouts & I grew up with J.N-T.

[Jon Masters]

A sad day, but one where we can take comfort from the fact that as long as a single DW fan exists, her name and what she did, like so many others associated with the programme, will never be forgotten.

[WhiteCrow]

Great work on the banner there - a well deserved tribute to a great lady.

[Stephen Morgan]

This probably sounds very clichéd & contrived but I feel that I’ve lost an Auntie that I haven’t seen since I was 3, should have visited but never made the time & never can now.

That banner has made me quite emotional. This has affected me more so the John Nathan-Turner's ever did which is silly as I never saw any of her Doctor Who stuff until it was about 15 years old or there a bouts & I grew up with J.N-T.

Silly I know, but I feel quite the same. The news shocked me earlier today, I had planned to watch the first episode today anyway, but this news made me more determined and I watched it while listening to the commentary. Verity talks with some fondness about the series, her casting decisions and her work on it. I'm looking forward now to watching the rest of the first series with her commentaries wherever available. It's a shame that she now won't be there when the likes of The Sensorites or Keys of Marinus come out as these stories aren't particularly highly rated and I would have liked to have heard her defence of them.

[WhiteCrow]

This probably sounds very clichéd & contrived but I feel that I’ve lost an Auntie

One thing I've learnt over the years is amongst the right people fandom becomes family. So I think your sentiments are appropriate.

[Dave Tudor]

I can't really add anything new to the beautiful sentiments which have been posted here, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. Verity was not just a giant of 'Doctor Who' lore, but of television history. As others have said, she was always such a knowledgable, respected and warm contributor to books, documentaries and DVDs over the years, and it seemed that she would always be around - sadly, of course, that will not be the case. Another legend of the series has gone to join the Time Lords.

The new series producers gave her the most wonderful acknowledgement in 'Human Nature', and such is Russell T Davies's respect and admiration for 'Doctor Who's first lady, that I don't doubt that the Christmas special or the next series will be dedicated to her.

Rest in peace, Verity - we owe you everything.

[SiHart]

It's a lovely banner. Thanks Pip.

At the moment she's chatting away in the background doing the commentary on the Pilot Episode. She'll never really be gone, because her legacy will live on as long as we do.

Si xx

[davethesailor]

This probably sounds very clichéd & contrived but I feel that I’ve lost an Auntie that I haven’t seen since I was 3, should have visited but never made the time & never can now.

That banner has made me quite emotional. This has affected me more so the John Nathan-Turner's ever did which is silly as I never saw any of her Doctor Who stuff until it was about 15 years old or there a bouts & I grew up with J.N-T.

This is just how I feel about Verity. Well said Tim. The only difference is that I was also quite affected by JNT's death, but that may be because I saw him shortly before he died.

I wish, I had met her and I wish I had paid more attention to her work.

Has it been announced how she actually died? I never really knew she was ill.

Amazing banner Pip! x

[cullsoft]

I'm afraid there's not much I can add - most of you have already said more than what I could think of adding, but it saddens me too to hear that she's died. I had initially wondered if something had happened along the lines of her being on the go and had held out until today specifically, but having gone through the thread it sounds to me like this was somewhat out of the blue - which makes it even sadder.

Nice one for coming up with and putting together the banner on short notice - I fear that I'd have missed this entirely if it weren't for that, and I agree that it's a lovely tribute.

[Paul Hayes]

The Times now have their obituary online:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle2932693.ece

I was surprised to learn that she'd been married. I'm not sure why. Probably just because I spent ages researching and building up her Wikipedia entry last year, and that fact completely evaded my researches.

[Si Hunt]

I thought she was a practiser of lesbotics.

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

Thanks for that link, Paul - it reminds me of once seeing her interviewed about the infamous occasion when an actor died during the commercial break of a live play, and that ability to cope really impressed me. It also reminds me that as well as Doctor Who DVDs, I've also seen her recently (ish) on the Adam Adamant documentary, and her honesty there that they never quite got it right was also very striking.

[Wayne]

All i can say is Thanks for everything Verity, & Rest in Peace.

Lambert had been due to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Women in Film and Television Awards next month.

Salt in the wound.

[WhiteCrow]

Yes - good link there. So Paul's to blame for me thinking she'd never married.

[Larry]

has it been said what she died of.