Precocious "mathemagician" Adric was far from the best-loved of companions but actor Matthew Waterhouse can rest easy knowing that his exit from the series was a defining moment of Doctor Who in the 1980s. His valiant efforts in aborting the Cybermens' plan toward the climax of Eric Saward's Earthshock are the stuff of legend. They had set a space freighter to smash into our prehistoric planet and Adric bravely stayed on board in order to crack the code and unlock the navigation system. However, he ultimately failed to avert the collision and perished in an explosion that also destroyed the dinosaurs. Not too shabby for a kid from Alzarius. The resulting tragedy proved severe enough for the end credits to roll in silence, the first and only time this has happened in 50 years of adventure. Instead of a starfield as a backdrop, the image of Adric's broken maths achievement badge was shown. His death devastated the TARDIS crew (though they were back in action for Time Flight the following week) and impacted on the Doctor in ways he had yet to foresee... but more on that later!
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
