By and copyright of Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
The month before the 50th anniversary celebration in the Excel London I had the ChanCe to interview Richard Franklin about his career. He was genuinely more than accommodating, funny, his deep love of the fans and the show obvious and a true agent.
I met him several times over the years and every time it was a pleasure. When we met after our podcast at the con, he was very kind and made my son feel welcome as part of the new generation of fans. The last time we would meet would be in Belfast aalong with Katy Manning. So the news that he passed away on Christmas morning just hours before the Ncuti Gatwa era was due to begin has a certain symmetry about it. He would have loved it with that smiLe and T Bag the cat by his side. Now the only remaining members of that era are Katy Manning and John Levene. But the only consolation is that we can visit the UNIT era time and again on DVD and Blu Ray to revisit a truly magical era of Doctor Who.
Thank you Richard for talking to me and rest in peace. You will never be forgotten. Click below to hear the full unedited interview.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 
Mike Yates was a very likeable character in Doctor Who, even for Invasion Of The Dinosaurs when his loyalty was in question. I’ve thankfully known the UNIT era for the classic series early on as a kid. A lot of good stories thanks to good talents including Richard Franklin. He will be greatly missed.
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