Doctor Who: Stephen Thorne, Classic Series actor, has passed away
By James Aggas
Stephen Thorne, an actor who played several iconic villains in Doctor Who, has passed away. He was 84.
During the Seventies, Stephen Thorne played several truly iconic villains in Doctor Who. The first was Azal in The Daemons, the final story of Season Eight. He doesn’t appear until towards the end of the story, but considering how powerful his character was, it certainly left a lot of impact.
His second major role was as Omega in The Three Doctors. One of the founders of Time Lord society, Omega was one of the more tragic villains of the series. He didn’t want to take over the universe, not initially. But being trapped inside a black hole for millennia with no way to escape eventually drove him mad.
Lastly, he played Eldrad in The Hand of Fear. This is an iconic story, for two reasons. Firstly, it’s Sarah Jane’s final story as a regular companion, and features an emotional goodbye for her and the Doctor. The second reason the story’s memorable? Three words:
"Eldrad must live!"
Stephen Thorne would eventually return to the role of Omega for Big Finish in Gallifrey: Intervention Earth.
(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
A powerful voice
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In all three roles, Thorne was either in heavy makeup or under a mask. But you could still recognize him playing those roles, due to one particularly impressive aspect: his voice.
While each character he played stood out on their own terms, Stephen Thorne always gave his villains an incredible presence with his deep and powerful voice. It was a voice incredible enough to truly make you believe that he was an ancient evil, or a man who helped to create Time Lord society itself.
Perhaps even more impressive is how much he retained that voice even decades later. In 2013 and 2015, he returned to two of his iconic roles for Big Finish: Eldrad in Eldrad Must Die!, and Omega in Gallifrey: Intervention Earth, respectively. In each case, his voice hadn’t changed a bit.
Thorne’s death was announced by actress Lisa Bowerman today on Twitter, on behalf of his friend Chris Benjamin.
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Despite appearing in only a few stories, Stephen Thorne’s impact on Doctor Who was undeniable. He’ll be missed by many.