The star passed away over the weekend after a career including appearances in the likes of Doctor Who and The Saint.

Actor Nicholas Smith , best known for playing Mr Cuthbert Rumbold in BBC comedy Are You Being Served?, has died aged 81.
“It is with great sadness we can confirm that our client, the actor Nicholas Smith, passed away yesterday,” said a statement from his agent, Michelle Braidman Associates.

It continued: “He was a lovely man and a terrific actor. He will be much missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts are with his family.”
The actor died in hospital on Sunday.

His daughter is actress Catherine Russell , who plays Serena Campbell in Holby City.
Are You Being Served? first aired in 1972, with Smith as Mr Rumbold, the manager of fictional department store Grace Brothers.

Smith was a fixture on the show until its end in 1985, and was the last surviving member of the original cast.

Early notable TV appearances included a stint in a 1964 Doctor Who episode titled The Dalek Invasion Of Earth. He also appeared in shows such as The Saint and The Champions.

Peter Capaldi took time out from his schedule to visit a young Doctor Who fan who missed the opportunity to meet his hero at the recent Doctor Who Festival.

14-year old Daniel loves the show and like many other fans was due to attend the Doctor Who Festival in London last month. Sadly, Daniel’s poor health meant he couldn’t attend.
Daniel suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) (a genetic condition which affects the connective tissue in the body) and Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) (a condition which affects his heart rate).
He is bed bound in a London hospital, and is fed via IV.

Thanks to a wonderful online campaign launched by genre sites and podcasters, Geek Syndicate and Bad Wilf using the hashtag #drwhodaniel, interest spread quickly within the online Doctor Who community.
The simple request was to get a Doctor Who actor (or even THE Doctor) to come and visit Daniel and make this young boy’s Christmas a real treat during a bad time.
Last week, actress Frances Barber, who played Madame Kovarian during Doctor Who Series 6, alongside Matt Smith visited Daniel. And showrunner Steven Moffat also recorded a video message.

But, Santa had something really special (and early!) in store for Daniel…
‘There’s a new Doctor on the ward – and it’s me!’

https://twitter.com/dannywho99/status/674251208299802624

Yes, Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor, stopped by for a visit to meet Daniel, in character, and claiming he was a graduate from Glasgow University, the Time Lord took out his Sonic Shades for authenticity bringing a huge smile to Daniel’s face.

Peter will soon be seen in the Doctor Who Christmas Special with actress Alex Kingston and comedians Matt Lucas and Greg Davies.

The BBC may need to search for a new Doctor already as Peter Capaldi has hinted that his tenure as the Time Lord will be short as opposed to long.

With the ninth series of the popular sci-fi hit due to start next month, Capaldi has addressed the annual rumours of cast leaving.
Speaking to The Daily Mirror newspaper, he said: ‘I sort of enjoy this position I am in with a kind of deep Scottish melancholy because I know it has to end one day. I will cross that bridge when we come to it, which may be sooner rather than later.’

Seemingly confirming that his role is not for the long term, he has still beaten the record of Christopher Eccleston, who starred in just one series. His comments come amid the ongoing speculation that this could also be the last series for his current assistant Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman.

Perhaps it’s the fact that his loved ones are not as impressed with his high profile role as fans might expect. He admitted: ‘They don’t think I’m an iconic character at home. That’s the difficulty. When I go home of a weekend I still have to make my own coffee.’

Capaldi also shared that the soundtrack for the series hits him right in the feels.
He explained: ‘I live near where they record the music. The first thing they said was, “This is your theme”. I got all teary. I know I’m over the top but I never thought I would hear that. I use music to get into character sometimes including previous Doctor Who soundtracks.’

“I thought it might be the last one, so to get River in – that was bringing me full-circle.”

Steven Moffat hadn’t signed for a 10th series of Doctor Who when he wrote this year’s Christmas special.
The showrunner told press that he thought the festive episode could be his last ever for the show.

“I hadn’t signed for next year at that point,” he confirmed. “I have now – unless they fire me, which would be quite sensible!
“I thought it might be the last one, so to get River (Alex Kingston) in – that was bringing me full-circle.

“But also – much more importantly – I was very tired and [executive producer] Brian Minchin was going at me about what we were going to do for Christmas.”And it just cheered me up, the idea that River could be in it. I hadn’t written River for years and I love writing River.”

Both Moffat and his leading man, Peter Capaldi, insisted that this year’s special will be more light-hearted than 2014’s ‘Last Christmas’.
“Doctor Who’s got to be a bit scary – but I think this is quite a funny Christmas special,” Moffat said.

“Last year, Father Christmas was in it, but it was actually quite dark. This year, because the series itself goes quite dark towards the end, we bring it back up. It’s Mr and Mrs Who back in action – it’s mainly one long domestic in space, with a big robot!”

“It’s more festive fare…” Capaldi added. “…although I like a ghost story at Christmas – I think it should be scary!

“But this is much more fun, it isn’t as frightening. It’s certainly Doctor Who in a more comic vein, with lots of snow and Dickensian streets and monsters and flying saucers.”

But while the tone might be different this year, Moffat insisted that he doesn’t worry too much about making Doctor Who more “accessible” on Christmas Day.

“You do have to be aware that some poor bastards are dragged screaming into the living room to watch Doctor Who when they normally are excused that duty!” he joked. “So you want to be accessible to them as well.

“But to be honest, I think Doctor Who fans like myself are always slightly worried about how accessible Doctor Who is, and the general audience have no problem understanding it. He’s just a man in a box who travels in time and talks crap!”

Doctor Who’s festive special, ‘The Husbands of River Song’, will air on Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) at 5.15pm on BBC One.

“I just think that too many men have played that role.”

Alex Kingston has admitted she would struggle with the idea of a female Doctor on Doctor Who.
River Song’s alter-ego told press including Digital Spy that she can’t imagine our Time Lord becoming a Time Lady.

“It’s difficult – I would imagine that, if anything, the [next] Doctor might be of a different race than gender,” she said.
“I can’t imagine, myself personally, the Doctor being a different gender. I just think that too many men have played that role.”

Kingston added that “if one goes back historically, Doctor Who has been a little boys’ show”.”Women are going to hate me for this!” she laughed. “But I do think the Doctor has to be a guy – I do. Though it might be very interesting for River if it was a woman!”

River will return to Doctor Who this Christmas, pairing with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor for the very first time.

The festive special, ‘The Husbands of River Song’, will air on Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) at 5.15pm on BBC One.

“If she were a constant companion, I’m not sure the fans would enjoy that so much.”

River Song is returning to Doctor Who this Christmas – but Alex Kingston doesn’t expect to stick around as a full-time companion.
Kingston told press that she won’t be jumping aboard the TARDIS as Jenna Coleman’s replacement.

“I think the beauty of a character like River Song is that she’ll come in for an adventure and then she goes off again, and I think that’s what the fans love,” the actress said.
“If she were a constant companion, I’m not sure the fans would enjoy that so much – and it would take away the opportunity for someone else to become the companion.

“River is already established, so why not keep her in that respect and bring in a new companion? Because then you’ve got more people to interact with and play with.
“I’d love it if she came back again. But I think it works best the way Steven [Moffat]’s always interpreted their relationship.”

So if not a full-time post, how about a River spinoff?
“After the 9 ‘o’ clock watershed? With Captain Jack? Might be naughty!”

Kingston was a popular choice for Doctor Who fans in Digital Spy’s poll of potential companion candidates.
However, showrunner Moffat has told DS that the next companion – replacing Coleman’s long-standing Clara – will be an entirely new character.

The Doctor Who festive special, ‘The Husbands of River Song’, will air on Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) at 5.15pm on BBC One.