I am saddened to read today that actor Michael Jayston has died. I remember him from Doctor Who as The Valeyard, the evil prosecutor doing his level best to ensure that the Doctor is found guilty of great crimes and given the harshest sentence. That he was a distillation of our hero's dark sides made manifest was never expounded upon by the show. The character appeared in a novel or 2, however, and Big Finish featured him in a few stories. Trial of the Valeyard is a fantastic tale.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Jayston several years ago at Chicago TARDIS and having a lovely chat with him. As I wrote of our meeting:
I had an extended conversation with him which meandered from his love for traditional English ales to his other acting roles, past, present, and future. He was extremely friendly and quite charming. I am still amazed that I had this wonderful, informal chat with the Valeyard! Such an encounter would have been unthinkable to 15 year-old me.
R.I.P.
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