16 years since the shows return, where are these child stars?
By Mélissa M Azombo
Today marks 16 years since Doctor Who made a triumphant return to our TV screens, so where are its youngest actors now who were so integral to its storylines?
From CAL (Charlotte Abigail Lux) in series 4 episodes Silence in the Library/ Forrest of the Dead to Amelia Pond in series 5 episode The Eleventh Hour, find out what the child stars of Doctor Who are now up to 16 years later.
Since appearing on our screens as little Amelia Pond in Doctor Who series 5 episode The Eleventh Hour, Caitlin Blackwood went on to feature in many more episodes, including series 5 finale The Big Bang and Doctor Who Series 6 opener Let’s Kill Hitler. Did you know Caitlin had actually been suggested for the role by her cousin Karen Gillan who played the older Amy Pond? 
Caitlin clearly found a talent she wanted to use, as she has continued acting since Doctor Who. Also found on convention circuits (in pre-pandemic times), she starred in 2015 TV series Cops & Monsters as Alexis and reprised her role as little Amelia Pond in The Raggedy Doctor video created as part of Emily Cook’s Doctor Who Lockdown series. Most recently, she played Clara in Lost At Christmas. It’s fair to say, Caitlin is very much still into acting and may be appearing on our screens again, soon. 
It’s the second half of the Doctor Who Series 6B two-parter and we’re all on the edge of our seats as a little girl regenerates before our eyes with no explanation. She is later confirmed to be a young Melody Pond AKA River Song. But she had a link to the world of Doctor Who before playing Melody Pond, as Sydney had starred in Marchlands as Amy Marchland, the daughter of Helen Maynard played by Alex Kingston, who you may remember as River Song AKA the older Melody Pond. Since Sydney Wade’s last appearance as Melody Pond in Doctor Who, the actress has gone on to other roles. 
She appeared in Sherlock episode The Reichenbach Fall in 2012 as Claudie Buhl who instantly screams when she sees Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch). She featured in children’s TV shows Rocket’s Island as Jade Hollis and Wolfblood as Emilia Covaci, more recently playing Jessie in the TV series Creeped Out in 2017. At present, the 18-year-old is out of the limelight, however it is clear she remains very much in the acting industry from her agent profile. Here’s hoping she lands some more work soon. 
Pretty soon within the Doctor Who series 3 Human Nature/The Family of Blood two-parter, Tim Latimer became the key to keeping The Doctor hidden and safe from them, as he got his hands on The Doctor’s pocket watch. This was not just any ordinary pocket watch, though. It contained The Doctor’s Time Lord self, after he had used his chameleon arch to rewrite his biology into that of a human. Any viewer would be on edge every time Tim Latimer opened the watch, as it brought the family of blood one step closer to tracking down The Doctor. Thomas Brodie-Sangster who portrayed Tim Latimer proved numerous times across the two-parter the extent of his acting abilities. The actor has since not shied away from using them, as his glowing CV shows. 
From feature films Nowhere Boy (2009) where he played Paul and The Maze Runner (2014) where he starred as Newt to TV series Game Of Thrones (Jojen Reed), Thunderbirds Are Go (Pirate Tracy, John Dobbs) & The Queen’s Gambit (Benny Watts), the 30-year-old’s career doesn’t look due to halt anytime soon. He even recently took part in an interview with Heat magazine. 
Also from the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter, is actress Lor Wilson who played Daughter of Mine in the form of Lucy Cartwright. We recently heard from Lor during the Doctor Who Lockdown tweet-along of The Family Of Blood where she joined in, talking about her experience on the show. Lucy Cartwright is supposedly 6-years-old, a shocking age at which to shoot the headmaster, after her body has been taken over by Daughter of Mine. 
So, what has Lor Wilson been up to since Doctor Who? Well, more Doctor Who, for one. She took part in Doctor Who productions Dark Legends and Resurrection. Outside of this, she played Beth Ward in 2016 TV series Today’s Detectives and Veronica in the 2019 short film Veronica. 
There’s nothing more magical than a Doctor Who Christmas special. Back in 2011, Laurence Belcher starred in A Christmas Carol as the young boy version of Kazran. He becomes integral to the plot when The Doctor attempts to save the day by rewriting Kazran’s past. Aside from giving us a very cool interaction between young Kazran and adult Kazran, following a Doctor Who Lockdown tweet-along of a Christmas Carol, what has Laurence Belcher gone on to do? 
Today, he is still an actor, represented by leading talent agency Curtis Brown. His credits since Doctor Who include X-Men First Class, where he played Charles Xavier and Diana where he played Prince William. More than actor, Belcher is also an Oxford University graduate, having studied Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology there. 
The daughter of Walking In The Air singer Aled Jones showed she too, had inherited some amazing singing skills when she starred as Merry Gejehl in Doctor Who series 7B episode The Rings Of Akhaten. Aged only 8 when she filmed this episode, the young actress seemed to act and sing effortlessly across her scenes opposite Clara, The Doctor, The Vigil and other characters. 
Today, the 19-year-old starlet continues to act, most recently in the film Coda. She has also starred in Locke & Key as Kinsey Locke and taken to the stage as Joan in Far Away. 
Aged only 8 at the time, John Bell made his acting debut on the set of Doctor Who series 3 episode Utopia. He played a young boy called Creet who was calling out names to try to reunite people with their families in time for the ship they were on to launch, allowing them to fly away from the menacing Futurekind. Bell had won the role through a competition on children’s television programme Blue Peter. 
A reference to his character was made in Doctor Who the series 3 finale The Last Of The Time Lords, where it was revealed that the spheres The Master had called the Toclafane were actually humans from the future who had gone back in time to annihilate their ancestors. The paradox was maintained by The Paradox Machine The Master had turned the TARDIS into. Since Doctor Who, Bell, now 23 has worked on further productions including Tracy Beaker Returns and Outlander. 
We can’t finish this trip down memory lane without mentioning William Hughes who played the Young Master back in series 3 of Doctor Who. On the run from The Master (played by John Simm) in The Sound Of Drums, Martha, The Doctor and Capt. Jack Harkness manage to find a hiding spot. There The Doctor describes life on Gallifrey to a montage against Murray Gold’s score of This Is Gallifrey (Our Childhood, Our Home). William Hughes’ Master appears as The Doctor explains “As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the untampered schism. It’s a gap in the fabric of reality, through which can be seen all of the vortex. You stand there, 8 years old, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, some would go mad.” 
Hughes later played a character called Alex Grainger in the Torchwood episode Sleeper. Aside from this, he continued boxing, which he had started at the age of 9. He won a British Championship at the GB Amateur Boxing Championships for Wales back in 2011. Using his talent, he fought in a charity boxing match to raise money for charity. Going on to study Finance at Queen Mary University London in 2017, he joined its Elite Athlete Program and won gold with the University at the British Universities and Colleges Sport championships. After living an active life, William Hughes sadly passed away at age 20 while on holiday in Greece. He had gone on the trip to celebrate end of his first year exams but on the last night, was found unresponsive. Unfortunately, Mr. Hughes could not be resuscitated at hospital and his cause of death was later confirmed as suicide, upon investigation.
Enjoyed the article? Support the author, here.
However, if you’re encountering issues with the slideshow, scroll through the text and images below to find out where the child stars of Doctor Who are now.
Time Made Of Strawberries - Un Temps De Fraises 