Doctor Who's The Halloween Apocalypse – the first chapter in the six-part Flux storyline – closed tonight (31st October) with a poignant tribute to a crew member who recently passed away.

Advertisement

The closing credits featured a special message dedicating the episode to the memory of Julie Ankerson, who died on 28th July 2021.

Ankerson worked in Doctor Who's sound department as a foley artist, creating sound effects to be utilised in post-production, contributing to 130 episodes between 2005 and 2017.

She also fulfilled the same role on spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and worked on Sherlock for its first two series and 2016 special The Abominable Bride.

Having originally left BBC Enterprises in 1989 to team up with John Fewell as a freelance foley artist duo, she also performed foley work on Life on Mars (2006), Spooks (2008), Being Human (2008-2013), and Law & Order: UK (2013-2014), and collaborated with director Ken Loach on multiple films with including Raining Stones (1993) and Carla’s Song (1996).

Over a nine year period, Ankerson received three Emmy nominations in the category of Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special: the first for HBO's Tsunami, The Aftermath in 2007, the second for HISTORY's Moonshot in 2010 and the third for Sherlock: The Abominable Bride in 2016.

Ankerson's friend, sound editor Helen Dickson, had previously paid tribute to her on 1st August 2021, on what would've been Ankerson's 62nd birthday.

Dickson described Ankerson as "funny, and clever, but not cocky" and "talent, but not arrogant", adding, "We've all lost a big cog in the foley wheel of history and I've lost a great friend, who made me laugh a lot."

Read more about Doctor Who:

Advertisement

Doctor Who airs on Sundays on BBC One – visit our Sci-fi hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement