A BBC star who appeared in a Doctor Who documentary has sadly died at the age of 87. Helicopter pilot 'Mad' Mike Smith's passing was sadly confirmed by his daughter this weekend. Mike had flown the helicopter for the 2020 documentary The Cruel Sea: Surviving Fury of the Deep, which investigated the lost episode of the BBC sci-fi series. It was included on the DVD content for the animated special episode, featuring the Second Doctor.
BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Chris Chapman confirmed the news on X, tweeting: "Sad news to share - his daughter has just let me know that helicopter pilot 'Mad' Mike Smith has died, aged 87. He spent his final day driving himself to the pub and winning at pool. We shot with Mike for our Fury from the Deep doc. He was one of my favourite contributors. RIP."
Tributes soon began pouring in from fans online, with one writing: "Oh, so sad to read this, we had a great few days filming out there with Mike and Michael E. Briant."
Another echoed: "It sounds like he truly lived his best possible life right up until the end. There’s something really heartwarming and inspiring in that. RIP."
"What a fantastic old boy, a real character and I’m so glad you got him for the documentary, I’ve watched it a few times," somebody else said.
On his blog, Doctor Who producer Michael Briant spoke about working with Mike, writing: "On location, [director] Hugh David decided that he would like Mike Smith to fly the helicopter between the legs of the [oil] rig to make the chase sequence more exciting - sure Mike said - easy! The 2nd helicopter pilot said he had never seen anything so dangerous in his life! Mike only had 3 feet clearance on either side of blades as he flew between the legs.
"It was the last day of filming and we all got back to the hotel for a celebratory drink - Mike ordered champagne and brandy for everyone and proceeded to enjoy himself - I was busy trying to be a responsible Production Assistant as he pulled me over in my chair. 'Have you never wanted to swing from a chandelier like Douglas Fairbanks?'"
"'Well I have', declared Mike, and he sprang onto the table and leaped into the air grasping the magnificent centre piece to the room.
"There was an instant when it might have worked but only an instant... The entire ceiling collapsed showering everyone in plaster and Mike was on the floor embracing the chandelier. I loved him dearly for that but its hard to explain to brave and talented helicopter pilots that real life is different from movies."
