Very sad news to start the week: veteran British TV director Christopher Barry passed away on Friday at the age of 88.

Among his myriad accomplishments over his nearly 50 year career is the distinction of being the longest-serving director on Doctor Who, helming 43 episodes spanning from 1963 to 1979. Barry, in fact, directed four episodes of the second serial, “The Daleks,” which introduced the classic villains. He also directed the first stories of both Patrick Troughton (“The Power of the Daleks”) and Tom Baker (“Robot”).

His other television credits include Z Cars, Moonbase 3, All Creatures Great and Small, and his final TV project, The Tripods, in 1984.

Truly, this is a very sad loss for fans of Doctor Who, and of television in general. If you’re unfamiliar with Barry’s work, or want to revisit it, I would recommend the First Doctor story “The Romans,” the Third Doctor story “The Daemons,” and the Fourth Doctor story “The Brain of Morbius.” His contribution to the series, and to TV, cannot be overstated. Our thoughts go to Barry’s friends and family.