'Doctor Who' star helps 9-year-old boy with autism through a tough time

 By 
Brian Koerber
 on 
'Doctor Who' star helps 9-year-old boy with autism through a tough time
Credit: Evan Agostini

Losing a loved one is tough, especially as a child.

Actor Peter Capaldi, star of long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who stayed in character as The Twelfth Doctor to help a 9-year-old boy named Thomas cope with the recent death of his nanny.

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After Capaldi received a letter from Thomas, he responded with a heartwarming and encouraging video message telling him to look after himself, take care and be happy.

Here is the wonderful message from The Doctor to my son Thomas: http://t.co/2tAG6Cl6CG I cannot thank Mr Capaldi enough for this. #DoctorWho— Ross Goodall (@iamthedoctor77) November 7, 2014

Thomas' father, Ross Goodall, uploaded the video to YouTube and said, "Thomas is autistic; he doesn't feel emotions the same way the rest of us do, so this has been incredibly hard for him."

Capaldi's video arrived just before the funeral, and according to Goodall, it helped Thomas "deal with his grief in a profound way."

Goodall also tweeted that he didn't expect the video to go viral.

Had no clue that the video from The Doctor to my son would go viral. We originally put it up so family and friends could see after funeral.— Ross Goodall (@iamthedoctor77) November 8, 2014

Having a rare day of fun after the funeral. pic.twitter.com/1l0dhgr1Td— Ross Goodall (@iamthedoctor77) November 9, 2014

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