The renowned actor, Richard Franklin, who was famous for his appearances in popular television series such as 'Doctor Who' and 'Emmerdale', passed away at the age of 87 on the morning of December 25. As reported by The Guardian, a spokesperson from the actor's family has stated that he died in his sleep due to a long-term illness. The news of his death was shared by his close friend Liam Rudden on social media, as reported by Deadline. Rudden's post expressed the family's request to announce the sad news of Richard's passing, who died peacefully in his sleep. The details of the funeral arrangements will be shared soon. Franklin's career took off with his role in the British soap opera, Crossroads, where he portrayed Joe Townsend, and this marked a significant milestone in his acting career. 

In his debut in Doctor Who, two years after Terror of the Auton, John Franklin played the role of UNIT Captain Mike Yates, with Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. After his appearance in Planet of the Spiders, Franklin continued to reprise his role as Mike Yates in specials, spinoffs, audio plays, and even in his novel, The Killing Stone, where his character served as the lead.

Richard Franklin appeared in several TV shows but he was best known for his portrayal of 'Mike Yates' in the British science-fiction series 'Doctor Who'. He played a captain in the fictional military organization UNIT, in the series. He first appeared in the show in the serial Terror of the Autons in 1971. Franklin was a regular at 'Doctor Who' conventions and appeared in spin-off and documentary productions associated with the show. He reprised his role of Captain Mike Yates twice on television. First in the Twentieth Anniversary special "The Five Doctors" in 1983 and later in the Thirtieth Anniversary 3-D Special for Children In Need Dimensions In Time in 1993. In addition, his photograph in character as Yates appeared on screen in the fiftieth anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor" in 2013. David Franklin played the role of Mike Yates on several occasions in audio plays for Big Finish Productions and the BBC, where he appeared alongside the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker.

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He is also remembered for his role in the British soap opera TV series 'Emmerdale Farm'. Franklin also made appearances in 'Little Women', 'The Pathfinders', 'The Borgias', and 'Heartbeat'. Apart from his acting career, Franklin was also a writer, journalist, and political activist. Netizens expressed grief at the veteran actor's death. A user took to X and wrote, "He'll be badly missed, safe travel my captain."
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