'Doctor Who' Peter Capaldi sends heartwarming message to grieving fan
The past few weeks have been hard for 9-year-old Thomas Goodall, who lost his grandmother in early October.
It was the first major loss of a loved one for the boy with autism from North Baddesley, England, who relies on a consistent routine to avoid meltdowns, his father, Ross Goodall, said
Things finally began to take a turn for better on Monday, when Thomas received a comforting video message from actor Peter Capaldi, who plays Thomas' favorite TV character on "Doctor Who."
For the first time since his grandmother's death, Thomas smiled.
"I think it probably meant everything to him," his father told CNN. "I think it gave him the emotional support that we as parents couldn't."
After Ross Goodall uploaded the video to YouTube on Thursday for family to see, others took notice and started sharing it, drawing more than 200,000 views in 48 hours.
It didn't come out of the blue. Thomas comes from a household of Whovians, where sonic screwdrivers, robot Daleks and TARDIS time-travel machines make up much of the decor.