Friends of Doctor Who fanatic Seb Neale gave him a fitting send-off at his funeral yesterday – in a Tardis coffin complete with flashing blue light.
Seb, 26, who bore an amazing resemblance to Dr Who actor David Tennant, died from head injuries after a fall at a friend’s barbecue.
His parents knew he would not want sombre music or a religious ceremony, so they arranged a funeral that celebrated his love of the show.
So the 200 mourners who arrived at the crematorium yesterday were handed a service card with a picture of Seb dressed as Tennant and holding the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver
Emblazoned across the glossy card were the words: “I’m a Time Lord – I’m not a human being. I walk in eternity.”
And instead of readings from the scriptures, the service used excerpts from Dr Who scripts.
One read: “One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties.
“Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye.” As Seb’s Tardis coffin made its exit, the blue light on top started flashing and the famous electronic theme music from the TV series blared out.
Seb’s parents Jenny and Steve asked his friends to help organise the funeral service.
He had loved Dr Who since he was a small boy and usually dressed in a suit so he looked even more like Tennant.
Seb sold replicas of props from sci-fi movies from his home in Risca, Caerphilly.
His mum Jenny, 42, said: “He was a lovely boy with an infectious laugh. He was an eccentric and very much his own person.”
Stepdad Steve Williams added: “Seb would have loved to have seen it. If you can describe a funeral as fantastic then that is what it was.
“It was not everyone’s idea of what a funeral should be but it gave us a great comfort.”
A family tribute read: “Seb never missed an opportunity to make the most of his similarity to the latest Doctor Who.
“You could even say he exploited it and if there was a pretty girl about, so much the better.”