EVEN when travelling through time and space, The Doctor's taken the time to send a message to a little boy coming to terms with the loss of his grandmother.

Thomas Goodall, nine, wrote a letter to Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi before the funeral of his gran, who died in October.

The star sent a video message back to Thomas, from Southampton, in character as The Doctor, which has helped the little boy cope with the grief.

In the heart warming video posted on YouTube, Capaldi speaks directly to his school boy, offering words of comfort.

Speaking this morning, his dad Ross said his son, who has autism, has responded by “smiling for the first time”since his grandmother's death.

He said: “It's been a massive confidence boost to him which I think he needed.”

The video had initially been put up on YouTube so other family members could see it, but it has since become an internet hit with more than half a million hits.

Daily Echo:

In the message, Capaldi, who is keeping in character as Dr Who, said: "Thank you very much for your letter. I really enjoyed getting it.

"Because you see, when Clara and I are travelling around in time and space, sometimes bad things happen to us.

"And you know what, Thomas? Sometimes sad things happen to us too. So it's nice to know that there's somebody like you out there who's on our side. And you should know that we're on your side too.

"So you look after yourself, and take care, and be happy."

Ross Goodall, Thomas's father posted the video on YouTube, where it has now been watched over 750,000 times.