( CNN ) -- 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 could n'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 did n'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 . What fate awaits `` Doctor Who '' in the finale ? The fanaticism extends to Thomas ' fashion choices . His signature outfit consists of a checkered shirt , suspenders and bow tie in honor of the 11th incarnation of the time-traveling doctor played by Matt Smith -- one of Thomas ' favorite doctors . Other days , he wears a pair of Converse sneakers , 10th doctor David Tennant 's trademark look . When Capaldi took over the role from Smith in 2013 , it was a big deal for Thomas , Ross Goodall said . To help cope with the change , Thomas sent Capaldi a letter in September letting him know that he looks forward to following Capaldi 's adventures as the new Doctor Who . Capaldi responded with a letter and autographed headshot . After Thomas ' grandmother died , Ross Goodall reached out to Capaldi through his agent and explained that Thomas was having a hard time dealing with the death of his grandmother . Capaldi came through with the video . `` Thank you very much for your letter . I really enjoyed getting it because , you see , when Clara and I are traveling around 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 . `` So you look after yourself , take care and be happy . ''
` ` We 're on your side , '' actor Peter Capaldi tells fan grieving fans of his father . Year - old Thomas Goodall comes from a home of ` ` Dr. Who '' fans , or Whovians . He wrote a letter to fans when he took over role from Matt Smith .