At the time of his death, he was preparing to reprise his role as Professor Bernard Quatermass in
Quatermass II (1955), the first sequel to the groundbreaking BBC science fiction serial
The Quatermass Experiment (1953). However, he died of a sudden heart attack on August 23, 1955, less than a month before the production of
Quatermass II (1955) was scheduled to begin. After
André Morell turned the role down,
John Robinson was cast to replace Tate on short notice. Morell ultimately played Quatermass in the third and final BBC "Quatermass" serial, namely
Quatermass and the Pit (1958).
