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).