Nicholas Courtney (1929-2011) Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart

[Perpetual Man]

Without a doubt one of the most popular supporting characters in the history of Doctor Who, The Brigadier was first introduced in 1968's Web Of Fear starring Patrick Troughton (as a colonel); he return as a regular with Jon Pertwee's Doctor, endearing himself as the no nonsense leader of UNIT; he appeared with all Doctors (except Colin Baker), having stared as Bret Vyon in the along side William Hartnell. He reprised his role relatively recently starring along side Elizabeth Sladen in the Sarah Jane Adventures.

Beyond Doctor Who, Courtney had a long and successful acting career appearing in a number of television shows, including the Avengers and more recently Casualty.

He died yesterday aged 81 years, leaving a host of memories of a character that endeared himself to Doctor Who fans of many generations.

 

[chopper]

farewell, sir.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I used to watch Pertwee era repeats on the BBC as a kid. Lethbridge-Stewart was an excellent fellow indeed. RIP Nicholas Courtney.

 

[Ian Whates]

Damn!

Straight from school I went to work for a high street bank, and the second branch I was assigned to was Muswell Hill in North London.

Various celebs of that era came into the branch from time to time (Mel Smith of 'Not the Nine O'Clock News' fame, Maureen Lipman and Jack Rosenthal, Lisa Goddard and Alvin Stardust, etc) but by far my favourite was Nicholas Courtney. He was regular visitor; a true gent who always had the time to natter about his Dr Who days, conventions he'd attended etc...

A genuinely nice man.

RIP.

 

[Ursa major]

Rest in Peace.


(BBC News - Doctor Who 'Brigadier' Nicholas Courtney dies aged 81.)

 

[The Procrastinator]

I raise a glass to the Brigadier!

 

[Contrary Mary]

An excellent supporting actor. He will be missed.

 

[Perpetual Man]

This was a lovely tribute to the actor, thought it was worth sharing, from none other than Tom Baker (from his website)

Nick Courtney died yesterday after a very long and painful battle with cancer. I went to say goodbye to him on Friday at the wonderful hospice near Belsize Park in North London. The lady in charge said he was very stoical. And indeed he was. It was so distressing to see him so weak and yet so strong in resignation. My jokes were received with a generous effort from Nick to smile. I was with Michael McManus who helped me through the ordeal of seeing a beloved old pal so reduced by illness.

Of all the characters in Doctor Who there is no doubt that he was the most loved by the fans for his wonderful portrayal of the rather pompous Brigadier. "Five rounds rapid" was the line we all loved, always addressed to Sergeant Benton. Nick's close friends simply adored him. There was a certain innocence in his personality that was utterly endearing. He was very easy to tease, and I did my share, which made him shake his head in disbelief when he realised he had been had.

He was a wonderful companion and his friends would call each other or e-mail to relate the latest little stories of a night out with the Brig. He had a marvellous resonant voice which he used brilliantly when it was his turn to spin a yarn. And his background was fascinating too: born in Alexandria, Egypt, he was brought up speaking French and Arabic. Later he perfected English and after a few drinks he would speak in Latin tags to great comic effect.

We shall miss him terribly.

 

[J-WO]

He'll be sorely missed, goes without saying.

In recent years he starred in an audio series called The Scarifyers with Terry Malloy. They get played on Radio 7 quite a bit, much to my pleasure.