Just heard Nicholas Courtney passed away yesterday at the age of 81. Seriously sad news to Doctor Who Fans. "Chap with wings, five rounds rapid!" A true legend.
He was indeed a true legend, Beccy. He was absolutely fantastic in every Dr. Who adventure that he was in. I met him twice and on both occations he was a true gentleman. It's so sad that he has gone :(
Very sad to here this. I was disappointed that he never appeared in any post McCoy (or Colin Baker) story, he was a genuine part of Doctor Who canon.
Sadly his character wasn't always written well in the TV series (he was supposed to be a very able and intelligent man, yet was often portrayed as less than that), but then that's true for everone, the Doctor most of all, in the TV series (has there ever been a television program with more variable writing than Doctor Who?). Like the Doctor, again, I thought that the Brigader was really at his best in the post-1989 Virgin novels.
Edit: He and the late Anthony Ainley (the Master from the Tom Baker to the Sylvester McCoy years), are (IIRC) the joint holders of the actors who appeared with the most Doctors, both appeared with six (Courtney never appeared with Colin Baker (he joined in the Patrick Troughton era, but worked with William Hartnell on the Three Doctors), and Ainley never appeared with William Hartnell (Hartnell had passed away by the time The Five Doctors was filmed, and Richard Hurndell stood in for Hartnell) but did work with Baker). Mind you, since Ainley did appear in the Five Doctors, with the stand-in first Doctor (who I thought did a very good job of capturing Hartnell's spirit) then maybe Ainley is slightly in front.
By the way, a mate of mine read a great comment on Youtube - remember how Tom Baker did an episode of Have I Got News For You? Well, that episode is now apparently up on Youtube, and some posted saying "The BBC should do the next season of HIGNFY with each episode hosted by a different Doctor Who (Tom Baker onwards is still alive, so that's eight people, if they're all willing), and they could call it "Have I Got Whos For You"! I think it's a great idea!
I had absolutely no idea who he was until I googled him and instantly recognised him in the pic on the guardian's site with Pertwee.
Bugger :(
At least he'll be seeing Pertwee and Hartnell again.
Oh, no. Every time you turn up something monumental and terrible happens.
I don’t think I have the stomach for it.
--Raziel (Legend of Kain: Soul Reaver 2)
Oh NO! Graz very upset now. That's awful news, and it's made me sooo angry at the BBC for not having him appear in the newer series. I missed the Sarah Jane one with him in it, but he deserved to be in the main show first.
He also did a few audio plays for the Big Finish chaps including a series of U.N.I.T. based stories (alongside David Tennant before he became the Doctor) plus a story called "The Spectre Of Lanyon Moor" one with the 6th Doctor and a couple with an alternative 3rd Doctor played by David Warner.
While he never played The Brigadier alongside William Hartnell he did play a space agent called Bret Vyon in The Daleks' Master Plan.
Ah, not quite true, ewgf. He did appear with the sixth Doctor very briefly in 'Dimentions In Time'.
I didn't remember that, as I've managed to scrub that entire travesty from my memory. For those who don't know, Dimensions in Time was an awful mess, made for Children in Need, and totally unworthy of either such a good charity cause or the name 'Doctor Who'. To be honest, I'm not sure if I even sat through the whole of the program, or turned it off as when the Eastenders unpleasantness became too great to bear (it was a Doctor Who/Eastenders crossover, seriously *vomit*).
Thanks for pointing it out though. I'm certainly not the only DW fan who missed that Courtney-Baker connection, as I've seen other people mention that the Brigader never appeared with the Sixth Doctor.
He also did a few audio plays for the Big Finish chaps including a series of U.N.I.T. based stories (alongside David Tennant before he became the Doctor) plus a story called "The Spectre Of Lanyon Moor" one with the 6th Doctor and a couple with an alternative 3rd Doctor played by David Warner.
I never knew that either. Thanks.
While he never played The Brigadier alongside William Hartnell he did play a space agent called Bret Vyon in The Daleks' Master Plan.
Or that. I really don't know anything about Doctor Who, do I? Tee hee hee - I'm the only person in this whole thread who isn't a geek!
Seriously though, its great to know that he did appear with ALL of the original seven Doctors, in one role or another.
Comments
Sadly his character wasn't always written well in the TV series (he was supposed to be a very able and intelligent man, yet was often portrayed as less than that), but then that's true for everone, the Doctor most of all, in the TV series (has there ever been a television program with more variable writing than Doctor Who?). Like the Doctor, again, I thought that the Brigader was really at his best in the post-1989 Virgin novels.
Edit: He and the late Anthony Ainley (the Master from the Tom Baker to the Sylvester McCoy years), are (IIRC) the joint holders of the actors who appeared with the most Doctors, both appeared with six (Courtney never appeared with Colin Baker (he joined in the Patrick Troughton era, but worked with William Hartnell on the Three Doctors), and Ainley never appeared with William Hartnell (Hartnell had passed away by the time The Five Doctors was filmed, and Richard Hurndell stood in for Hartnell) but did work with Baker). Mind you, since Ainley did appear in the Five Doctors, with the stand-in first Doctor (who I thought did a very good job of capturing Hartnell's spirit) then maybe Ainley is slightly in front.
By the way, a mate of mine read a great comment on Youtube - remember how Tom Baker did an episode of Have I Got News For You? Well, that episode is now apparently up on Youtube, and some posted saying "The BBC should do the next season of HIGNFY with each episode hosted by a different Doctor Who (Tom Baker onwards is still alive, so that's eight people, if they're all willing), and they could call it "Have I Got Whos For You"! I think it's a great idea!
Bugger :(
At least he'll be seeing Pertwee and Hartnell again.
I don’t think I have the stomach for it.
--Raziel (Legend of Kain: Soul Reaver 2)
https://www.youtube.com/user/VincentTSFP
:(
RIP. :(
Ah, not quite true, ewgf. He did appear with the sixth Doctor very briefly in 'Dimentions In Time'.
While he never played The Brigadier alongside William Hartnell he did play a space agent called Bret Vyon in The Daleks' Master Plan.
I didn't remember that, as I've managed to scrub that entire travesty from my memory. For those who don't know, Dimensions in Time was an awful mess, made for Children in Need, and totally unworthy of either such a good charity cause or the name 'Doctor Who'. To be honest, I'm not sure if I even sat through the whole of the program, or turned it off as when the Eastenders unpleasantness became too great to bear (it was a Doctor Who/Eastenders crossover, seriously *vomit*).
Thanks for pointing it out though. I'm certainly not the only DW fan who missed that Courtney-Baker connection, as I've seen other people mention that the Brigader never appeared with the Sixth Doctor.
I never knew that either. Thanks.
Or that. I really don't know anything about Doctor Who, do I? Tee hee hee - I'm the only person in this whole thread who isn't a geek!
Seriously though, its great to know that he did appear with ALL of the original seven Doctors, in one role or another.