Nicholas Courtney: 1929-2011
A Doctor Who great has died, as Nicholas Courtney, best known as the Brigadier, has passed away…
Some desperately sad news to start the day, I'm afraid. Nicholas Courtney, beloved to many as the Brigadier in Doctor Who, has died.
I think I can speak for many Doctor Who fans when I say that he was one of the most beloved characters ever to grace the show, and his work saw him playing opposite every Doctor on screen from William Hartnell through to Sylvester McCoy. And, of course, that's before you even get to his substantive audio work, which saw him unite with both David Tennant and Paul McGann.
He wasn't solely a Doctor Who man, having appeared in many other hit programmes and the occasional movie. But his love of the show, and its love of him, is what made him such an icon in the eyes of many fans. Plus, there's the fact that he was so willing and generous with his time. The man was a true one off.
It's sad to see him go, and our thoughts are with his family. Our appreciation, though, is for an immense man, who gave us many, many hours of viewing pleasure. There won't be another one like him.
Might we suggest that you dig out the Jon Pertwee story, Inferno, and salute the Brigadier one last time?
Rest in peace, sir.
