Nicholas Courtney A Tribute: A Splendid Fellow

Nicholas Courtney's final appearance on Doctor Who came in 1988. It was over fifteen years before the next full season was broadcast and two decades until the Brigadier's return in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

But throughout that time Nicholas featured on DVDs, recalling his UNIT days in several gloriously entertaining commentaries and he reprised his most famous role in a number of audio adventures. He was also a guest at many Doctor Who conventions where Nicholas enjoyed catching up with old friends such as Jon Pertwee, Mark Strickson, Terrance Dicks and Ian Marter. But he also relished meeting the fans and having the opportunity to say hello to them personally. Following his death, many fans spoke about meeting Nicholas at such events, each having their own story about the charming, affable actor whose good humour and sparkle left an indelible mark

Nicholas continued to appear in a broad variety of television projects, from sitcoms to The Bill and in 1990 he starred in a movie with Michael Caine and Roger Moore. Indeed the 007 actor remembered Nicholas from the episode of The Saint they had made in the mid-sixties and the two were able to reminisce about bygone years! The theatre retained its allure for Nicholas and at one point he visited the Far East in an amazing stage tour that took in Singapore, Hong Kong and the South Pacific island of Guam. He later called the experience 'unforgettable'. His radio work during this period included two Doctor Who adventures written by Barry Letts and starring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor. It seems Nicholas could never escape the Brigadier for long... not that he would ever try!

A whole new generation of fans got to see Nicholas Courtney in action as Lethbridge-Stewart when the character appeared in his final onscreen adventure in December, 2008. Enemy of the Bane, a two-part story from the second season of The Sarah Jane Adventures, gave the old soldier a fitting finale, teaming him up with the Doctor's former companion to help save the world one last time. Nicholas had lost none of the character's nuances, his wonderfully mellifluous voice making each line a treat. The Brigadier may have aged, but his appeal remained evergreen.

Nicholas Courtney died 22 February, 2011 and is survived by his wife and two children. The enormous outpouring of grief when news of his passing spread pays testament to the extraordinary levels of affection so many people held for this remarkable man.

He gave us so many wonderful moments to enjoy and memories to linger over. In his final years his onscreen appearances as 'the Brig' grew infrequent, but Nicholas Courtney never really left the world of Doctor Who. And he never shall. We'll all miss him.


www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

*THIS VIDEO IS IN NO WAY FOR PROFIT. ALL MATERIALS BELONG TO COPYRIGHT OWNERS AND I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN ANY OF THE MATERIALS USED.*

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Nicholas Courtney
• The Sarah Jane Adventures
• Splendid Fellow
• Elisabeth Sladen

[tornadoe13]

was his passing anounced on the news?

[GodMaker88]

@tornadoe13 no, which is a shame, he was Iconic, loved him in DW....sadly he wasnt included in the Bafta tribute either...

[GodMaker88]

further sad news has just been reported: Elisabeth Sladen has passed away at the age of 63.best known Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures.Doctor Who Magazine tweeted: "With great sadness, DWM must report the loss of our beloved Sarah Jane, actress Elisabeth Sladen. The best of best friends. Too, too sad."

[GodMaker88]

as this is my most recent video id like to post here that i have now moved to another channel called 'StetsonsAreCool' i am going to keep these videos on this channel so people can still enjoy them, but for continued videos and new ones please go to that other channel, thank you and enjoy!

[yuz22andarnoldrocks2]

Btw his final appearance in doctor who was in 1989 from the episode battlefield get it right!!!!!!!!!!

[GodMaker88]

@yuz22andarnoldrocks2 He wasnt the Brigadeer when he was First in Doctor Who

[fenric71]

@GodMaker88 aye that was disgusting too....

[davidrollercoaster]

@GodMaker88 no your right he become a Brigadeer

[TheDunHorse]

I think it's sad that both passed away from pancreatic cancer, which isn't very common. R.I.P x

[DCRaider2011]

How tragic that both Nicholas and Elisabeth are in this clip ...

I didn't know who Nicholas Courtney was, or how much he was loved, but may he rest in peace. xx