| Author | Message | ||
     Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
Gutted to hear the news today that Nicholas Courtney has died: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/02/dwn230211003008-nicholas-courtney-1929.html I knew he was ill as he had to pull out of a convention I went to late last year, and I was speaking to a fan at that show who had seen him at another con the day before and said he looked very ill indeed. I met him at conventions twice. He was one of the nicest Doc Who stars I've met - always happy to meet fans and proud of his association with the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. A true Doctor Who legend. RIP Nick. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.59.115.60 |
Indeed - great shame. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 86.26.75.247 |
Heard about this earlier and spent half an hour rummaging through Youtube for clips of him as the Brig. I am slightly worried that he'll start some trouble when he gets to Heaven and spots his first angel. "Chap with wings there. Five rounds rapid." | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
>>I am slightly worried that he'll start some trouble when he gets to Heaven and spots his first angel. "Chap with wings there. Five rounds rapid."<< Aw, that's lovely. That's the way to remember him!  | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 220.138.167.89 |
Oh no. I was just watching an old Doctor Who episode featuring the Brig the other day, and I remember thinking how good it was that he was still around and involved with stuff like Scarifyers. A sad loss, indeed. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Very sad news.  Another childhood hero gone... he was one of the many reasons why the Jon Pertwee years were the absolute pinnacle of the show's history. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 92.232.184.206 |
Yes, very sad news. It's a shame he had to drop out of doing the Hornet's Nest audios - would have been lovely to think of thousands of people listening to them via the Guardian this week. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.155.111.75 |
Sad news indeed. The Brigadier and U.N.I.T made the Earth bound Dr Who stories of the seventies and eighties especially exciting for me and those memorable climactic shoot outs between U.N.I.T and various alien threats were a joy to behold as a child. One of my favourite 'Who' characters of all time. | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.209.217 |
There's a nice appreciation of the Brig here at the Guardian, and many of the comments are genuinely touching as well: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/feb/23/doctor-who-nic holas-courtney-brigadier?commentpage=2#start-of-comments Must say I do like the idea of repeating one of the classic Who adventures with him in it as a tribute. Added a small tribute to the old boy on my blog, if anyone's interested: http://simon-bestwick.blogspot.com/2011/02/rip-nicholas-courtney.html | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
God, yes, I remember this guy in the Pertwee ones - back when I were a lad. It was great stuff. RIP, sir... | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
Nice tribute to him on your blog, Simon. I wrote one last night, for the newsletter of the Doctor Who Autograph Collectors' Club, but it isn't on the web (it's a printed mag) so I can't link to it for you folks. Hey, nobody's mentioned Mawdryn Undead as one they'd like to see shown again as a tribute. I guess it isn't one of the most popular Brig stories! I must admit, the first time I saw it I hadn't a clue what was going on, but having watched it several times since, it's kind of grown on me. There's something of the Brian Rix farce about it, with everyone trying to stop the Brig from meeting himself in another time zone! Great memories! | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'The Daemons', 'The Claws Of Axos', or any of the Pertwee/UNIT Auton, Silurian or Dalek/Ogron stories (when the man cemented his legend) is the only tribute that would do him justice imho. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 213.81.127.52 |
No takers for The Five Doctors then? It's okay, I'm only kidding. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 61.216.47.37 |
Inferno was another great Pertwee-era adventure, featuring an alternate reality with an evil Brig. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 213.81.127.52 |
One of the many video tributes to Nicholas Courtney put online in the last few days. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txp33jvs_iw&NR=1 | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
Er .. how about Battlefield? *ducks to avoid missiles thrown by every Doctor Who fan in the vicinity* But seriously, I'd go for (in order of preference): 1. The Daemons 2. Terror of the Autons 3. Inferno Slightly annoyed to see that the ghouls have come out on eBay. Every time someone dies, there's always a mad rush by dealers to sell that person's autograph at inflated prices and make a quick buck. Nick Courtney used to sign loads, and you could normally pick up his auto on eBay for a fiver at most (except signed copies of his autobiographies, which have always been quite rare/sought after). Now the bleeping dealers have his auto on there for £40 or more. Swines!  (not that I'm looking for an auto of his - I have quite a few. I just get curious to see what the eBay ghouls are doing) | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 92.232.184.206 |
Mawdryn Undead is the one story I wish he hadn't been in, for the way it played havoc with UNIT dating, and the way it just slotted him into a story clearly meant for Ian Chesterton. I loved his scenes in The Five Doctors, though. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 86.29.77.184 |
Although The Five Doctors was pretty rubbish Courtney was great. Battlefield was also rubbish but great just to see the Brig back in action. And actually getting to save the day for once. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
I think that just about sums it up. Although he was in some rubbish stories (and some excellent ones as well, of course, like The Daemons and so on), he actually made the rubbish stories worth watching. A bit like Peter Cushing when he was in some really awful films - he always made them worth watching too. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Here are all the 'Doctor Who' stories Nicholas Courtney appeared in: The Dalek Masterplan (1965) - Hartnell The Web Of Fear (1968) - Troughton The Invasion (1968) - Troughton Spearhead From Space (1970) - Pertwee The Silurians (1970) - Pertwee The Ambassadors Of Death (1970) - Pertwee Inferno (1970) - Pertwee Terror Of The Autons (1971) - Pertwee The Mind Of Evil (1971) - Pertwee The Claws Of Axos (1971) - Pertwee Colony In Space (1971) - Pertwee The Daemons (1971) - Pertwee Day Of The Daleks (1972) - Pertwee The Time Monster (1972) - Pertwee The Three Doctors (1973) - Pertwee The Green Death (1973) - Pertwee The Time Warrior (1974) - Pertwee Invasion Of The Dinosaurs (1974) - Pertwee Planet Of The Spiders (1974) - Pertwee Robot (1975) - Baker Terror Of The Zygons (1975) - Baker Mawdryn Undead (1983) - Davison The Five Doctors (1983) - Davison Silver Nemesis (1988) - McCoy Battlefield (1989) - McCoy | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
My brain's not working too well after a hard day's work today but I don't think he was in Silver Nemesis, was he Stevie? | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 82.11.97.142 |
I've not watched it yet but there's a documentary about The Daemons called Return to Devil's End on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvTjQAQjfZM | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
>>My brain's not working too well after a hard day's work today but I don't think he was in Silver Nemesis, was he Stevie?<< Hey, sorry Stevie - he WAS in Silver Nemesis. He was uncredited as a "tourist". Was that in the bit at the start with the jazz musicians in the park? I never knew that - and I obviously didn't spot him in it. | ||
| Mark_lynch (Mark_lynch) Username: Mark_lynch Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.171.129.69 |
Ah, the Brig. I was never a massive UNIT fan, but Mr C was good value and yes, everyone speaks highly of him and his attitude to life and his attitude to the part he played. Well done, that man. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.254.215 |
Yeah, Caroline, he appeared uncredited as an extra apparently - weird that! Now can you tell me how many of those stories have been released on DVD and how many still even exist? I've never seen 'The Dalek Masterplan', 'The Web Of Fear' or 'The Invasion' and only have fragmentary and confused childhood memories of 'The Ambassadors Of Death', 'Inferno', 'The Mind Of Evil', 'Colony In Space' & 'The Time Monster'. The rest of the early Pertwee ones I've seen repeated as an adult and, if anything, enjoyed them even more than the first time round! I always thought the Brig was in 'The Sea Devils', though, but apparently not? | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
Sorry, Stevie, would you believe I don't have a single classic Doctor Who DVD in my collection, so I don't actually know what's available on DVD and what isn't. I've only been using a DVD player for a short while (I still have a video!) and I just haven't got around to starting up a collection yet. I keep thinking I should, but it would be an expensive thing to do. I tend to be spending more of my money on books! And I'm afraid I don't know which of those stories still exist. I suspect that the Hartnell and Troughton ones almost certainly don't (although do just some episodes of The Daleks' Masterplan still exist? Not sure about that). I have a feeling The Silurians is missing, but the rest should still exist I think. Not totally sure though - somebody else here may know better than I do. Not a lot of help to you here, am I?  Of the ones you list as not having seen, I'd highly recommend Inferno - one of the best, that one. Many of them (especially the earlier ones) are just dim childhood memories for me too. If I ever come into a load of spare money I think I'd buy myself a collection of classic Who DVDs. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
Oh, forgot to say, the funny thing is I used to be certain (from early memories) that The Sea Devils was a UNIT story too. Then I saw it again after a long time, and was really surprised to find that it wasn't. There is a scene in it where some soldiers are shooting at sea devils, isn't there, or is that just my memory playing tricks on me? Anyway, no, despite being one of my favourite Pertwees (alongside The Daemons), the Brig isn't in that one. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 61.216.48.150 |
Caroline, most of the Hartnell adventures on Stevie's list are lost (I think just one or two episodes survived from each) but most of The Invasion is available, I think. Silurians is definitely intact (including that cheesy kazoo-like score). I remember those soldiers in The Sea Devils too, so there's nothing wrong with your memory... | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 61.216.48.150 |
Sorry, just realised I forgot to edit the 'most of' in my post above (there was only one Hartnell adventure listed). Nicholas Courtney wasn't even the Brig in that one, actually - he played a villain, I think. He only became the Brig in a later Troughton title. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
NC appeared as a character called Bret Vyon in 'The Dalek Masterplan' and, for the first time, as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart in 'The Web Of Fear' (Yetis in the London Underground wasn't it!?!?). He was promoted to Brigadier in 'The Invasion'. I like to think of him as the Brig in civvies unaware of the Doctor's new appearance in 'Silver Nemesis' (but that's just me lol). It has long been my intention to collect all the Jon Pertwee stories on DVD (if that's even possible) and the first few years of Tom Baker (while Sarah-Jane was with him) - then to watch them all in proper order, one episode a week at tea-time on Saturday. But even that is an expensive proposal... | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I've just checked and 'The Sea Devils' was set on a small island prison, manned by UNIT staff, where The Master (Roger Delgado) was being held in maximum security. The Brigadier didn't appear in it - but The Clangers memorably did, much to The Master's bemusement, if I recall correctly. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.155.105.218 |
I think he also reprised the role of the Brigadier (retired) in recent years in 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'. |