I often wondered what happened to the Brigadier on old Dr. Who. His stiff upper lip was the perfect foil to the Doctor's irreverence. I found the military presence in the show fascinating, the watchful armed eye of the State always checking on the Doctor with his twitching tache and faithful baton.
Anyways, I stumbled on this auction listing and there is the Brigadier, Nicholas Courtney, on the cover of his book, Still Getting Away with It.
Seeing the Brigadier every week on the telly when I was a kid made it feel like I knew him personally. He was a favourite character in Who.
Did he have a vehicle of his own in the show?
Sadly Nicholas Courtney died in 2011, aged 81.
Did you like the Brigadier?
Certainly, the good old Brigadier was also one of my favourites. He had to put up with the Doctor, and all these weird goings-on every week. I can just remember him in his first story, when he was still just a Colonel, The Web of Fear, with the Yetis in the London Underground.
ReplyDeleteGreat memory you have Paul. I can remember his face, uniform and baton and that's it!
DeleteThe Brigadier didn't represent the State though. UNIT was not a branch of the British Army but a NATO military group. That conflict was touched on sometimes in the show.
ReplyDeleteSorry, not NATO,the United Nations.
DeleteHence UNit I guess Kev?
DeleteThe Brigadier was the bright spot in those dreary Earth bound stories of the Pertwee era. It was fun when his daughter turned up in later stories.
ReplyDeleteNope, no idea about his daughter Terran. All new to me but then again I have no memory!
DeleteI enjoyed the Brigadier and UNIT in the Pertwee and Early Tom Baker seasons. Making him a flying cyberman in the modern version was a step to far though.
ReplyDeleteeverything in modern Who is a step too far, I feel. Its falling over itself to be inclusive and appeal to all audiences and failing miserably at being a good show. I gave up on it after that rubber faced geek Matt Smith wandered in. Bill
DeleteMy fave Time Lords too Yorkie, Pertwee and Baker. They were my Doctors.
DeleteIts a modern world Bill like it was in the Sixties. 'Cept now its more moderner and we're getting old!
DeleteNicholas Courtney also appeared in some radio plays, including a surreal series, called (I Think) "The Scarifiers". I second Bill's opinion of the new Dr Who- didn't like it form the outset. But I guess its not aimed at my age group!
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of the Scarifiers! I guess it was about creepy goings-on and not rubbing objects with wire wool!
DeleteI had the pleasure to meet and work with Nicholas Courtney, as the Brigadier, on the Dr Who spin-off 'straight to video' fan financed movie, "Downtime" in the 1995.
ReplyDeleteI was half of the two man Visual Effects team, from the BBC.
He was, as you might expect, highly professional, a real 'gentleman' and good company.
A fine actor who created a classic TV character.
Now that's top trumped us right there Mish! Way to go! You knew him! You really ought to write a book about your career!
DeleteSorry, 'in 1995', not 'in the 1995'.
ReplyDeleteThe 1995 is probably the name of a band Mish. I caught The 1975 on TV last month!
DeleteAs for the Bridadier's vehicle, it was, if anything, the UNIT Land Rover 'jeep', and was made available as part of a special Corgi 'Dr Who UNIT Set' in 2002.
ReplyDeleteThe set also included a UNIT Bell H47 helicopter and, of course, a Dalek.
That set sounds ace Mish!
DeleteI really enjoyed the Pertwee Earth bound episodes as a kid. The Brigadier, Capt. Yates, Sgt. Benton and UNIT were a key ingredients or that enjoyment. My favourite era of all time.
ReplyDeleteI've looked up Yates and Benton Tony in the hope I would recall them but nope. I think I need hypnotism!
DeleteShould read - key ingredient of that enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteUnderstood.
DeleteIt was intimated that he became a Cyberman as I recall
ReplyDeleteI suppose after the Daleks it was the Cybermen who are the famous monsters from the Sixties and early Seventies.
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