RIP Nicholas Courtney

SeaDevil wrote:

Now that Katy's living in England again, I hope she got to see Nick, too, before he passed. Lis as well. Well, everyone he touched in the Who family, really, but especially Katy and Lis. Oh - and Carrie John, too!

BTW, I, like ronpur, am touched that so many of us have changed our avatars to pics of Nick. A nice, simple tribute to our fallen hero.

It definitely shows that the Brigadier was loved dearly, as was Nick himself, too.

From Steven Moffat -

"Somewhere out there, the Doctor just got a little lonelier."

Nicholas Courtney WAS UNIT! Hence my avatar and to show the other members of the UNIT family we think of them at this time also

Here's a short clip from his 80th birthday --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQpCrAn5hbk

I made a quick tribute. Its nothing special, but its just my way of paying my respects to him, his family, his friends and his on screen character.

Woody wrote:

SeaDevil wrote:

Now that Katy's living in England again, I hope she got to see Nick, too, before he passed. Lis as well. Well, everyone he touched in the Who family, really, but especially Katy and Lis. Oh - and Carrie John, too!

BTW, I, like ronpur, am touched that so many of us have changed our avatars to pics of Nick. A nice, simple tribute to our fallen hero.

It definitely shows that the Brigadier was loved dearly, as was Nick himself, too.

Indeed.

And I love your tribute, Woody!

Nothing special? Hardly. It was a vey nice tribute, Woody. Well done.

a very loved and very much missed whovian, i salute you sir !


love and best wishes to his family and to all whovians worldwide



C.M

Woody wrote:

What a lovely statement from Tom. Very sad indeed. I'm now even more sad to know that he was in pain. I'm just glad he is okay now, wish he was still around though.

Very lovely words from Tom indeed. NC created a rare character that was loved dearly and he will be missed. It was also nice to see American sites such as zap-2-it reporting his passing which is really a rarity.

Woody wrote:

I made a quick tribute. Its nothing special, but its just my way of paying my respects to him, his family, his friends and his on screen character.

Click image

darn, I am crying again.....

CrochetOwl wrote:

Woody wrote:

What a lovely statement from Tom. Very sad indeed. I'm now even more sad to know that he was in pain. I'm just glad he is okay now, wish he was still around though.

Very lovely words from Tom indeed. NC created a rare character that was loved dearly and he will be missed. It was also nice to see American sites such as zap-2-it reporting his passing which is really a rarity.

That was a fantastic tribute. I sent him a message thanking him for his wonderful tribute on his site.

rdks wrote:

From Tom Baker -

"Nick Courtney died yesterday after a very long and painful battle with cancer. I went to say goodbye to him on Friday at the wonderful hospice near Belsize Park in North London. The lady in charge said he was very stoical. And indeed he was. It was so distressing to see him so weak and yet so strong in resignation. My jokes were received with a generous effort from Nick to smile. I was with Michael McManus who helped me through the ordeal of seeing a beloved old pal so reduced by illness.

Of all the characters in Doctor Who there is no doubt that he was the most loved by the fans for his wonderful portrayal of the rather pompous Brigadier. "Five rounds rapid" was the line we all loved, always addressed to Sergeant Benton. Nick's close friends simply adored him. There was a certain innocence in his personality that was utterly endearing. He was very easy to tease, and I did my share, which made him shake his head in disbelief when he realised he had been had.

He was a wonderful companion and his friends would call each other or e-mail to relate the latest little stories of a night out with the Brig. He had a marvellous resonant voice which he used brilliantly when it was his turn to spin a yarn. And his background was fascinating too: born in Alexandria, Egypt, he was brought up speaking French and Arabic. Later he perfected English and after a few drinks he would speak in Latin tags to great comic effect.

We shall miss him terribly."

its so weird i changed my facebook avatar to this pic and posted tribute videos to nic all day. i really loved reading toms words i could even hear his voice as i read it. i guess whats been bumming me out was i didn't even realise he was ill so it just came out of left feild with no warning. the more i think about it nics role was so important to the show and to us fans it feels like one of the doctors has passed away, he was that important to me, the show, and clearly all of us. darn, why do we waste so much money on killing people with bombs instead of learning to heal them like curing cancer, to many good people die when they shouldn't ever have to, or should i say die before there time because we all gotta check out sometime, but it shouldn't be from something like this, i'm getting to worked up. it just feels good to share these feelings with you guys, i dont really have any who friends around me, and the ones i have like it but are not passionate about it so as cheesey as it sounds im glad i got you guys to cheer me up.

Would be nice if every one changed there avatar for a week with a Brig / Nick photo as a mark of respect, im changing mine now.

Kinda weird that the 6th Dr. in his blue mourning cloak was announced on the day that Nick passed.

Wonderful tribute from Tom Baker...and I second his comment about Courtney's voice...he had a fantastic voice that was always the first thing that came to mind when thinking about the Brig...as a kid I'd try to mimic his voice when reading the Brig's lines in the Target books...never could pull it off.

The 2nd Doctor Roberts wrote:

Wonderful tribute from Tom Baker...and I second his comment about Courtney's voice...he had a fantastic voice that was always the first thing that came to mind when thinking about the Brig...as a kid I'd try to mimic his voice when reading the Brig's lines in the Target books...never could pull it off.

Do you have any of the big finish audios with the Brig?

They are wonderful!

very sad to learn of his passing. he was always one of my favorites. really wished rtd or even moffat had used him in the show. at least i have him in the sarah jane adventures. such a big part of the whoniverse.

ogron wrote:

The 2nd Doctor Roberts wrote:

Wonderful tribute from Tom Baker...and I second his comment about Courtney's voice...he had a fantastic voice that was always the first thing that came to mind when thinking about the Brig...as a kid I'd try to mimic his voice when reading the Brig's lines in the Target books...never could pull it off.

Do you have any of the big finish audios with the Brig?

They are wonderful!

Actually, the one I have is "Zagreus"...he doesn't play the Brig. But he is the best thing in that audio. "Minuet in H.e.l.l." has been on my to-buy list for some time... and no, gang, the title doesn't really have the dots...I just couldn't see admitting to wanting anything called "Minuet in Heck"...

The 2nd Doctor Roberts wrote:

ogron wrote:

The 2nd Doctor Roberts wrote:

Wonderful tribute from Tom Baker...and I second his comment about Courtney's voice...he had a fantastic voice that was always the first thing that came to mind when thinking about the Brig...as a kid I'd try to mimic his voice when reading the Brig's lines in the Target books...never could pull it off.

Do you have any of the big finish audios with the Brig?

They are wonderful!

Actually, the one I have is "Zagreus"...he doesn't play the Brig. But he is the best thing in that audio. "Minuet in H.e.l.l." has been on my to-buy list for some time... and no, gang, the title doesn't really have the dots...I just couldn't see admitting to wanting anything called "Minuet in Heck"...

You're better off with "The Spectre of Lanyon Moor" for a BF audio with the Brig. "Minuet" wasn't that good, except for the part when the Brig & The Doctor first meet. Spectre is an all-around awesome play. Just my opinion, though.

Thanks for the recommendation...I'll have to check it out!

Doctor Who Magazine # 402 - Friends ReUNITed interview with Nick.

The last line made me get choked up, this was an interview just before the SJA appearance he made, which I never saw.

When asked about how the Brig would meet his end in the Whoniverse,

That seems appropriate for the Brig, doesnt it?
"Self-sacrifice, yes. Maybe I'll get to do that before I really die m'self!" Nick laughs heartily. "But yes, he should die for his country, No, for his planet!"

rdks wrote:

The 2nd Doctor Roberts wrote:

ogron wrote:

The 2nd Doctor Roberts wrote:

Wonderful tribute from Tom Baker...and I second his comment about Courtney's voice...he had a fantastic voice that was always the first thing that came to mind when thinking about the Brig...as a kid I'd try to mimic his voice when reading the Brig's lines in the Target books...never could pull it off.

Do you have any of the big finish audios with the Brig?

They are wonderful!

Actually, the one I have is "Zagreus"...he doesn't play the Brig. But he is the best thing in that audio. "Minuet in H.e.l.l." has been on my to-buy list for some time... and no, gang, the title doesn't really have the dots...I just couldn't see admitting to wanting anything called "Minuet in Heck"...

You're better off with "The Spectre of Lanyon Moor" for a BF audio with the Brig. "Minuet" wasn't that good, except for the part when the Brig & The Doctor first meet. Spectre is an all-around awesome play. Just my opinion, though.

Are these the only 2 audios with Nick?

This is a great obit:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/nicholas-courtney-actor-2226111.html

Ronpur wrote:

Are these the only 2 audios with Nick?

Big Finish Doctor Who Main Range, where he plays the Brigadier, yes.

He's also in Zagreus, but not as the Brig. Horrible play.

He did 2 of the "Unbound" series - Sympathy for the Devil (awesome) and Masters of War. He's in 3 of the UNIT spinoff series (The Coup, Time Heals, and The Wasting) and a few Companion Chronicles.

Outside Doctor Who/The Brigadier he's done The Scarifiers with Terry Molloy and Soldiers of Love - which is absolutely excellent (and available through WhoNA) - with Colin Baker.

I admit that I'm a bit odd, but I loved the who Zagreus thing in the 8th/Charley range. The alternate universe where they met K'rizz got boring to me, but I loved the buildup to it.

Again, as others have said, it's sad we won't have the Brig for a 50th anniversary episode.

rdks wrote:

Ronpur wrote:

Are these the only 2 audios with Nick?

Big Finish Doctor Who Main Range, where he plays the Brigadier, yes.

He's also in Zagreus, but not as the Brig. Horrible play.

He did 2 of the "Unbound" series - Sympathy for the Devil (awesome) and Masters of War. He's in 3 of the UNIT spinoff series (The Coup, Time Heals, and The Wasting) and a few Companion Chronicles.

Outside Doctor Who/The Brigadier he's done The Scarifiers with Terry Molloy and Soldiers of Love - which is absolutely excellent (and available through WhoNA) - with Colin Baker.

I really want to find the two radio plays he did with Pertwee back in the early 90s....any ideas?

I downloaded minuet and Spectre last night. I have the UNIT stories and his companion chronicles. As well as Zagreus. Have to try the Unbound series too.