Farewell, Brigadier

The actor who played a very important Doctor Who companion died today. Nicholas Courtney played Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart for quite a few years. He was sort of in charge of the Doctor and kind of was his boss...if the Doctor ever really had a boss. He dealt with quite a few different Doctors, mostly 2, 3, and 4, but they never failed to mention him when the Doctor turned up at UNIT in the last few years.

He also had an awesome mustache and a cool hat and well, the guy put up with the Doctor's exasperating body swaps and mental leaps and general annoyance with the human race.

I'm fairly certain that some part of some script is being rewritten in order to include a tribute to the character, because certainly no one else will ever be able to play him and no one would dare.

I wrote a fanfic; it's a small thing but in my own way I was trying to express my sadness at his passing.

Here, it's small enough I will post it below...


He doesn't go back where he's been, or retrace his steps. He doesn't visit old friends unless he runs into them by accident. And he most certainly doesn't do funerals.

But for this man, old Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, maybe he can take a moment away from fleeing his own shadow to say farewell.

He stays well away from the mourners at the graveside, not wanting to interfere. Quite a few of his old selves have turned up here and they're all avoiding each other's eyes. It's not a day for small talk and joking around.

It's a rare day in the Doctor's life-a day when he goes back to something. A day when he remembers, a day when he retraces the steps he took with one human along the way.

He does a little salute towards the group of mourners in black, then turns towards the TARDIS and Amy and Rory and back to running away.



I just thought, it would be right if he turned up, probably multiple times thanks to the body switches. Out of all the companions through all the years, Lethbridge-Stewart was the one they always mentioned on purpose in recent stories that dealt with UNIT, always trying to tell you where he was and what he was doing. He was probably the most important companion the Doctor ever had after Romana.

Sleep well, sir. You will be missed.

Ta,
Bec