WHATEVER HAPPENED TO... THE BRIGADIER, part 3

Chris McKeon returns with the third and final part of his look at the Brigadier's influence, and absence, in Nu Who. Taking us full circle, back to his very first appearance.

My Dad often has this perspective to share: ‘If you don’t have a health problem, you don’t have a problem.’ Well, Nicholas Courtney had a problem, and a pretty terrible one. In January 2009, the legendary actor suffered a stroke and therefore could no longer take part in filming his return appearance for The Sarah Jane Adventures, series three. When that two-part adventure aired on 29 and 30 October 2009, the Tenth Doctor alone saved Sarah. Sir Alistair was again on assignment in Peru.

Nicholas Courtney - a true gentleman.

Over five years after this televised loss, I still cannot completely describe or dwell upon how much Courtney’s absence devastated my feelings as a fan and as a person. As a Brigadier fan I was heartbroken, shocked and deep in mourning: what should have been a celebrated reunion between two beloved television icons became an omission, an emptiness, an inexplicable loss. Even when Clyde Langer informed the viewer of Sir Alistair’s Peruvian whereabouts during Sarah’s wedding I felt my emotions almost swell with helpless turmoil. Even now, I still feel that story should have given the Brigadier’s absence a greater sense of loss and longing, maybe at least one moment where the Tenth Doctor asks someone, ‘Where’s the Brigadier?’

But on the personal level I felt worse for Nicholas Courtney and his well-being. I was not a personal friend or a family friend, or even a distant acquaintance, but the man and his character had been and still was – and is – one of my childhood heroes, perhaps in some ways more than the Doctor, simply because there was only one Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. And it was suddenly very real that he was a nearly eighty-year-old man.

One silver-lining in this darkening time for Brigadier fans was when the character managed to make one final on-screen appearance in a BBC-produced mini-episode, Liberty Hall, filmed in the early autumn of 2008 as part of the Mawdryn Undead DVD release for the following year. The nostalgic, seven-minute story features the Brigadier’s return to Brendan School to share some vague details of his storied UNIT career with a local reporter, including some sly references to the 1995 BBV-produced drama Downtime, as well as a few of the Big Finish audio adventures. When I watched that mini-episode I felt such a joyous swell to see Nicholas Courtney in, if not action, then at least in presence once more.

Sir Alistair returns for 'Liberty Hall'

But every presence, no matter how welcome, fades to black, even for the Brigadier. Nicholas Courtney’s health struggles in 2009 and 2010 are now a matter of public record and private feelings, and of which I don’t wish to dwell too much. It suffices to write that although the good man eventually recovered from his stroke and bravely continued to attend various conventions and public appearances throughout 2009, by the early months of 2010 he announced an even graver health condition, that of cancer. This affliction was the final monster, the last battle for the storied gentleman and cultural hero, who entered hospice care in the final days of 2010 before dying peacefully on 22 February, 2011.

Before his death Nicholas Courtney never returned to Doctor Who or The Sarah Jane Adventures, although the character was mentioned once more during Courtney’s lifetime in latter programme’s fourth series adventure Death of the Doctor (according to Russell T Davies’s book The Writer’s Tale, Courtney was approached to feature in that story but the actor’s then rapidly failing health prohibited any further filming). In the months following Courtney’s death there was a tremendous online outpouring of grief and remembrance for the actor as a professional and as a gentleman. I was at the time too devastated to share my feelings too much online, but almost exactly a year later I had the privilege of being selected to participate in the Nicholas Courtney tribute panel at the GallifreyOne convention in Los Angeles, California in February 2012. It was there I had the chance, before a few kind people, to share how much Nicholas Courtney and his famous character had meant to me as a child and as a young adult: that alongside my Dad and Grandfathers, I wanted to be the type of person that Nicholas Courtney had been, someone good and kind of whom other people spoke well. And I told the audience that it was my childhood dream to be not like the Doctor but to be like the Brigadier.

In the months following Nicholas Courtney’s there as for me as a Doctor Who fan a sense of deep loss but also of cautious hope. For even without Nicholas Courtney  to return onscreen as the Brigadier there was the knowledge that the series would continue and in such a vast and ever-possible vault of fiction there was still room for some future expectations. Indeed, I consoled myself with the certainty that although the actor had died the character of the Brigadier was still alive out there in the Doctor’s reality and perhaps would reunite with the Eleventh Doctor and his successors one future day in other story-telling media, such as the comics, novels or audiobooks.

But when the finale for Doctor Who’s sixth series, The Wedding of River Song, aired on 1 October 2011, I received one of the worst shocks I have ever experienced as a Doctor Who fan. Matt Smith’s Doctor learned by telephone that the Brigadier had died some months earlier. I will be very honest: although at the time I could see why the series decided to pay tribute to Courtney’s passing by having the Brigadier also pass away, I also felt it was somehow wrong or off. Perhaps it was how the Brigadier died that disturbed me: he waited every day for the Doctor’s return but the Doctor never came. Or perhaps it was the sense that there was no need to kill off the character of the Brigadier in-universe to honour the actor’s passing, such as when the series had honoured the passing of Elisabeth Sladen with a memorial title card after the airing of The Impossible Astronaut but explicitly kept Sladen’s character of Sarah alive in later-produced spin-off media. It may be enough to say that I hope not to see another Doctor Who episode with the words ‘The Wedding of’ in its title.

Now I am still a Doctor Who fan and I will be always be a fan. But I cannot deny that on some emotional level I enjoy the programme less without the Brigadier, without the chance that maybe, perhaps, possibly, somewhere, some-when, the character can and might return. Not even the main-series debut of Sir Alistair’s daughter Kate in the series seven episode The Power of Three on 22 September 2012 could shift my sense that something fundamental was missing within the contextual structure and sentiment of Doctor Who. Perhaps that sense stems from my perception that Kate Stewart oversees a very different, almost overly-scientific version of UNIT, or perhaps it is my extreme difficulty in believing that even in his final days Sir Alistair would ever declare that science leads over soldiering. Or maybe, at the end of the day, a cosmos without the Brigadier is just unthinkable.

This thought brings me to a final point of discussion regarding the Brigadier’s status in the new series. When Doctor Who’s eighth series concluded on 8 November 2014 there was already a massive stir and shift amongst fandom, thanks to the introduction of a new, female version of the Master (which definitely holds enough material for another article). During the episode Death in Heaven, the Twelfth Doctor, as played by Peter Capaldi, was reunited once more Kate Stewart and UNIT. As had happened when Kate and UNIT appeared in the 50th anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor, there was a lovely picture of Lethbridge-Stewart on display to recall the great man’s legacy. And then, without going into too much detail for those who haven’t yet seen the episode, both Kate and the Doctor’s life were in turn saved by a lone Cyberman, a Cyberman who somehow reminded Kate of her father and who reminded the Doctor of his oldest friend.

The Doctor salutes Sir Alistair, finally.

I cannot yet say exactly how I feel about this moment. On the one hand there is the distinct sense that the Brigadier is still alive and out there in the Doctor’s reality once more, which should give me nothing but joy. But I cannot forget that this version of Sir Alistair came about through a rather gruesome and horrific process of Cyber-Conversion, and that what remains is arguably not the Brigadier at all but a friendly ghost. And the thought of Sir Alistair as an eternally wandering ghost is too terrible to consider. I suppose my best takeaway thought is while I am grateful for some version of the Brigadier, I don’t really want to see CyberBrig again.

All I know for certain is that the Doctor needs Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and Doctor Who needs the Brigadier. I know I am not the only fan who holds this to be true. When the announcement came in October 2013 that nine previously-thought lost Second Doctor television episodes had been discovered in Africa, what I read in blog posts and forum exclamations to be the most tangible and ebullient rejoicing amongst fandom was that five of these recovered episodes were from The Web of Fear, the very first appearance of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. I feel that one particular YouTube comment that I read summarizes this sensational time perfectly: ‘The Brigadier. I’m going to cry.’ And I’m not ashamed to say when I saw The Web of Fear for the first time I cried, too.

So now, with the first of Lethbridge-Stewart’s episodes restored and the most recent episode of Doctor Who featuring a return-of-sorts of the Brigadier, it feels that now is a time of rising and renewed interest in the Doctor’s best military friend. And in a few short months there will be a new narration of the Brigadier’s life: On 8 December 2014, Type 40’s own Andy Frankham-Allen announced the upcoming publication of the Lethbridge-Stewart novels, which will cover the events in the Brigadier’s life after the events of The Web of Fear. The series has received full approval and licensing from the estate of Mervyn Haisman and the endorsement of Henry Lincoln, who are the co-creators of Lethbridge-Stewart. The first novel, titled The Forgotten Son, will be available out on 22 February 2015, the fourth anniversary of Nicholas Courtney’s death, and will also feature the return of the Great Intelligence, the principal villain of the classic series adventures The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear, as well as the 2012/2013 series episodes The Snowmen and The Name of the Doctor. I’m looking forward to purchasing my copy of this and subsequent novels and I’m confident that through this book range new fans of Doctor Who will come to learn just how fundamentally important Lethbridge-Stewart is to the programme.

Returning to where it all began...

And this now begs the question: will the Brigadier return again? Before Death in Heaven I would have said no, at least not onscreen. But now that Steven Moffat has, to be very honest, risked the feelings of fandom by reviving and cyber-converting one of the programme’s most, if not the most, beloved iconic characters after already giving the character an on-screen farewell, then it easily stands to reason that he could and perhaps should recast the role. And who could possibly fill Nicholas Courtney’s UNIT boots? That, like all important and, I feel, necessary decisions I leave to the experts, just as long as they make sure he can hit five rounds rapid.

TOMORROW'S WORLDS: WAR OF THE WORLDS

Another side step. Mark Brake, the author of Mark Brake’s Space, Time, Machine, Monster (featuring sections on Doctor Who) reviews the second edition of BBC 2's Tomorrow’s Worlds – a programme about the history of sci-fi. 

The greatest alien invasion in history began on bicycle.

HG Wells planned The War of the Worlds as he,“wheeled about the district marking down suitable places and people for destruction by my Martians”, as early as 1896.  It’s intriguing to picture him mapping mayhem as he declared his intentions to,“completely destroy Woking – killing my neighbours in painful and eccentric ways – then proceed via Kingston and Richmond to London, which I sack, selecting South Kensington for feats of particular atrocity”,(indeed, it’s South Kensington that is haunted by the sound of the Martians howling,“Ulla, ulla, ulla, ulla”in Wells’ finished story).

It’s the exquisite violence of Wells’ imagination that marks his genius. And it’s this delicious balance between the suburban and the alien that is the focus of the second episode of Dominic Sandbrook’s Tomorrow’s Worlds: the Unearthly History of Science Fiction.Sandy, as viewers have come to affectionately know him, almost adopts a space/time/machine/monster structure to this series, but instead of ‘monster’, and as an historian whose expertise includes the Cold War (he’s written a biography on McCarthy), he’s sticking to what he knows most about - invasion paranoia!

Sandy opens this second programme with War of the Worlds, the key Victorian sci-fi work he conveniently skipped in episode one, as it would have ruined his thesis.  He correctly identifies War of the Worlds as the most enduring alien invasion myth of the 20th century.  Wells’ story was essentially copied many times, and adapted directly by Orson Welles in his famous radio broadcast in 1938, when broadcast radio was only 20 years old, making the programme exceptionally innovative, daring, and all the more scary to listeners (Sandy omitted to mention that Welles’ radio version was a Halloween broadcast, making it even scarier).

Another reworking of the War of the Worlds myth was the 1996 movie, Independence Day.  As Sandy says, compared to the original, Independence Dayis totally overblown.  Quiet suburban streets are replaced by a ‘drama’ played out in the seats of power, with the world’s landmarks taking a twatting (the film’s director, Roland Emmerich says they took great delight in blowing up the White House).  But Sandy is right when he suggests that this big budget demolition lacks a psychological punch.  When you remove the invasion from suburbia, you lose the sublime tension.  It seems that Spielberg was well aware of this, as both Close Encounters and E.T. do the job brilliantly.

And this brings me round to the topic of Doctor Who.  A few years ago, I was speaking at aLondon Science Museum event with the Doctor Who writer (among other things!), Paul Cornell.  When the audience asked us about the contribution Doctor Whomade to science fiction, I was surprised to hear Paul say that he didn’t think Doctor Whowas science fiction.  He thought it was about ‘galaxy and chips’.  I was delighted with this response.  So much so that we’ve used it in our Science of Doctor Who show ever since!

When Peter Capaldi was asked by The Guardian newspaper why Doctor Who had kept its sense of wonder for so long, the Twelfth Doctor gave a similar response to Paul Cornell, “It is this relationship between the domestic and the epic.  The sense that there's a bridge, that a hand can be extended, and you can step from the Earth, from the supermarket car park, into the Andromeda nebulae or whatever”.  It’s that sublime tension again.

The book, Mark Brake's Space, Time, Machine, Monster, also examines how sci-fi helped build the world in which we live. It is is available to buy now from Amazon and the Candy Jar store.

MISSY REACTION

This weekend's episode, Dark Water, saw Steven Moffat offer up his most divisive blow to Doctor Who lore yet. 

For those of you who have not seen Dark Water, and thus have not learned the truth of Missy's identity, turn away now!

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'The shop Mistress. Well, I could hardly keep calling myself the Master.'

What should have been a shock revelation came across, to most, as little more than the most obvious reveal in an episode full of obvious reveals (helped none by the trailer promoting Dark Water). For months fans have been discussing some wild theories on who Missy could turn out to be, and most linked her to the Master. But almost all those hoped it was too obvious a move for Moffat to pull -- alas, it was not!

Our very own Andy Frankham-Allen (author of Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants and line editor of Space: 1889 & Beyond) had this to say; 'Moffat knew he'd never get away with turning the Doctor into a woman, so he did so to the Master.' It is one of many responses collected by our friends at Kasterborous.com, the full responses from their contributors can be found HERE.

We would like to hear your thoughts on Dark Water, especially the Missy revelation. Please tell us what you thought in the comments below.

SERIES EIGHT RATINGS, SO FAR...

Series 8 is polarising the Doctor Who fanbase, with many conflicting views on the various merits of each episode. Despite what the fans are saying, good and bad, the ratings speak for themselves. 

Six episodes in, and Peter Capaldi's début season is holding its own against some stiff competition...

• Deep Breath - 9.17 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 82.
• Into the Dalek - 7.29 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 84.
• Robot of Sherwood - 7.28 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 82.
• Listen - 7.1 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 82.
• Time Heist - 6.99 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 84.

The Caretaker had 4.89 million viewers in overnight figures, which will almost certainly improve by several million once the final figure is released.

DEEP BREATH REVIEW

New Doctor, New Era? Andy Frankham-Allen, author of Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants, takes a look at the series eight opener and asks if this is really a new era, or just more of the same?

DEEP BREATH Review

NEW TRAILER FOR INTO THE DALEK!

With the excitement for Deep Breath reaching an all-time high, it's no surprise that fans are already thinking ahead and wondering what's next to challenge the good Doctor. Luckily, the show has kept its tradition of including a brief anticipatory trailer of next week's episode, entitled 'Into the Dalek' which you can watch in all its glory below.

LEAKS

© BBC 2014

Reports suggest that a number of scripts from the upcoming eighth series of Doctor Who have been leaked online.

With anticipation for the series escalating with each day, the BBC have now asked fans not to share the material released. The mishap occurred as a result of being sent to the BBC Worldwide office in Miami, where they were intended to be translated for the Latin America market.

In an interview with Radio Times, BBC Worldwide spoke of the scripts being compromised: 

"We would like to make a plea to anyone who might have any of this material and spoilers associated with it not to share it with a wider audience so that everyone can enjoy the show as it should be seen when it launches. We know only too well that Doctor Who fans are the best in the world and we thank them for their help with this and their continued loyalty."

By being uploaded from the BBC Worldwide site in Miami, many other scripts have also been leaked including Top Gear and Call the Midwife, which became accessible to anyone with an internet link.

Not the first time this has happened for Who, the series was also leaked back in 2005 with the first episode of the relaunched series, as well as the finale of the 2013 series.

The eighth series is set to premiere globally from August 23rd.

NEW WHO TRAILER!

A brief yet exciting trailer has been released in anticipation of Doctor Who's upcoming eight series.

Whilst very little is shown, we are given glimpses of the Doctor in the Tardis in a rather interesting 'x-ray' vision, showing both his hearts in all their glory.

Yet the real intrigue comes from the voiceover: "I see into your soul Doctor. I see beauty, divinity, hatred."

Sounds an awful lot like Davros. Looks like they're bringing out the big guns this time.

NO MORE MUSKETEERS FOR CAPALDI

© BBC 2014

With series 8 edging closer and closer, it’s no surprise that Peter Capaldi’s presence in Doctor Who might affect some of his other work. It’s been confirmed that as a result of his role as the latest incarnation, the Scottish actor will not be appearing in the second series of the popular Musketeers.

Whilst it’s unclear how his portrayal of the villainous Cardinal will actually exit the show, it does invite certain questions: How does this affect Doctor Who? Does this mean he might be staying longer than originally thought? Only time will tell.

FILMING IN QUEEN STREET

Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman were filming in Queen Street, Cardiff today despite the heavy rain. Capaldi was sporting his new costume, with Jenna still wearing her outfit from The Time of the Doctor.

CAPALDI HARKS BACK TO THE PAST

The BBC have released an image of Peter Capaldi's costume. It reminds us of Pertwee. Strange really, as Matt Smith's original costume was very Troughton!

BBC IPLAYER FIGURES!

It's official: Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, 'Day of the Doctor' was the most watched programme on the Beeb's streaming service in the whole of 2013.

With a whopping 3.2 million people watching said episode, it's no surprise that there's no sign of the show's appeal slowing down while we wait for Capaldi's full debut appearance.

With that in mind, fans are already searching for the smallest of clues for how the next series might kick off. For the time being, here is a (very) short clip of the latest episode being filmed, featuring the Doctor himself - showing off his mechanical horse-riding skills through the very Victorian-looking streets of Cardiff. Enjoy!

SERIES 8 HAS NOW BEGUN FILMING!

Those of us lucky enough to be in Cardiff know full well that the show's eighth series and the first to feature Peter Capaldi has officially begun.

Filming has taken place at Roath Lock studios as well as various other locations around the city. Alongside this announcement, the BBC have also revealed the first official image of Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor as he is in the upcoming series:

© BBC 2013

TIME OF THE DOCTOR TRAILER

The BBC have released the first official trailer for the upcoming christmas special 'The Time of the Doctor'. Enjoy!

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NEW DOCTOR ANNOUNCED!

In a special BBC broadcast revealing the latest actor to take on the role, Peter Capaldi has been officially announced as the 12^th incarnation of the Doctor. 

At 55, the Glasgow-born actor’s age now equals that of William Hartnell. Capaldi is no stranger to television however, with his best-known role being Malcolm Tucker, the eccentric spin-doctor with a temper from the popular series The Thick of It. Other television credits include Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, The Vicar of Dibley and four-part series The Devil's Whore.

Interestingly, Capaldi's career already has ties with the Whoniverse, with previous roles such as Caecilius from the 2008 episode 'The Fires of Pompeii' and civil servant John Frobisher from Torchwood: Children of Earth proving this. His appearance in World War Z as the curiously titled 'W.H.O Doctor' continues to show that more people are taking notice of the actor's work.

As an actor, Capaldi's distinctive 'angry Scot' delivery suggests that Whovians will be treated to a sterner, wiser version of the Doctor, potentially boasting quite a temper. If this is the case, then it could give the programme a fresh new face distinct from the current actor, Matt Smith.

When discussing getting the part, Capaldi commented: "It's so wonderful not to keep this secret any longer, but it's been so fantastic... Being asked to play the Doctor is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can't wait to get started".

 

Claiming to be a life-long fan of Doctor Who, Capaldi stated his preparation for the role consisted of revising scripts from previous Doctor Who episodes, before writer and executive producer Steven Moffat had provided him with new material for his own incarnation.

However, even with all this exposure and attention, fans have not forgotten the man still currently in charge of the role. In a pre-recorded message, the current Doctor, Matt Smith, spoke to Capaldi: "I wish my successor all the best and say good lucky and good on you for getting it, because I know he's both a huge fans of the show and a really nice guy".

 

Whilst the shoes are certainly big to fill, the popular opinion definitely seems to be that the iconic role is in safe hands.