Doctor Who: Russell T. Davies, Carole Ann Ford Honor William Russell (2024)

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Posted in: BBC, Disney+, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: bbc, disney plus, doctor who, william russell

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies and star Carole Ann Ford shared their thoughts on the passing of William Russell (Ian Chesterton).

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by Ray Flook

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As the Doctor Who universe mourns the passing of William Russell, the late actor's co-star Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman) and current showrunner Russell T. Davies are sharing their thoughts. Russell's schoolteacher, Ian Chesterton, and Ford's Susan made their debut in 1963's "An Unearthly Child," joining William Hartnell's First Doctor and Jacqueline Hill's Barbara Wright for the start of what would turn into a global phenomenon that recently celebrated its 60th anniversary."Russ was such a dear, lovely man, an outstanding actor who was dedicated to his craft, but with a wonderful sense of humour and a permanent twinkle in his eye," Ford shared with RadioTimes.com. "He was always looking out for me when I played Susan – I wanted to leap over things, fight the villains, and do more action, and he got so worried that I would get hurt! I cherished working with him and the many reunions we had over the years. Russ had such a rich and full life – television, films, theatre, the lot – and quite rightly received such warmth and affection from everyone who knew him. He will be missed."

"What a sad loss. William played the Doctor's very first companion, Ian Chesterton, back in 1963. A schoolteacher, trapped on the Tardis by a wily old Doctor, unable to get home, whisked off to the Stone Age, Skaro, the Crusades, Planet of the Zarbi..! Wonderful! A fine, nimble, witty, heartfelt actor who absolutely sold the truth of those early years," Davies began the caption to his post honoring Russell – along with an image of the two together. "Before that, he'd been Sir Lancelot on the BBC; it's often undersold what a star booking he was for Doctor Who. He later went on to marry Rita Fairclough as Ted Sullivan on Coronation Street. In the photo, I bumped into him on a train in 2018! I was star-struck! He spoke with so much pride and joy about his son, Alfred Enoch, who I'd seen in King Lear at the Royal Exchange. Absolutely lovely man. A fine, long life. Well done, sir, well played." Here's a look at Davies's original post:

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Doctor Who: Russell T. Davies, Carole Ann Ford Honor William Russell (7)About Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.

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Doctor Who: Russell T. Davies, Carole Ann Ford Honor William Russell (2024)

FAQs

Doctor Who: Russell T. Davies, Carole Ann Ford Honor William Russell? ›

I cherished working with him and the many reunions we had over the years. Russ had such a rich and full life – television, films, theatre, the lot – and quite rightly received such warmth and affection from everyone who knew him. He will be missed."

Why did William Russell leave Doctor Who? ›

Russell never intended to stay as long as he did, and has stated that he wanted to get back to working in theater. Feeling completely fulfilled, he asked Verity Lambert OBE to be written out with a happy ending for Ian and Barbara.

What did Russell T Davies write for Doctor Who? ›

He wrote the novelisation of his first Doctor Who episode, Rose, for the revived Target Books line, and contributed to the Doctor Who: Lockdown! event with various short stories and the performed webcast story Farewell, Sarah Jane.

Was William Russell in the power of the doctor? ›

David Tennant, who previously portrayed the Tenth Doctor, makes a brief appearance as the Fourteenth Doctor. Former companions Ian Chesterton, Jo Jones and Mel Bush, portrayed by William Russell, Katy Manning and Bonnie Langford, respectively, also appear in brief cameos.

How old is William Russell from Doctor Who? ›

Russell died at his home from pneumonia on 3 June 2024, at the age of 99.

Who is the oldest actor to play Dr. Who? ›

Here are stars who have previously played the role. Hartnell played the role of the Doctor for three years until 1966. He was the oldest actor, aged 55, to play the starring role. During a long career, Hartnell made many stage and television appearances and featured in more than 75 British films.

Why did Doctor Who stop for so long? ›

Michael Grade, who was in charge of the BBC at the time, reportedly hated Dr Who. However, he knew he couldn't effectively kill it without good reason. So, in the Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy eras, budgets got tighter and as a result, scripts and production values got poorer.

Who is Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Who? ›

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch CBE (born 19 July 1976) played Howard Carter in the Big Finish Doctor Who audio story False Gods, and "Thing 2" in Order of Simplicity. His likeness as Sherlock also appeared alongside Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor in the Sprout Boy meets a Galaxy of Stars.

Who was the first black character in Doctor Who? ›

Mickey Smith is a fictional character in the BBC One science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by British actor Noel Clarke and was the show's first televised black companion.

Who is the black master in Doctor Who? ›

Played by Sacha Dhawan

A childhood friend of the Doctor, the Master was driven insane after looking into the Untempered Schism on Gallifrey at the age of eight. Like the Doctor, he fled from the Time Lord's home planet in a stolen TARDIS.

Who was the youngest Doctor Who actor? ›

The Eleventh Doctor was played by Matt Smith, who at 26 years old was the youngest ever actor to take on the role. The Doctor was mainly accompanied by Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), her husband Rory (Arthur Darvill) and Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman).

What is the Doctor's real age? ›

The discrepancy was finally addressed in the short story Doctor Who and the Time War released in 2020, which explained that in the Last Great Time War the Doctor was aged and de-aged multiple times. Eventually "feeling around one thousand" by the end of the War, he rounded his age down to 900.

Who is William Russell married to? ›

Russell is survived by his second wife, Etheline (nee Lewis), a doctor, whom he married in 1984, and their son, Alfred, and by his children, Vanessa, Laetitia and Robert, from his marriage to Balbina, which ended in divorce, and four grandchildren, James, Elise, Amy and Ayo.

Why did Graham and Ryan leave Doctor Who? ›

Graham worked with Ryan and Jack to destroy the Dalek ship summoned by the Doctor to deal with the Daleks on Earth. In the aftermath, Ryan chose to resume a normal life on Earth and Graham chose to join him to remain with his grandson.

Why did Maureen O'Brien leave Doctor Who? ›

Maureen O'Brien(I)

It was a decision she later regretted as, although she liked the people she worked with, she did not enjoy the job and the enormous publicity it brought her. After leaving Doctor Who she worked as a supply teacher at a girl's school in Kennington, then returned to the theatre.

Why did Susan Foreman leave Doctor Who? ›

However, Susan feels that she has to stay with and take care of her grandfather. The Doctor, realising that Susan is now a grown woman and deserves a future away from him, locks her out of the TARDIS and leaves after a tearful farewell.

Why did Arthur Darvill leave Doctor Who? ›

He doesn't like to stay in any role longer than 5 years. The show was changing several key productions staff and it seemed like a good time to get out. He also said that he missed his family, they stayed in London while he effectively moved to Wales for 9 months of the year and he didn't like the separation.

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