Doctor Who to pay tribute to Nicholas Courtney

Tonight’s sixth season finale of Doctor Who will pay tribute to the actor Nicholas Courtney who died earlier this year.

The actor played Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the BBC sci-fi series first appearing, in the role, alongside Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines in the 1968 story The Web of Fear. The character returned towards the end of 1968 in The Invasion before becoming a regular cast member opposite Jon Pertwee in Spearhead from Space. Courtney was a regular in Doctor Who until the mid 1970s when Tom Baker took over the role and the character appeared less frequently. The actor’s last appearance in Doctor Who itself was in 1989’s Battlefield opposite Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. While the Brigadier was referenced several times in the revival of Doctor Who the character did not appear but did make a special appearance in the CBBC spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures which reunited him with former co-star Elisabeth Sladen.

The actor was a regular at the convention circuit and was hugely popular with fans of all ages. The actor died in February of this year shortly before the death of Elisabeth Sladen. It has now been revealed that Doctor Who will acknowledge the death of the actor in tonight’s season finale; The Wedding of River Song. The 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) will discover the Brigadier has passed away, reports Media Guardian. Tonight’s finale is set to answer some of the biggest questions facing Doctor Who fans and the current story-arc involving River Song (Alex Kingston) and the Silence.