“Four women! With moustaches!” This is my 2003 interview with Nicholas Courtney, who died this week, age 81. Best known to Doctor Who fans as Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, Nick appeared on screen opposite six different Doctors, and worked with three more – Colin Baker, Paul McGann and David Tennant – on Doctor Who audio stories.

Hello, Nick. Do eye-patches feature in any of your Big Finish Doctor Who audio adventures?
“Actually, no. But it’s terrific what Big Finish has done. I was delighted when they got the license. Thanks to Big Finish, I’ve worked with all the Doctors. The first one I did was with Colin, wasn’t it? And I did Minuet in Hell with Paul McGann…”

Did Colin or Paul not wear eye-patches in studio?
“Not that I remember. I only had one day with Paul, because we were recording in Bristol. At the end of the day, he said to me, ‘Now you’ve done the whole set!’”

Do eye-patches help you get into character, then, or make performing more of a challenge?
“[Laughs] The character comes automatically. I might look considerably different from the man I played on television, but my voice hasn’t changed that much. It’s almost like I can regenerate! The scripts are written by people who know me and know the character.”

As one of Doctor Who’s greatest stalwarts, do eye-patches play any part in your day-to-day life?
“Not really. I’ve incorporated bits of myself into the character. My father was a colonel in the army, don’t forget, although he died before I started playing the Brigadier. Doing my national service, I observed all these officers, and I suppose I’ve kept that with me. Nowadays, the Brigadier is half and half – half of me, and half of the character. But I don’t know which half is which.”

Do women like men in eye-patches?
“They like a man in uniform, don’t they? The first convention I went to was in America. I walked in and there were four women dressed as the Brigadier. Four women! With moustaches! I couldn’t believe it. I had to go to the bar immediately.”

Right, so do Doctor Who fans like men in eye-patches?
“I don’t think so. Very rarely do you meet a fan who’s a bit too homed in on you; only the odd one or two. But I could never leave it all behind. I have thought about it from time to time. I thought about leaving the circuit four or five years ago, but it’s hard, because it pursues me. If you’re out of work, it’s very good for your ego. It seems churlish to say no.”

Has anything amusing ever happened to you in connection with an eye-patch?
“No, no, no – look, I can’t tell that anecdote again. I’ve told it so many times before. [Buries head in hands] It’s not funny anymore. [Heavy sigh] This is the last time I’ll ever tell it. It was during Inferno, wasn’t it? Yes! And the Brigadier was playing the Brigade Leader. And he was in his office, wasn’t he? And Jon Pertwee, Caroline John and John Levene knocked at the door and came in, and I spin round… and there they all are, wearing eye-patches! They fell about with laughter – but oh no, not me. They couldn’t make me laugh. John cracked up first, Jon Pertwee second, Caroline third, but I kept a straight face. And that is the eye-patch story. Why it’s a legend, I do not know. Are you happy now?”


Nicholas Courtney was talking to Benjamin Cook.
NEXT WEEK: Sylvester McCoy – “Me and My Ferret”.