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Original Doctor Who cast member William Russell dies

Getty Images William RussellGetty Images
Russell rose to fame playing Sir Lancelot in the 1956 series Adventures of Sir Lancelot

One of Doctor Who's four original cast members, William Russell, has died aged 99.

His death was confirmed and announced on Tuesday by the Guardian newspaper.

Russell played schoolteacher Ian Chesterton in the first two series of the BBC's sci-fi show and was the Doctor's first companion.

He left the show in 1965, but in 2022 he reprised his role and made a cameo in Jodie Whittaker's final episode, The Power of The Doctor.

The actor broke a Guinness World Record for the longest gap between TV appearances.

In the first ever episode, An Unearthly Child, which aired in 1963, Russell's character meets the Doctor, played by William Hartnell.

Russell's character mistakenly calls him Doctor Foreman, before Hartnell then replies "Doctor Who?"

Russell left the show in 1965 but later went on to narrate a number of the audiobooks in the 1990s.

(l-r) William Hartnell as Dr Who and William Russell as Ian Chesterton and Carole Ann Ford as Susan.
In one Doctor Who adventure from 1964, the doctor and his companions encountered the ancient Aztecs

His other TV appearances included the title role of ITV's 1956 drama, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot and as Ted Sullivan in Coronation Street.

He appeared in films such as The Man Who Never Was in 1956, war classic The Great Escape in 1963 and 1978's Superman.

Sharing a tribute on Instagram, Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies said it was a "sad loss" and said Russell was a "fine, nimble, witty, heartfelt actor who absolutely sold the truth of those early years".

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Actor and writer Nicholas Pegg wrote on X: "Raising a glass to William Russell, who has left us just a few months shy of his 100th birthday."

He added that Russell was a "fine actor and a lovely man".

Doctor Who actress Nicola Bryant, who played the Doctor's companion, Peri Brown from 1984 to 1986 also shared a tribute on X.

"What a wonderful man with a delightful family an extraordinary life & career. The most charming smile and twinkling eyes, he always lit up the room. I hope there will be many celebrations of this beautiful man," she wrote.

Artist Stuart Humphryes also praised Russell and said he was "the first and the greatest of all the many companions".

Russell, who was born in Sunderland in 1924, had four children including Alfred Enoch who is best known for playing Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter series and Wes Gibbins in legal thriller, How to Get Away with Murder.