#100days - 44: enter Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart!

Fifty years ago today the character of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart made his first appearance in Doctor Who [The Web of Fear Part Three].

Played by Nicholas Courtney, he was a recurring figure in the beloved BBC science fiction drama for decades. Lethbridge-Stewart often clashed with various incarnations of the Doctor, but they built an enduring friendship.

I was lucky enough to meet the actor at Whovention in Australia during January 1990 while on my way to live in the UK - he was a truly charming man. And I took great pleasure writing Lethbridge-Stewart into my first Doctor Who novel, Who Killed Kennedy.

Nicholas Courtney died in 2011, but his performances as Colonel [and, latterly, Brigadier] Lethbridge-Stewart live on...