Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney. He worked for UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce), an international organisation that defends the Earth from alien threats. He was one of UNIT's founders and head of British operations, and generally referred to simply as the Brigadier or "the Brig".

History

Lethbridge-Stewart first appeared in the Patrick Troughton Season 5 serial The Web of Fear (1968). Some accounts state that he was a Colonel in the Scots Guards (although in reality, the highest regimental rank would have been Lieutenant Colonel, and the regimental badge that most closely resembled Lethbridge-Stewart's cap badge in The Web of Fear is that of the Lowland Brigade). By his next appearance in the Season 6 serial The Invasion (1968), he had been promoted to Brigadier and was working with UNIT. When the Third Doctor was exiled to Earth, Lethbridge-Stewart gave him a position as UNIT's scientific advisor.

Related Topics:
Patrick Troughton - The Web of Fear - 1968 - Colonel - Scots Guards - Lieutenant Colonel - The Invasion - Brigadier - Third Doctor

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Initially, Lethbridge-Stewart appeared to be a stereotypical by-the-book martinet. Very often, the Doctor felt frustrated at working with him because the Brigadier's typical response to any threat was to shoot at it (a well-known phrase of his was, "Five rounds, rapid"). In turn, Lethbridge-Stewart was skeptical of the strange phenomena and super science the Doctor habitually encountered, and just as frustrated with the Doctor's eccentricities. However, over the years the two developed a close working and personal relationship as well as mutual respect for each other's abilities. Other military members of UNIT included Captain Mike Yates and Sergeant Benton.

Related Topics:
The Doctor - Captain Mike Yates - Sergeant Benton

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Brigadier always faced the unknown with unflappable British aplomb. He has shown himself to be a true warrior in combat, ruthless when he has to be, and heroic in the face of the often overwhelming odds that he and UNIT faced over the years. He eventually retired from the military to teach mathematics at a British public school in 1976, as seen in Mawdryn Undead (1983).

Related Topics:
Mathematics - Public school - 1976 - Mawdryn Undead - 1983

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most of the stories of the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who were set on Earth and heavily feature UNIT and the Brigadier. While not as ubiquitous in the following years, he appeared alongside every subsequent Doctor in the original television series run except the Sixth Doctor. They finally met in the charity special Dimensions in Time and the Big Finish audio play, The Spectre of Lanyon Moor. (The Sixth Doctor also meets the Brigadier in the novel Business Unusual, also purporting to be the first meeting of the two characters.) The Brigadier has also appeared with the 1996 Doctor Who television movie's Eighth Doctor in the audio plays. However, he did not appear with the Ninth Doctor in the 2005 series, nor are there any known plans to have the Brigadier appear with the Tenth Doctor, with Courtney's advanced age making any such appearance doubtful.

Related Topics:
Jon Pertwee - Sixth Doctor - Dimensions in Time - Big Finish - The Spectre of Lanyon Moor - 1996 - Doctor Who - Eighth Doctor - Ninth Doctor - 2005 - Tenth Doctor

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As one of the most popular supporting characters in the television series, the Brigadier is often considered a companion of the Doctor and indeed is listed as one on the BBC website's list. Strictly speaking, however, he does not fulfil the traditional companion's role, subordinate to the Doctor's.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lethbridge-Stewart's last television appearance was in 1989, in the Sylvester McCoy Season 26 serial Battlefield. Called out of retirement to deal with an other-dimensional invasion of armoured knights led by Morgaine, he found himself once again at the Doctor's side. In what might have been his finest hour, Lethbridge-Stewart served as his world's champion as he faced down and killed the demonic Destroyer of Worlds armed only with his service revolver and a load of silver-tipped bullets.

Related Topics:
1989 - Sylvester McCoy - Battlefield - Morgaine - Revolver - Silver

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Little was shown of Lethbridge-Stewart's life outside UNIT in the television series, although Planet of the Spiders revealed he was in a relationship with a woman called Doris. It was Courtney's own belief that the Brigadier was married, and that he and Doris were having an affair. Eventually, Lethbridge-Stewart left his first wife, as in Battlefield he was seen to be retired and married to Doris (played by Angela Douglas).

Related Topics:
Planet of the Spiders - Angela Douglas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~