Tragic news this evening - William Russell has passed away at the age of 99.
Real name William Russell Enoch, he was one of the original regular cast of Doctor Who, portraying the heroic school teacher Ian Chesterton. He appeared in the series from the opening episode, An Unearthly Child, through to the final instalment of The Chase in 1965.
His last appearance in the programme was a cameo as one of the companion 'support group' in The Power of the Doctor in 2022, earning him a world record.
An earlier cameo saw him portraying a BBC commissionaire in the 50th anniversary drama An Adventure in Space and Time.
Until relatively recently he was still voicing Ian on Big Finish audios.
Born in Sunderland on 19th November 1924, he developed an interest in acting whilst still at school and later at Oxford University. He was in the Royal Air Force for a time - as discussed in his Matthew Sweet interview on the Season 2 Blu-ray collection.
Early successes came in the adventure series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956-7) and the 1957 Dickens adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby, in both of which he played the title character.
He was a regular on Coronation Street for much of 1992.
His movie career began in 1952, with his last role in 2020. Films included Superman (as a member of the Krypton court in the opening section), Above Us The Waves, and The Great Escape.
His first love was the stage, and he was a member of the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and appeared in the opening season at the Globe on London's Bankside.
However, it will be as Ian that he will be best remembered. He was the first of the regulars cast by Verity Lambert, long before she even had her Doctor.
Truly a Doctor Who legend,
RIP
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