Nicholas Courtney Nicholas Courtney ( born William Nicholas Stone Courtney ; 16 December 1929 - 22 February 2011 ) played first Colonel and then Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge - Stewart , beginning in " The Web of Fear " and finally in " Battlefield " . He reprised the role in the fan video " Downtime " ( later adapted into one of the Virgin Missing Adventures ) , the spin - off program " The Sarah Jane Adventures " and audio dramas for the BBC and Big Finish Productions . Courtney was born in Cairo , Egypt , the son of a British diplomat and educated in France , Kenya and Egypt . He served his National Service in the British Army . He left after eighteen months as a private , not wanting to pursue a military career . He next joined the Webber Douglas drama school , and after two years began doing repertory theatre in Northampton , and from there moved to London . Courtney ' s first appearance in " Doctor Who " was in " The Daleks ' Master Plan " , where he played Space Security Agent Bret Vyon opposite William Hartnell as the Doctor . The director , Douglas Camfield , liked Courtney ' s performance . When Camfield was assigned the 1968 serial " The Web of Fear " , he cast Courtney as Captain Knight . However , David Langton , who was to play Colonel Lethbridge - Stewart , gave up the role to accept another offer of work . Camfield recast Ralph Watson in the role of Captain Knight and gave the Colonel ' s part to Courtney . Lethbridge - Stewart reappeared later that year in " The Invasion " , now promoted to Brigadier and in charge of the British contingent of UNIT , an organisation that protected the Earth from alien invasion . It was in that recurring role that he became famous , appearing semi - regularly from 1970 to 1975 . Courtney returned to the series in 1983 and his last " Doctor Who " television appearance was in 1989 ( in the serial " Battlefield " ) . Courtney played Lethbridge - Stewart on television or in audio dramas , alongside every subsequent Doctor up to and including Paul McGann . Unfortunately , he never got the opportunity to appear with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor nor David Tennant as the Tenth . While he acted with David Tennant in the " Doctor Who Unbound " audio play " Sympathy for the Devil " , this was not only set outside of the Doctor Who universe , but Tennant was also playing a different character , and was recorded prior to his portrayal of the Tenth Doctor . Courtney additionally provided the voice of Wolsey in the 1998 Big Finish " Bernice Summerfield " audio story , " Oh No It Isn ' t ! " Courtney has also appeared in some fan - made productions , providing the voice of the Brigadier for the 1995 updating of 1987 ' s " Wartime " and appearing as a BBC official in the Reeltime Pictures spoof " The Corridor Sketch " . He also hosted – partly in character as the Brigadier – the " More than 30 Years in the TARDIS " documentary . Courtney continued to act extensively in theatre and television after he left " Doctor Who " , guest - starring in such popular television programmes as " Minder " , " The Bill " , " Only Fools and Horses " and " Yes , Prime Minister " . He also had a regular role in the comedy " French Fields " between 1989 and 1991 . He regularly made personal appearances at science - fiction conventions and was the Honorary President of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society . His theatrical agent was former " Doctor Who " actress Wendy Padbury . Courtney was occasionally seen in other productions , such as the late 1980s comedy film " Bullseye ! " in which he played a small role opposite Michael Caine and Roger Moore . Courtney ' s autobiography , published in 1998 , was titled " Five Rounds Rapid ! " , ( ISBN 1 - 85227 - 782 - 3 ) , after a popular catchphrase of the Brigadier ' s heard in " The Dæmons " ; the volume was edited by John Nathan - Turner . A second , updated autobiography , entitled " Still Getting Away With It " , was published in 2005 , co - authored by Michael McManus . He lived in London with his second wife Karen until his death . In 2002 and 2003 he voiced Packard in the " Kaldor City " audio stories " Hidden Persuaders " , " Taren Capel " and " Checkmate " . In 2008 , nineteen years after last playing the role on television , Courtney once again played the Brigadier for the spin - off series " The Sarah Jane Adventures " , appearing in the two - part finale story TV : " Enemy of the Bane " alongside friend and co - star Elizabeth Sladen . He was cast after initial plans to have Freema Agyeman appear as Martha Jones fell through . This was his final television appearance as the Brigadier in the " Doctor Who " universe , still serving UNIT as he had done for the last forty - three years . Courtney reprised the role of the Brigadier one more time for the serial audio drama " The Three Companions " , which was released chapter - by - chapter as bonuses on Big Finish " Doctor Who " audio stories in 2009 and 2010 . Courtney died on 22 February 2011 , aged 81 in a North London hospital . His wife , Karen , was with him . A number of people paid tribute to him , including Tom Baker , Mark Gatiss and Jon Culshaw . Toby Hadoke supplied a obituary for British newspaper , " The Guardian " . Big Finish also paid tribute on their website , with Nicholas Briggs adding a tribute . Steven Moffat also paid tribute . DWM 436 was in tribute to Courtney , with most of it features orientated around him . It was largely comprised of interviews with the cast and crew of " Doctor Who " and their memories of working with Courtney . It also included interviews with people who had worked with him in other productions , such as Big Finish audios and detective drama , " The Scarifyers " . Credits . Audio dramas . Kaldor City . As Daniel Packard