Doctor Who: William Russell, Doctor's first companion, dies aged 99

An actor who appeared in the first Doctor Who episode in the 1960s has died aged 99.

William Russell was the Doctor’s first companion, accompanying Timelord William Hartnell across space and time. He also appeared in 13th doctor Jodie Whittaker’s final episode in 2022 - and by doing so broke a record for the the biggest gap in a television performance, with his 57 years now listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Born in Sunderland in 1924, he first came to fame in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot in 1956, playing the title role. But it was as Ian Chesterton in 77 episodes of Doctor Who that he entered the annals of TV history, not just for his character and performances, but for a seminal line delivered in the first episode. As William Hartnell walked out of the Tardis and towards him, he said he was a doctor. Russell’s character replied “Doctor Who?” and the course was set for decades of popular sci-fi.

The Guinness Book of Records said in 2022: "The longest gap between TV appearances is 57 years 120 days, and was achieved by William Russell (UK) as the Doctor Who character Ian Chesterton in the 'The Power of the Doctor' episode, which aired on 23 October 2022."

Russell died on Monday, June 3. He is survived by three children Robert, Laetitia and Vanessa, from his first marriage to Balbina Gutierrez and his son Alfred with his second wife Etheline Margareth Lewis Enoch. The actor also had four grandchildren - James, Elise, Amy and Ayo.

Tributes have come from across the entertainment world. Writer and broadcaster Matthew Sweet said: “The links to the past are coming undone. William Russell is gone. When I was fifteen he very kindly gave me an interview after a matinee of An Inspector Calls. In 2018 he was kind enough to do it again. What a sweet and genial man he was - Dr Who's first leading man.”

Actor and writer Nicholas Pegg added: "Raising a glass to William Russell, who has left us just a few months shy of his 100th birthday. Already a star when he became a crucial part of Doctor Who’s genesis, his long and remarkable career embraced everything from Shakespeare to Blackadder. A fine actor and a lovely man."

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies shared a tribute on Instagram alongside a photo of himself with Russell. He wrote: "William Russell (1924-2024). What a sad loss, William played the Doctor’s very first companion, Ian Chesterton, back in 1963. A schoolteacher, trapped on the Tardis by a wily old Doctor, unable to get home, whisked off to the Stone Age, Skaro, the Crusades, planet of the Zarbi..! Wonderful! A fine, nimble, witty, heartfelt actor who absolutely sold the truth of those early years. Before that, he’d been Sir Lancelot on the BBC; it’s often undersold what a star booking he was for Doctor Who.

"He later went on to marry Rita Fairclough as Ted Sullivan on Coronation Street. In the photo, I bumped into him on a train in 2018! I was star-struck! He spoke with so much pride and joy about his son, Alfred Enoch, who I’d seen in King Lear at the Royal Exchange. Absolutely lovely man. A fine, long life. Well done, sir, well played."