A Soldier In Time: The Nicholas Courtney Memoirs

by Nicholas Courtney

Nicholas Courtney, the man behind Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, remembers his time on Doctor Who, from The Web of Fear to Battlefield - and beyond!

He's seen off Daleks, Cybermen and Yeti. He's witnessed Giant Robots running amok, met himself in the future and saved the world from the life-devouring Destroyer. He is, of course, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, alias actor Nicholas Courtney.

After five decades of acting alongside far more then just the eight television Doctors (nothing compared to the likes of Frankie Howerd, Donald Wolfit and Michael Winner), this is his story. His personal recollections of his life on and off the stage, Read to you by that most gentlemanly of gentlemen, Nicholas Courtney...

Genres: Nonfiction, Doctor Who, Biography, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

William Nicholas Stone Courtney (16 December 1929 – 22 February 2011) was a British television actor, most famous for playing Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit I was not overly taken with the audio book version of Nick Courtney's autobiography. He does have a lovely voice and he told some amusing anecdotes about working on the set of Doctor Who. But there was no real emotion in it. He calmly discusses his wife leaving him, cheating on her, drunken nights out, but you don't get the feeling there's any passion behind it all. It's like he was talking about someone else's life and as such it made the whole thing seem rather impersonal. A lot of actor's autobiographies focus on their work rather than their family life and this is no exception. I must admit I will not be rushing out and buying his books.

[Sara Habein · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)
Solid enough, if you're already someone well-versed in Classic Doctor Who, but probably not terribly interesting to anyone who isn't already a fan. I'd hoped he'd mention Jean Marsh a little more, since he worked with her twice on the show, but she gets just a few pleasantries. (This is not objectionable in terms of narrative; I'm just a fan of her.) There are good tidbits about several of the actors involved in the show, which are fun to hear.

Sometimes though, you can really tell this is an old school dude born in last-gasps-of-more-colonial Cairo, and that this memoir came out in 2002. There's just this low level hum of misogyny when he talks about some of the women in his life. Nothing crazy objectionable or anything, but just enough to where you realize, oh right, we HAVE made strides since then. (Not enough, but it's better!) Perhaps now, someone might have helped him point the narrative/descriptions in a different direction.

I appreciated hearing about his non-Who career too. Who knew that he once played the narrator in a run of The Rocky Horror Show? Not me!

RIP, The Brig!

[Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the "Big Finish Talks Back", this is an audiobook reading of Nicholas Courtney's memiors, read by the man himself. For those who don't know, Courtney played the long running character of Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (who was the father of Kate Stewart in the New Series). While this focuses a lot on Doctor and tends to bypass or only briefly mention other factors of his life, this was still an enjoyable listen. As far as I know this is out of print on CD, but is available as a download from Big Finish's website. Worth the listen for Doctor Who fans, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholas Courtney narrates his own memoirs. He relates quite a few behind the scenes doctor who stories.

[Susan Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives you a nice insight into the life of an actor. Some good insights into the background of Doctor Who.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very comprehensive collection of recollections from Nicholas Courtney regarding his career and his relationships with the different actors in Doctor Who.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/806166.html[return][return]I'm not sure what relationship this 2002 audiobook from Big Finish has to either his 1998 published autobiography, Five Rounds Rapid (edited by John Nathan-Turner) or the 2005 version, Still Getting Away With It (co-written by Michael McManus). It's harmless enough stuff, somewhat jumbled chronologically at the beginning, the anecdotes about Doctor Who clearly well-honed by decades of retelling at conventions. Courtney is a more complex character than he lets on, with his lifelong commitment to Christianity only mildly expounded, and his activism with the actors' union , Equity, touched on but not explained in any depth. The life of an actor is sketched in sufficient detail that I would be inclined to give this (in any of its incarnations) as a present to any young relative thinking of going on the stage. Those who want to hear about what it was like to be the Brigadier will be satisfied with this account. Those who hoped for a literary equivalent of Tom Baker's memoirs will be disappointed.