Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Doctor Who character
Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974)
First appearance	The Web of Fear (1968)
Last appearance	Battlefield (1989) (Doctor Who) (human) Enemy of the Bane (2008) (The Sarah Jane Adventures) "Death in Heaven" (2014)(Doctor Who) (Cyberman)
Portrayed by	Nicholas Courtney
Information
Species	Human
Affiliation	UNIT The Doctor Sarah Jane Smith Kate Stewart
Home	Earth
Home era	20th and 21st centuries
Duration	1968, 1970–1975, 1983, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2008, 2014

Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, often called simply the Brigadier, is a character from the British science fiction TV show Doctor Who. He was created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln. The character was played by actor Nicholas Courtney.

The Brigadier helped start UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce). This is a global group that protects Earth from alien threats. He was the leader of the British part of UNIT. At first, he wasn't sure about the Doctor's help. But over time, the Brigadier became one of the Doctor's best friends. He was also a key helper in defending Earth.

The Brigadier is one of the most important characters in Doctor Who's long history. He appeared in 23 stories during the show's first run. His first appearance was in 1968 in The Web of Fear. In this story, he met the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton). He appeared often after the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) joined in 1970's Spearhead from Space. His last appearance in the main show was in 1989's Battlefield with the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy).

Almost 20 years later, Nicholas Courtney played the Brigadier again. This was in the spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2008. This was his last role before he passed away in 2011. Later that year, Doctor Who honored him. A line in "The Wedding of River Song" said the Brigadier had died peacefully. Even later, a Cyberman version of the Brigadier appeared in "Death in Heaven" (2014). He got to have a final moment with the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi).

In 2012, the episode "The Power of Three" introduced the Brigadier's daughter. Her name is Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave). She became the new head of UNIT. Kate first appeared in an unofficial video spin-off called Downtime in 1995. The Brigadier was also in that video. Kate became a regular character. She appeared with the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi).

Character's Story

Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart's family came from Scotland. This was mentioned in the 1975 story Terror of the Zygons. He first met the Second Doctor in The Web of Fear (1968). At that time, Lethbridge-Stewart was a colonel in the Scots Guards. He was leading a British Army team looking into Yeti in the London Underground.

By his next appearance in The Invasion (1968), he was promoted to Brigadier. He was now working with UNIT. When the Doctor was forced to change his body and sent to Earth, the Brigadier gave him a job. The Doctor became UNIT's science expert after helping stop an Auton invasion. Other military members of UNIT included Captain Mike Yates, Sergeant Benton, and Royal Navy Lieutenant Harry Sullivan.

Most stories about the Third Doctor were set on Earth. UNIT and the Brigadier were a big part of these stories. He also appeared with almost every Doctor after that in the original TV show. He did not appear with the Sixth Doctor in the main show. But they did meet in the 30th anniversary special, Dimensions in Time in 1993.

Lethbridge-Stewart first met the Doctor's second form. But he also worked with the First Doctor. This happened in the 10th anniversary season's first story, The Three Doctors. They met again in the 20th-anniversary special, The Five Doctors. He later retired from the military in 1976. He became a mathematics teacher at a school in England. This was shown in Mawdryn Undead (1983).

The Brigadier is a very popular supporting character. He is often seen as one of the Doctor's companions. The BBC lists him as a companion. A book by a former Doctor Who producer also includes him as a companion.

Lethbridge-Stewart's last appearance in a Doctor Who TV episode was in 1989. This was in the Seventh Doctor story Battlefield. He was called out of retirement to fight an invasion of armored knights. He found himself helping the Doctor again. The Brigadier faced and defeated a powerful demon. He used only his service revolver and silver bullets.

Even though Lethbridge-Stewart did not appear in the new Doctor Who series, he was still alive. In The Sarah Jane Adventures story Revenge of the Slitheen, Sarah Jane Smith sends her love to "the Brig". In the Doctor Who episode "The Poison Sky", the Doctor says he could use the Brigadier's help. He is then told that "Sir Alistair" is "stuck in Peru". This means the Brigadier had been knighted. His photo was the first classic era footage shown in the new series. It was in Sarah Jane Smith's attic in Invasion of the Bane.

In 2008, Nicholas Courtney played the Brigadier again in The Sarah Jane Adventures. This was in the story Enemy of the Bane. His knighthood was confirmed many times. Major Kilburne and Sarah Jane called him "Sir Alistair". He later introduced himself as "Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart". This episode mentioned his Peru mission. Sarah Jane asked him to help her get into UNIT's "Black Archive". This is a secret place for alien objects. The Brigadier, being older, didn't like how UNIT worked now. He often talked about "his day". He used a walking stick but drove a Bentley T-series. His wife, Doris, was also mentioned.

In The Sarah Jane Adventures story The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, Clyde Langer said the Brigadier couldn't come. He was back in Peru. The show had planned for the Brigadier to meet the Tenth Doctor. But Nicholas Courtney was recovering from a stroke. He was reported to be in Peru a third time in Death of the Doctor (2010). Clyde called him Sarah Jane's oldest friend. Sarah Jane met both the Doctor and Sir Alistair in 1974.

In 2009, Courtney played the Brigadier one last time. This was in a short film called Liberty Hall. It was a bonus for a DVD release. The film was a fake documentary. A journalist interviewed the Brigadier about his life. The Brigadier talked about his marriages and his daughter Kate. He also mentioned his grandson Gordon. He said his last meeting with the Doctor was in 2000. He ended by saying he had retired. But he would be ready if a blue police box was found.

Later, the Brigadier became ill and moved to a nursing home. In 2011's "The Wedding of River Song", the Eleventh Doctor called the home. A nurse sadly told him the Brigadier had died peacefully "a few months ago". She said he often spoke well of the Doctor. The Doctor was very sad to hear this news.

In the 2014 episode "Death in Heaven", Missy (a new version of the Master) turned dead people into Cybermen. The Brigadier's daughter Kate seemed to die during a Cyberman attack. But a converted Danny Pink helped the Cybermen stop Missy's plan. The Doctor was about to stop Missy. But a Cyberman appeared and seemed to destroy her. The Doctor then saw that the Cyberman had saved Kate. He realized it was the converted Brigadier. The Doctor saluted him, which Kate said her father always wanted. The Brigadier then flew away. What happened to him after that is not known.

In the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time", the First and Twelfth Doctors met a captain from World War I. This captain was about to die. It turned out his name was Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart. He was one of the Brigadier's grandfathers.

List of television appearances

Other appearances

The Brigadier has also appeared in many other Doctor Who stories. These include audio plays, novels, and comic strips. He often teamed up with different versions of the Doctor. He also appeared in spin-off videos like Downtime. These videos featured his daughter, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and his grandson, Gordon.

His family history has been explored in books. They show he comes from a long line of military people. His ancestors include generals and officers from different wars. Some stories even show him as a young officer during World War II.

In some stories, the Brigadier came out of retirement again. He even got promoted to General. In one story, he was made young again using alien technology. He continued to work for the military. Nicholas Courtney also voiced the Brigadier in radio plays and audio dramas. In these, he sometimes worked as a secret agent for the UN.

His daughter, Kate Stewart, continues his legacy in modern Doctor Who stories. She leads UNIT, just like her father did.

List of other appearances

Video

• Wartime (voice only)
• Downtime
• Death Takes a Holiday
• The Crystal Conundrum (voice only)
• The Pair o' Docs Paradox
• Twice Upon a Timelord
• Liberty Hall

Audio dramas

BBC Radio

• The Paradise of Death
• The Ghosts of N-Space

Big Finish Productions

• The Spectre of Lanyon Moor
• Minuet in Hell
• Zagreus (as a hologram)
• Sympathy for the Devil (in a different universe)
• Masters of War
• UNIT: The Coup
• UNIT: Time Heals
• UNIT: The Wasting
• The Blue Tooth
• Old Soldiers
• The Doll of Death
• The Three Companions
• The Magician's Oath
• The Mega
• Shadow of the Past
• The Many Deaths of Jo Grant
• The Rings of Ikiria
• The Last Post
• The Third Doctor Adventures: Volume Five (played by Jon Culshaw)
• The Legacy of Time: The Sacrifice of Jo Grant (cameo; played by Jon Culshaw)

BBCi webcast

• Death Comes to Time

Short Trips audios

• Walls of Confinement

See also

In Spanish: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart para niños