As we’ll all have seen in the media by now, John Leeson died last Sunday.
He was, of course, best known to Doctor Who fans as the definitive voice of K9. He also voiced the Nucleus in The Invisible Enemy, and he appeared on screen as Dugeen in The Power of Kroll. A talented and versatile actor (he trained at RADA, after all), John provided other voices for the programme, including cameos in The Armageddon Factor and the voice of the Dalek battle computer in Remembrance of the Daleks.
I can’t claim to have known John well, but I worked with him pretty closely on three of our Bedford Who Charity Cons. I’d like, then, to offer a personal appreciation.
John never stood on his dignity, and treated the convention volunteers as equals and as colleagues. Nothing was too much trouble for him. He took part in a fair number of readings and sketches at the events; he was very happy to discuss how best they should be performed, offering his own welcome ideas and listening to my (often rather daft) suggestions. He was never other than good humoured, affable, and approachable. Always happy to take time to chat informally to the fans, he went well beyond what one could reasonably ask; he commented that it was nice to be treated as royalty in Doctor Who circles when, for most of the time, he was just an anonymous chap in the street!
I’ve got especially fond memories of working with him on a dramatisation of the prologue from the novel Doctor Who and the Daleks. As you know, David Whitaker had rewritten the introduction of the main characters. Ian and Barbara meet for the first time in the dense fog on Barnes Common; as most of the action was conveyed by Whitaker through dialogue, it was an easy matter to turn this into a ten-minute script. Sophie Aldred kindly agreed to read Barbara, and John to read the Doctor’s part. We had a problem, though. Nick Briggs was due to read Ian but he was ill and couldn’t come. A dilemma! Should we cut the reading, or go ahead with an understudy?
I’d done some amateur acting and very hesitantly suggested that I could read Ian’s part instead. Sophie and John were very happy and said let’s go for it. So, I ended up playing Ian Chesterton, for ten minutes, alongside two real-life proper actors who’d actually been on the telly. Wow. An enduring and cherished memory; I still treasure it. John was brilliant. He didn’t impersonate Hartnell, but very much gave his own take on the part. He was very funny too: absolutely capturing the acid old man’s amused contempt for the humans and his complete indifference to their ridiculous and petty concerns. (I can remember John sticking his face into mine as he barked, ‘Are you trying to give me a lecture in human behaviour, young man?’ Wonderful stuff.)
It wasn’t video’d, alas, but here’s a photo of John as the Doctor and Sophie as Barbara from the dramatisation (photos by Alison Bennett).
A couple of years later, John teamed up with Sophie again for The Doctor Who Fan Accreditation Sketch. This time, it was recorded. John had a huge talent for comedy and, if you fancy a giggle, do check the sketch out.
My brother, Frank, and I did interview him back in the day for our fanzine, Fendahl, and in his memory, the DWC republished the piece, so do give that a look too.
So. I can’t claim to have known John well. But I loved working with him, and I had the privilege of doing so for three days, a few years ago. He was deservedly a firm favourite with Doctor Who fans, and he will be sorely missed.
May he rest in peace.
