William Russell as Ian Chesterton - DOCTOR WHO Character Retrospective + Tribute
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
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"If I wanted the world to think I was truly mad, I could call myself Sir Ian Chesterton. Knighted by Richard the Lion heart, over 700 years ago".
RIP William Russell.
It was my great pleasure to work with Russell on the Big Finish story, "The Companion Chronicles: The Wanderer" - written by Richard Dinnick, and directed by Lisa Bowerman. It was a true honor to accompany his iconic voice (and his wonderful Hartnell impression). A gentleman, a fine actor, and a terrific ambassador for the series. He will be missed. RIP
this is one of my favourites, nice job. We knew this was coming but it still leaves a hole, rest in power William Russell, you will be remembered
My mum (now 79) watched him perform Macbeth around 1960 ish. She had suffered physical abuse from a teacher at a young age, this ruined her confidence and she developed a stammer. She saw him in a cafe after the performance, whilst with her classmates. She approached him for his autograph, a big deal for considering her stammer and lack of confidence. She tells me he stopped eating and said yes certainly, he was very nice and polite. My mum gained confidence because of this and went on to become a teacher who was popular with the kids (I have had her ex-pupils tell me how great she was as a teacher). She has a fondness for his kindness and helping lift her confidence. She referred to it as a turning point in her life. Something that probably meant so little to him, meant so much to her. Thank you William, and bless you!
R.i.P. Sir Ian, knight of Jaffa.
Ian is now travelling again with the first doctor and Barbara
At least Susan is still around. Plus I like to think the Doctor reconnected with Ian and got Clara a job and also talked his way into a position at the school for a few years
Iconic & irreplaceable, the gold standard for companions. Warm, open minded & empathetic. Listened to others but never afraid to disagree even with The Doctor.
One memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I was at the Doctor Who 50th celebration back on the 23rd November 2013 at the Excel, busy day of looking at exhibits and getting autographs. My final autograph of the day was William Russell. I had made it to the front of the line and as I was just about to greet him, an announcement came over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen the time now is 5:15pm making it 50 years ago today that Doctor Who started" the place errupted in cheers and all round celebrations for a solid minute. Once things quietened down the first thing I could even say to William when I was at his table was just "congratulations"
We spent a good few minutes talking about the momentous occasion. Such a lovely man and really took his time talking to people. For me it felt like such a huge full circle moment for me. Here I was about to talk to William just as Unearthly child started airing 50 years ago. I get chills thinking about it every time and will no doubt be a memory that will stay with me forever. My friend I was with, not realizing it at the time, was recording the entire thing. Sadly the night he passed, I watched that on loop a lot. Rest in peace William.
You should up load that footage!
@@nathantew946 I'll look into doing that this weekend.
@@WhovianWarsI hope you do. That would have been wonderful to have been there with him at that moment.
I started BAWLING when Ian showed up in power of the doctor
SAME
SAME.
Same! In the nanosecond it took my brain to register who I was looking at, I was already erupting in sobs. The noises that came out of me were not even slightly human. I’m so grateful we got to see Ian one last time! 😭
Fun fact: William Russell was a background player in films like Superman, The Man Who Never Was and The Great Escape, and he’s of course the father of Alfred Enoch who starred in the Harry Potter films.
Ian (and of course by extension Barbara) are probably two of my favourite companions of the entire show. They’re also generally lucky that most of their episodes are available by and large. I just love those early years in particular, but there’s a real warmth to that original TARDIS crew for me. Rest in Peace.
Yeah that's true, in Season 1 only Marco Polo and 2 episodes of The Reign Of Terror (which have been animated) are missing and in Season 2 only 2 episodes of The Crusade are missing. That's pretty incredible! And same, I love those early adventures with Ian and Barbara, they're really comforting!
Ian was an everyman he taught as a teacher but he could handle himself in a situation because he possibly before becoming a teacher was in the armed services or maybe had a few traits from growing up as a child in a tough neighbourhood. He may look the quiet type but we did see his best when cornered the knight in shining armour. William was undoubtedly a good choice to be a companion and second lead in Doctor Who, and William Russell shone but it wasn't just him it was the other two as well. They didn't overshadow the role of the Doctor they gave him something to consider a temporary family.
William Russell was just fantastic and he was the template for male characters' companions that followed him and possibly the next regeneration of the doctor's am sure he inspired them as well. What a thoughtful and charming character actor and dashing heroic figure he brought to teaching throughout time as a warrior teacher. Mr William Russell thank you for so many adventures in time and space you now walk through those Tardis doors to new adventures. Not goodbye but a wink to those time everybody watched you travelling inside that box with Barbara the two teachers who are forever remembered as the first companions so thank you both for starting the stories we have grown up watching. Heavenly Companions and I hope William Hartlen is there to greet you.
Yeah, the man's about 40 in 1963. That puts him in his 20s for World War II.
Rest in peace, William Russell! 99 years is a proud age.
Thanks for the thoughtful retrospective of Sir Ian Chesterton, you nailed it!
I wish I got the chance to meet him, William Russell’s portrayal of Ian is one of the most iconic companions, an integral part of the blueprint of what makes Doctor Who the show that is, an icon and a legend.
I would have loved to have seen what an adventure would have looked like if Ian had been teamed up with Jamie. Both are brilliant companions, and I think might have worked well with each other.
he was 39 in 1963.
Ian’s arguably the best Hartnell era companion next to Steven. Awesome character and performance. May he rest in peace.
What’s your favourite Ian moment?
A nice tribute to William Russell
A tremendous asset for Doctor Who in its early years. William Russell was already the star of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot which gained him a profile in America and his own comic (published by Dell). In Doctor Who, his acting was always convincing even if his sincerety sometimes raises smiles today . You are right, a school teacher made an unlikely hero but it worked! And I can't recall him ever fluffing a line. The companions back then really worked well together. RIP William Russell
I didn't realize that Dell had done a comic book based on that show, but now I have a new title to look for in the back issue bins. Cheers!
@@calebleland8390 Yeah, a google search will show a few covers
In honor of William Russell, I'm going to binge watch The Adventures of Sir Lancelot.
This was a beautiful tribute ❤Ian was so influential to the Doctor as a character, him and Barbara because when Doctor Who started the Doctor wasn't the compassionate hero that we know today, he was quite far from that but Ian and Barbara very much affected the Doctor, Barbara with her compassion and Ian with his brave heroics and because of them the Doctor became a very compassionate hero! And I love that, they were both so important and life-changing to the Doctor, it's because of them that the Doctor is who they are today!
I am so thankful and grateful to Chris Chibnall for bringing William Russell back so we could see Ian one last time and this means even more now, and William Russell broke a guinness world record in the process!
Absolute legend, he may be gone but he will never be forgotten, he has left behind the most incredible legacy!
RIP our Ian Chesterton ❤
This really makes me appreciate him so much more. A true blueprint for all the companions that came after. What a guy. :)
It’s quite obvious that in the 60’s the doctor wasn’t the lead character it was the companions the viewers at the time saw the adventures through the companions and the doctor was the character that happened to have the ship that got them from place to place each serial for me the change of the doctor becoming more the led didn’t happen until Jon Pertwee got the role in the early 70’s and in the daleks it’s Ian that is placed in a dalek casing and has his legs temporarily disabled by the daleks so we shouldn’t underestimate how important the comparisons were in the 60’s also rest in peace William Russell
One of my top 10 companions; one of a few who stood up to the Doctor whenever he stepped outta line.
he'll be awkwardly dancing to the Beatles in the sky now. RIP World Record breaker William Russell.
After hearing this news I wrote a piece of fiction on the funeral of Ian Chesterton in the spirit of Farewell Sarah Jane. I actually shared it with Mr TARDIS on email, but I don't know if he has received it. The piece ended like: "To passersby outside the church, it seemed there were suddenly many old-fashioned telephone booths on the street. Other than that, everything seemed a normal day."
This is actually a repost, because I tried to add a link to the piece on r/doctor who at request, and my comment got deleted instantly. So sorry for anyone who wants to see the whole thing.
I am so glad he got to be a part of the show a few times before he passed. His loss means that we have basically lost the original tardis team. Bar Suzan's actress. Its sad to see another one go may he rest in peace.
The original TARDIS team is one of my favourites, I have all the first doctors DVDs, sad to see nearly all of the original cast is gone
I must admit, the only non-Doctor Who media I've ever seen William Russel in is The Great Escape, where he played Sorren the 'security officer'. A minor role in a film with a huge ensemble cast, but he played it beautifully.
Another thing I wanna add. What I really love about the pilot episode is that if you isolate that particular episode and read into its structure, then Doctor Who is not the main character. He is the villain. He is the scary antagonist of that particular episode. So the first time we ever see the Doctor, in that particular format, he is in fact a villain! I love to contemplate how fun that is, considering all that follows.
This tribute really helped me learn about William's history, its lovely to hear. R.I.P ❤
Very touching and tastefully done. Thanks William x
Great tribute. The old shows remind we of when we were just 'Dr Who fans' without agendas or taking sides on episodes. Thanks for the time to put together this segment.
I hope at the end of rogue we get ‘in loving memory: William Russel 1924-2024’
*How did you know?*
One thing I have come to love about Ian is how funny he is. His comedic moments were played wonderfully by William Russel. Thank you for this lovely tribute to a great character and a remarkable actor.
I'm so glad he was able to appear one final time in the show
Thank you for the memories. He will be missed.
Such a beautiful tribute to him, thank you for sharing. This brought tears to my eyes, especially that sweet video of him with the birthday card.
Knowing this was coming truly didn’t make it any easier to grapple with. I was crying off and on throughout the day when I heard the news and despite his age it’s still a bit of a shock. I’ve been in the Classic Who fandom for 11 years now, with particular emphasis on the 60s, and Russ has continued to be with us for so long that it doesn’t feel right yet to think that he isn’t here anymore. I was always very happy to know that we still had one of the all-time greats around and it’s very jarring and emotional to suddenly have this lack, to know that his soul has now gone on to be somewhere else. Heartbroken as I am though, I must say I’m glad for his sake. Dementia is an awful thing and I’ve worried these past few years for what he must have been going through. It’s a mercy to him to get to rest now. He certainly earned it after 99 long, incredible years!
I love so much everything you said about Ian and his importance as a character in this show’s history and impact on the Doctor. He and Barbara truly don’t get enough credit for being the ones to change the Doctor. We wouldn’t be here celebrating 60 years of Doctor Who without their characters having been there to influence him and shape him into THE Doctor. On top of their unmatchable legacy they are really just fantastic characters generally. There is something so real, organic, and accessible about Ian and Barbara. You truly believe in them as people. To this day I consider them the gold standard of companions and they’re tied up at the top with Steven as my very favorites. The bar has been up in the stratosphere from the very beginning because our first companions were just that good.
I’ve loved Ian so dearly and Russ by extension for so many years. I set to work making my own tribute very shortly after hearing the news, wanting to express my love for him as soon as possible and also trying to keep my mind occupied by editing, but boy was it hard to make, knowing the reason why I was making it. This loss is going to be a rough one to get used to. Rest In Peace, Russ. 💗
Lovely tribute William to your namesake. Because of my old age, I was privileged to see ALL of his DW episodes on original UK transmission.
I have recently started getting in to classic who and have been enjoying more and more. Only a few days ago did I finish The Chase and Ian is definitely my favourite character at this point. It was tragic hearing of his passing, and this video is a brilliant tribute
While I’ve been into Classic Who for over a decade now, I also was just watching The Chase! I’ve been having a rewatch with my sister and we literally just watched that final part the night of the 3rd, and I woke up to the news having been broken about an hour earlier the next day on the 4th. I was so glad I got to watch that one last time without the additional sadness.
this makes me want to revisit some of his old stories. RIP
IMO a must-have for fans: "The Time Museum", an audio story that isn't just a love letter to Ian, but to the Hartnell era.
An older Ian wakes up in a museum for time travellers and he and the curator have to run away from ghostly voices that eat memories.
I can't recommend that story enough! 😊
Some of my favourite quotes from that story:
Curator: "He [the Doctor] never stopped travelling."
Ian: "I am pleased."
"This is like travelling with the Doctor! Never a moment to get your breath back. Flung from one crisis to another. From Vortis to Versailles."
"It's the cave of 500 skulls! The Aztec warlord, Tegana, trapped us in here until we invented the wheel." (Ian's memories get jumbled in this scene)
"That Ian Chesterton is in the past! Let him stay there!"
RIP William Russell
6:42-6:59 Ian is about 40 years old in 1963. That puts him around 18 in 1940-41, when World War II was going on. That's why he's so good at fighting. The training never leaves you.
He will be missed.
Lots of military people go into various roles after their service including teaching but it probably is uncommon for someone to go from Brigadier General to Maths teacher. A lot of Generals either just retire or become heavily involved with the Defence of a country and take a more back office approach to defence budgets and things like that.
Interesting.
Richard Holmes was a Brigadier in the army and went on to teach history at Cranfield university. Just as a for instance, though it's not maths!
@@zxbzxbzxb1 yeah well I said it was uncommon I didn't say it never happened.
That video with the birthday card is so sweet - tears.
Thanks William - you are loved and remembered.
RIP Chesterton, we lost a real legend
RIP chesterfield
This is a brilliant Video. William Russell was an all time great. I have been watching his episodes again, there great. And at least with these, he will be forever young. Thanks for this it was incredibly entertaining.
That makes two heart-wrenching deaths this week.
the second?
@@julieeverett7442Rob Burrow
@@Tillyard86 ok, who is Rob Burrow
@@julieeverett7442he WAS a great player.
He was definitely one of the very best companions of the Doctor. Thanks for the tribute.
I can't add much about William Russell that hasn't already been said, but he was great as one of the killers in Deadly Manor. One of the few bright spots in that movie.
Even after serving in WW2, One never thought he was a PE teacher.
It felt so weird as last week my season 2 collection box set arrived and I watched them talking about the reconstruction of urge to live and seeing him talk about it then to hear he passes a few days later has felt wierd but I wish the best for his family and that he may rest in piece as doctor who has had a massive impact on my life
Thanks for posting this. It was a wonderful tribute.
This is a truly beautiful tribute!
Now our original TARDIS team has but one member remaining…Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman)…so glad William Russell at least got one last turn as Ian Chesterton on TV before passing, he will most definitely be missed 😢
Showing my age! Used to watch Dr Who on Saturday after my dad had watched wrestling on its. Can't remember all the early ones, because we weren't always allowed to watch it. But I do remember Ian shows how things stick in your mind. People go on about the Dalek's. I can remember William being exterminated and transforming into Patrick! Something that scared me more was the Zarbi's! Giant ants gave me nightmares, bearing in mind they were blokes in polystyrene suits!
wonderful tribute - thank you 👌
They need to acknowledge his death in the show they didn't acknowledge Sarah Jane till the giggle which was really disrespectful to have waited so long.
Let's have the Dr attend Ians funeral have some plot start while at funeral maybe Ian left a will for the Dr but it's something complex a task the Dr must complete but there's a obstacle.
Or maybe Ian tells the Dr to visit Susan knowing that he never went back giving us a reason for Susan to finally return.
What if Russell's son appears as ians son maybe he doesn't know about his father's adventures maybe he thinks its made up
They coukd easily do something with Ian even after passing away and a way for the show to come full circle
A very thorough and fitting tribute. RIP, sir.
I hate to say this but Tom Baker's physical appearance and I would say likely medical condition has deteriorated rapidly in the last year or two and I fear he may be the next to go. There is a not-so-small handful of classic Who actors that most likely we will lose in the next decade. These are moments that can't really be prepared for.
Probably my boyfriend's biggest crush in television and film is Ian Chesterton and of course William Russell. He hasn't said much in the last few days since we found out and I cried like a baby on and off for a whole day before I got a hold of myself.
I’m definitely not looking forward to how much loss we’re likely to be facing in the next decade. With Tom in his 90s and all of the remaining sixties actors in their late 70s and 80s… this is going to be very, very difficult. I expect we’ll have quite a few more names gone ten years from now. :'(
We are hitting that first wave where even the actors that were young in the 60s will be passing away. And sadly when it starts it will not stop.
By the time we lose the last 60s actors , we will start to lose the 70s actors , then the 80s etc.
It's very saddening that I come back only this month to learn of William's passing. Now only Waris and Carole are the last credited members of the first episode.
I listened to Farewell Great Macedon the other day (on the day William Russel died sadly) and Ian's antics are taken to an extreme in that, he takes down about a few dozen bulky greek wrestlers, the best in Alexander the Great's Army only with his advanced knowledge of fighting strategy.
I am surprised that they never used the time television again in later episodes to use for identifying what is supposed to happen, or a wrong way it was to happen to even when being warned like when the Daleks were tracking down the Doctor and tardis crew. It even responded when the tardis rematerialized on Arridian.
A lovely tribute.
A very nice Tribute to Mr. Russell. What will we do when Tom Baker dies. He is the first Doctor I Saw in the U.S. I Loved his portrayal of the Doctor from the very !st episode (Robot)
7:23 This kind of moment of music is not lost on a guy like me. I've done tributes as well.
Ian Chesterton Action Man (TM)! Are we sure his teaching job wasn't just a cover for a career in MI6?
0:01 dressed as exactly Rowley Birkin QC
As a huge fan of both Who and Superman from the 60's, I can't believe I never knew WR was a Kryptonian Elder. Must be the horrible lighting effects, one of the few negative aspects of the film.
I believe Talking Pictures TV (on Sky under "Movies" in the EPG) occasionally show Sir Lancelot
Great tribute to an original companion. I wish we could see all those episodes and not need the animations, so we could see all his original stories. I started with the 4th Doctor, so the 1st Doctor felt weird at first, and very jarring.
I actually like the Peter Cushing Doctor, but I'm a huge fan of classic Who and classic horror!
Sad he's gone, but 99 is quite the achievement, he will be missed.
I said to myself I'd never watch Doctor Who, then as a flex on the wokies I said "alright. I'll watch Doctor Who... let's see... first episode... An Unearthly Child... 1963" (BTW that episode is really damn good. I watched it twice on accident cause it said pilot and episode 1, didn't mind.) And holy shit what a lovable character Ian Chesterton is. My favorite companion. I compare all the following gentleman-styled characters to him that follow. It's pretty much the same in that there's a replacement for Susan, a replacement for Ian, sometimes a Barbara, and sure they switch it up. But I'm only on the fourth doctor so we'll see what pops by. But so far there's been no Ian as Ian as Ian. My favorite Ian. But I think maybe the current Ian is the second best. My memory might be a bit fuzzy after 400 episodes in six months, but Harry Sullivan is very good. Unless Ian #2 is better which I don't recall if he was, I don't think he was from memory, but Harry Sullivan is doing damn good. Damn fine job. It's almost like the companions regenerate too, innit?
I'm really loving your video and I'm glad you are monetized, but the sheer number of commercials is staggering and destroying the mood that you're building. I don't know if you can complain to UA-cam about it or something but it really is terrible. I imagine it's because of the buzz surrounding William Russell's death and I imagine that most videos about him right now are probably drenched in commercials. UA-cam just randomly throws them in there with no care to the flow of anyone's videos period content creators should be able to timestamp the best places for such interruptions if they choose. Sorry I wouldn't have said anything but it's really killing me on this one. R.I.P William Russell
Now only Carol Ann Ford (susan) is left. Most of the whole tardis team is gone.
❤
So the Peter Cushing Doctor Who movies were done during the William Hartnell era? Wow I always though it was before the TV series started, but that wouldn't make much sense since everyone would be say pointing out Peter Crushing was the first Doctor. To bad Peter Crushing isn't apart of the canon, probably because it's sort of a re-telling of the same stories. Yet Dr. Who and the Daleks was a really intense movie. Well I wasn't even born yet anyway to know any better. LOL
Its semi canon that Ian and Barbara commissioned these films to tell their stories without seeming mad or breaking trust, if so, they ARE a part of canon
@@julieeverett7442 wait I'm confused. You mean the actors Jacqueline Hill and William Russell commissioned (paid money) to the Peter Crushing Doctor Who movies?
@@fragalot no, I mean the characters, Ian and Barbara, commissioned the movies
@@julieeverett7442 that makes no sense.
@@fragalot After leaving the TARDIS, the characters commissioned the making of the films in-universe to retell their adventures with the Doctor.
14:15 in the documentary on the chase DVD. William Russell was asked did Ian and Barbara get married. Apparently he and Jacqueline Hill didn't think so.
2:23 out of interest Will, where did you get the casting date from?
I got that date from a recent Telos Publishing book called "The Hartnell Years" by David Brunt which gives a near day-by-day account of the shows production during the 1st Doctor's era.
What do you mean when you said the burning stone is a sequel to an unearthly child
It shows what happened to the tribe from that story.
@@Quirderph oh ok
@@Batman69356 I mean, technically pretty much all of Doctor Who is a sequel to An Unearthly Child...
Wasn’t his grandson in the Harry Potter films?
Son
How was his son?
@@nathantew946 Afred Enoch was born in 1988, when William was in his sixties (he remarried in 1984).
I feel like if they had just started making Doctor Who now, William Russell would have been the Doctor.
Actually watching early Doctor Who with the mindset of how stories are written in 2024 makes me think several things. Like for instance, the series starts with the teachers investigating Susan, an "Unearthly Child". But other than her label in the introduction she exhibits no oddities, we're not curious to her origins. We just know she is the granddaughter of the titular Doctor. The mystery of Susan should have been more poignant and lead us to the mystery of the Doctor. Instead after her introduction she's just one of the crew.
We assume Susan has parents, one of which would be the Doctor's child, but is that actually the case? Or is she the adopted granddaughter. As we meet more timelords throughout the series, we only hear names like the Valeyard, the Corsair, the Rani, the Master, but never someone with a simple name like Susan. Foreman I get she adopts the surname of the junkyard where she's staying, but where does Susan come from? I would have loved if Susan's name is revealed to the the Nurse.
your way too obsessed with dr who
There are worse obsessions to have. Like cocaine.
I like Ian and Bardrea and Susan but what most odd is where the fuck the earthly child on I player just your review. That all.
that how they do it focuses on monsters and adventure and escapism. When William left it still was good but rather sad. I like Viki too she was on the same par as the doctor when it comes to certain knowledge.