Doctor Who: Russell T. Davies, Carole Ann Ford Honor William Russell (2024)

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Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies and star Carole Ann Ford shared their thoughts on the passing of William Russell (Ian Chesterton).

As the Doctor Who universe mourns the passing of William Russell, the late actor's co-star Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman) and current showrunner Russell T. Davies are sharing their thoughts. Russell's schoolteacher, Ian Chesterton, and Ford's Susan made their debut in 1963's "An Unearthly Child," joining William Hartnell's First Doctor and Jacqueline Hill's Barbara Wright for the start of what would turn into a global phenomenon that recently celebrated its 60th anniversary."Russ was such a dear, lovely man, an outstanding actor who was dedicated to his craft, but with a wonderful sense of humour and a permanent twinkle in his eye," Ford shared with RadioTimes.com. "He was always looking out for me when I played Susan – I wanted to leap over things, fight the villains, and do more action, and he got so worried that I would get hurt! I cherished working with him and the many reunions we had over the years. Russ had such a rich and full life – television, films, theatre, the lot – and quite rightly received such warmth and affection from everyone who knew him. He will be missed."

"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," Davies began the caption to his post honoring Russell – along with an image of the two together. "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." Here's a look at Davies's original post: