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Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British
science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'', created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and played by Nicholas Courtney. He is one of the founders of UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, later Unified Intelligence Taskforce), an international organisation that defends Earth from alien threats, and serves as commander of the British contingent. Presented at first as reluctant to accept the continuing aid of the Doctor, over time the Brigadier became one of the Doctor's greatest friends and his principal ally in defending Earth. As one of the series' most prominent recurring characters over its history, the Brigadier appeared in 23 stories during the original run of ''Doctor Who'', first appearing in the 1968 serial '' The Web of Fear'' opposite the
Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. Out of his 1 ...
(
Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor. He became best known for his roles in television, most notably starring as the Second Doctor, second incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the lo ...
). The character made frequent appearances on the series following the introduction of the
Third Doctor The Third Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee. Within the series' ...
(
Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...
) in 1970's '' Spearhead from Space''. His final appearance in the program was in 1989's ''
Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...
'' opposite the
Seventh Doctor The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-o ...
(
Sylvester McCoy Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith (born 20 August 1943), known professionally as Sylvester McCoy, is a Scottish actor. Gaining prominence as a physical comedian, he became best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the long ...
). Nearly 20 years later, Courtney reprised the role in the DVD Special Feature called "Liberty Hall" in 2009 written by Karen Davies and directed by Brendan Sheppard in which the Brigadier was interviewed by a Times journalist. Then he finally appeared in the spin-off programme '' The Sarah Jane Adventures'' in 2008, his last appearance prior to Courtney's death in 2011. That year, ''Doctor Who'' later paid tribute to Courtney by announcing the Brigadier had died with a line of dialogue in " The Wedding of River Song". Later still, a Cyberman avatar of the Brigadier also appears, and achieves some closure with the
Twelfth Doctor The Twelfth Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi in three ...
(
Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, singer and guitarist. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker i ...
), in " Death in Heaven" (2014). The 2012 episode " The Power of Three" introduced the Brigadier's daughter, new UNIT chief Kate Stewart (
Jemma Redgrave Jemima Rebecca "Jemma" Redgrave (born 14 January 1965) is an English actress, and a member of the Redgrave family. She is known for her roles as the title character in '' Bramwell'' (1995–1998) and as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart in ''Doctor Who'' ...
). The character was originally created in the unlicensed video spin-off ''
Downtime In computing and telecommunications, downtime (also (system) outage or (system) drought colloquially) is a period when a system is unavailable. The unavailability is the proportion of a time-span that a system is unavailable or offline. This is ...
'' in 1995, in which the Brigadier also appeared. Kate becomes a recurring character making appearances alongside every Doctor from the Tenth to the Fifteenth.


Character history

Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart's ancestry goes back to Scotland, according to dialogue in '' Terror of the Zygons'' (1975). He first encounters the
Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. Out of his 1 ...
in '' The Web of Fear'' (1968), when Lethbridge-Stewart is a lieutenant-colonel in the
Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...
commanding a
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
detachment sent to investigate the Yeti in the
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...
. By his next appearance in '' The Invasion'' (1968), he had been promoted to
brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
and was working with UNIT. When the Doctor was forcibly regenerated and exiled to Earth, Lethbridge-Stewart gave him a position as UNIT's scientific advisor after he helped defeat the Auton invasion. Other military members of UNIT included Captain Mike Yates, Sergeant Benton and Royal Navy Lieutenant Harry Sullivan. Most of the stories about the
Third Doctor The Third Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee. Within the series' ...
were set on Earth and feature UNIT and the Brigadier heavily. While not as ubiquitous in following years, he appeared alongside every subsequent Doctor in the original television series run, excluding the
Sixth Doctor The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual t ...
, with whom he appeared only in the 30th anniversary special, ''
Dimensions in Time ''Dimensions in Time'' is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and the soap opera ''EastEnders.'' The special was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on lo ...
'' in 1993. Although Lethbridge-Stewart first met the Doctor in his second incarnation, he also met and worked with the
First Doctor The First Doctor is the original incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell in th ...
in the opening serial of the 10th anniversary season, '' The Three Doctors'' and again in the 20th-anniversary special, " The Five Doctors". He eventually retired from the military to teach
mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
at an English public school in 1976, as seen in '' Mawdryn Undead'' (1983). The Brigadier and the Sixth Doctor, as well as later incarnations of the Doctor, have been paired in numerous spin-off productions (see Other appearances). As one of the most popular recurring supporting characters in the television series, the Brigadier is often listed among the Doctor's companions. He is listed as such by the BBC and is included in a book by John Nathan-Turner's (a former producer of ''Doctor Who'') discussing all the Doctor's companions. Lethbridge-Stewart's last appearance in a ''Doctor Who'' television episode was in 1989, in the
Seventh Doctor The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-o ...
serial ''
Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...
''. Called out of retirement to deal with an other-dimensional invasion of armoured knights led by Morgaine, he found himself once again at the Doctor's side. Lethbridge-Stewart served as his world's champion as he faced down and killed the demonic Destroyer of Worlds armed only with his service
revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
and a load of
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
-tipped bullets. (''Battlefield'' was stated to be a few years into Ace's future but not a specific date. The
Virgin New Adventures The ''Virgin New Adventures'' (NA series, or NAs) are a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British Science fiction on television, science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. They continued the story of the Doctor from th ...
books place it in 1997.) Little was shown of Lethbridge-Stewart's life outside UNIT in the television series. '' Planet of the Spiders'' referred to a relationship with a woman called Doris. By ''Battlefield'', he was married to her (played by
Angela Douglas Angela Douglas (born Angela McDonagh) is an English actress. Early life Douglas was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire circa 1940. Career Douglas started acting as a teenager, joining the Worthing, West Sussex repertory theatre, repert ...
). It was Courtney's own belief that the Brigadier had been in a previous marriage to a woman named Fiona, and that he and Doris were having an affair; his first marriage ended due to his work. Although Lethbridge-Stewart never appeared in the revived series, the character is still alive during the Tenth Doctor's tenure. In the spin-off programme '' The Sarah Jane Adventures'' story '' Revenge of the Slitheen'', Sarah Jane Smith says to "give erlove to the Brig". In the Tenth Doctor episode " The Poison Sky", the Doctor mentions that he could use the help of "the Brigadier". He is then told that "Sir Alistair" is "stranded in Peru", indicating that the Brigadier has been
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
by this time. The first film footage from the classic era to appear in the revived era was his photograph displayed in the slow pan across Sarah Jane Smith's attic in the opening scene of '' The Sarah Jane Adventures'' première, '' Invasion of the Bane''. In 2008, Courtney again reprised the role in a '' The Sarah Jane Adventures'' story, '' Enemy of the Bane'', and confirmed his knighthood repeatedly: Major Kilburne and Sarah Jane each address him as "Sir Alistair" and he later introduces himself fully as "Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart" to Mrs. Wormwood. This episode refers back to the Peru mission as there is mention of him being de-briefed about it. Sarah Jane asks Lethbridge-Stewart to assist her in accessing UNIT's "Black Archive", a top secret alien artefact facility first alluded to by Douglas Cavendish to Sir Alistair's daughter in '' Dæmos Rising''. Sarah Jane prefers to avoid seeking official clearance, to avoid awkward questions about Luke, her artificially-grown son. In his old age, the Brigadier has developed a dislike for the new way UNIT works and often refers to events that happened in "his day". He walks with a walking stick now, but is seen driving a
Bentley T-series The Bentley T-series is a luxury automobile produced by Bentley Motors Limited in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwe ...
to UNIT's "Black Archive". His wife (presumably Doris) is mentioned in this episode. The Brigadier assists Sarah Jane and Rani in escaping UNIT and later confronts a Bane disguised as a UNIT officer, shooting him dead with a gun hidden within his cane. In '' The Sarah Jane Adventures'' story '' The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith'', Clyde Langer tells Peter Dalton that the Brigadier cannot make it to the wedding because he is back in Peru. It had been intended by the production team that Lethbridge-Stewart would indeed appear in the story and meet the Tenth Doctor, but Courtney was recovering from a stroke and unable to take part. He is reported to be in Peru for a third time in '' Death of the Doctor'' (2010). Clyde describes him as being Sarah Jane's oldest friend; Sarah Jane met both the Doctor and Sir Alistair in the first episode of the Third Doctor serial, '' The Time Warrior'' (1974). In 2009, Courtney reprised the role for a final time in the short film ''Liberty Hall'', an extra for '' Mawdryn Undead''s DVD release. The film is a seven-minute
mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
where a fictional journalist interviews the Brigadier about his life. The Brigadier discusses his marriages with Fiona and Doris, and mentions his daughter Kate and grandson Gordon (referencing ''Downtime''). He states that his most recent encounter with the Doctor took place in 2000, when he was on unofficial UNIT business in Malebolgia in the United States (referencing the Eighth Doctor audio drama '' Minuet in Hell''). He concludes, "So, now I've hung up my uniform for good... unless I hear that a blue police box has been found somewhere, and then, don't you worry, I'll be ready!" Sometime later, the Brigadier becomes ill and is moved into a nursing home. In 2011's " The Wedding of River Song", the
Eleventh Doctor The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation (otherwise known as regeneration) of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as five specials. As wi ...
rings the nursing home to have the Brigadier made ready for a trip; a nurse regretfully informs him that the Brigadier died peacefully "a few months ago" and had spoken well of him often, insisting a glass always be kept ready for him in case he turned up. The Doctor is visibly shattered by the news, which forces him to realise that he can't avoid his predestined death. In the 2014 episode " Death in Heaven", Missy (the regenerated female Master) resurrects the Earth's dead as flight-capable Cybermen. The Brigadier's daughter Kate is apparently killed falling from a plane during a Cybermen attack. Overcoming his programming, the converted Danny Pink commands the Cybermen to sacrifice themselves to thwart Missy's plan. The Doctor prepares to execute Missy, but is preempted by a lone surviving Cyberman, who seemingly vaporizes her with a forearm-mounted ray-gun. Finding that the Cyberman has rescued Kate, the Doctor realizes it is the converted Brigadier, saying "Of course! Earth's darkest hour, and mine. Where else would you be?" Overcome with emotion, the Doctor salutes him – something Kate said her father had always wanted – and the Brigadier fires his leg jets and flies away. What happens to him afterward is left unknown. In the 2017 Christmas special " Twice Upon a Time", the First and Twelfth Doctors unwittingly intervene when Testimony, an organization in the far future that collect memories from those about to die, retrieve a seemingly-innocuous captain in the First World War from the moment before his death, the temporal anomaly of the two Doctors resisting their imminent regenerations disrupting Testimony's efforts to return the captain to his scheduled death. The Doctors are able to bend the rules and return the captain to a point a couple of hours after he was taken out of time, in time for his life to be saved by the Christmas truce. Before he returns to time, the captain reveals that his name is Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart, suggesting that he is a relative of the Brigadier. Although not confirmed on-screen, Gatiss later confirmed in an interview with Radio Times that the character is one of the Brigadier's grandfathers.


List of television appearances


Other appearances

The Brigadier and the Sixth Doctor were paired in the two-part charity special ''
Dimensions in Time ''Dimensions in Time'' is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and the soap opera ''EastEnders.'' The special was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on lo ...
'' and the Big Finish audio play, '' The Spectre of Lanyon Moor''. The Sixth Doctor also meets the Brigadier in the novel '' Business Unusual'', also purporting to be the first meeting of the two characters, subsequently working together in '' The Shadow in the Glass'' to track down the newly discovered
Fourth Reich The term Fourth Reich () is commonly used to refer to a hypothetical successor to Adolf Hitler's Third Reich (1933–1945) and the possible resurgence of Nazi ideas. It has also been used pejoratively by political opponents. Origin The term " ...
; in the short story "Brief Encounter: A Wee Deoch an..?", written by Sixth Doctor actor
Colin Baker Colin Charles Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor. He played Paul Merroney in the BBC television drama series ''The Brothers (1972 TV series), The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the Sixth Doctor, sixth incarnation of The Doctor (Do ...
and published in '' Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special'', 1991, they cross paths but neither realises it. The Brigadier has also appeared with the Eighth Doctor in the novel ''The Eight Doctors'' by Terrance Dicks (set after the events of the TV Movie and during moments of The Doctors' past lives) in audio plays and the novels '' The Dying Days'' and '' The Shadows of Avalon''. The Tenth Doctor met the Brigadier in the ''Doctor Who Magazine'' comic ''The Warkeeper's Crown''. The Brigadier and his family have made several appearances in the spin-off media. The spin-off UNIT videos ''
Downtime In computing and telecommunications, downtime (also (system) outage or (system) drought colloquially) is a period when a system is unavailable. The unavailability is the proportion of a time-span that a system is unavailable or offline. This is ...
'' and '' Dæmos Rising'' feature Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, the Brigadier's daughter from his marriage to his first wife, Fiona (first named in the Missing Adventure '' The Scales of Injustice'' by Gary Russell). Also appearing was Kate's young son, Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Kate also played her UNIT role in the fiftieth anniversary episode, " The Day of the Doctor" (2013). The novels also gave Lethbridge-Stewart another offspring. While on duty in
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
as a young lieutenant, Lethbridge-Stewart met and was intimate with a local girl named Mariatu, the daughter of a village chief, and unknown to Lethbridge-Stewart, she had a son. This was first hinted at in
Ben Aaronovitch Ben Dylan Aaronovitch (born 22 February 1964) is an English author and screenwriter. He is the author of the series of novels '' Rivers of London''. He also wrote two ''Doctor Who'' serials in the late 1980s and spin-off novels from ''Doctor Who ...
's novelisation of his 1988 serial '' Remembrance of the Daleks'', which featured quotes from a fictional history of UNIT (''The Zen Military'') written by a Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart (Mariatu's granddaughter) in 2006. In the 1992 New Adventures novel ''
Transit Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1980 film), a 1980 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (1986 film), a Canadian short film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countrie ...
'' (also by Aaronovitch, and set in the 22nd Century), the Seventh Doctor meets the adopted daughter of General Yembe Lethbridge-Stewart, one of Mariatu's descendants. This daughter, also named Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart, went on to become a recurring character in the New Adventures. The novels have also fleshed out the Brigadier's ancestry, establishing that he comes from a long-standing military family. In the New Adventures novel '' The Dying Days'' by Lance Parkin, he talks about three ancestors who reached the rank of
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
. One, William Lethbridge-Stewart, was in the retinue of James VI of Scotland and I of England. The other two fought at
Naseby Naseby is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census was 687. The village is north of Northa ...
and Waterloo. ''The Scales of Injustice'' names the latter as Major-General Fergus Lethbridge-Stewart. The Brigadier also says in ''The Dying Days'' that his father died in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, fighting alongside Field-Marshal Montgomery in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. The Past Doctor Adventures novel '' The Wages of Sin'' by David A. McIntee established that the Brigadier had an ancestor named Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart who worked for the British Government in 1916. '' Deadly Reunion'' by Terrance Dicks and
Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...
establishes that the Brigadier was a Second Lieutenant serving in Army Intelligence in 1944, although this makes the Brigadier older than other stories would suggest. In the novels, Lethbridge-Stewart emerged from retirement again during the events of ''The Dying Days'' where he dealt with an invasion of Ice Warriors from
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
in 1997. At the end of that novel he was promoted to General. Lethbridge-Stewart was subsequently rejuvenated with alien technology in '' Happy Endings'' by
Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. Other British television dramas f ...
, taking place in 2010. The rejuvenated Lethbridge-Stewart, widowed as a result of an accident at sea but back with the military, next appeared in the
BBC Books BBC Books (also formerly known as BBC Consumer Publishing and BBC Publishing) is an imprint majority-owned and managed by Penguin Random House through its Ebury Publishing division. The minority shareholder is BBC Studios, the commercial subsidia ...
Eighth Doctor Adventures novel '' The Shadows of Avalon'', also by Cornell, where he still held the rank of General but preferred to be called "the Brigadier". According to '' The King of Terror'' by Keith Topping, Lethbridge-Stewart eventually passes away in the early 2050s. Courtney played the Brigadier in two
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
''Doctor Who'' plays set during the Third Doctor's era, '' The Paradise of Death'' (1993) and '' The Ghosts of N-Space'' (1996), alongside Pertwee and Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. For Big Finish, he has played the part of Lethbridge-Stewart in several plays, with '' Minuet in Hell'' revealing that he played a role in the establishment of the
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
and also that he does covert work for the UN as a plausibly deniable agent. He also played an alternate universe version of the Brigadier in the '' Doctor Who Unbound'' play ''
Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and credited to the Jagger–Richards partnership. It is the opening track on the band's 1968 Studio album, album ''Beggars Banquet ...
'', opposite David Warner as the Doctor and
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
(later cast as the Tenth Doctor) as Colonel Brimmecombe-Wood. At the conclusion of ''Sympathy'', the alternate Brigadier- referred to as 'Alistair'- joins Warner's Doctor as his companion, but after an unspecified amount of time travelling together, they part ways in the later audio '' Masters of War'', when the two arrive on Skaro and force the Daleks and the Thals to join forces to fight off an invasion by a race known as the Quatch, Alistair remaining once the Quatch are defeated to help the two sides maintain their new truce. Courtney also voiced the Brigadier in the 2001
webcast A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webca ...
'' Death Comes to Time''. In December 2004, Big Finish released the first of a series of UNIT-based audio plays, where General Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart acted as a consultant to a new generation of officers and by series' end became UNIT's new Scientific Advisor. If the events in this series are to be reconciled with the books, these plays would seem to take place between the events of ''The Dying Days'' and ''Happy Endings'', as this version of Lethbridge-Stewart does not seem to be rejuvenated. Also, the public does not believe in existence of aliens, which would appear to place it before the events of "
The Christmas Invasion "The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute Television special, special episode of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', first broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2005. This episode features the first full-episode appea ...
". In the ''
Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In ...
'' comic strip story ''Warkeeper's Crown'' (DWM #378–380), Lethbridge-Stewart made a reappearance alongside the Tenth Doctor after being kidnapped by Warlords as a tactical commander. He was an old officer stationed at Sandhurst. A series of novels featuring the young Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart has been published by Candy Jar Books since 2015. The novels are licensed by the literary estate of co-creator Mervyn Haisman and endorsed by Henry Lincoln. In 2017, ''The Third Doctor Adventures- Volume Five'' features
Jon Culshaw Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968) is an English actor, comedian and Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy ''Dead Ringers (comedy), Dead Ringers'' since 2000. Culshaw has voiced ...
acting as the Brigadier in a series of audios set during the Third Doctor's era. In ''The Legacy of Time'', a special six-part audio to celebrate Big Finish's twentieth anniversary of producing ''Doctor Who''-related audios, the story ''The Sacrifice of Jo Grant'' sees Jo Grant and Kate Stewart of the present day being sent back to the 1970s by a series of temporal rifts, where they meet the Third Doctor as he investigates the anomalies in his time. While Kate attempts to avoid introducing herself to limit the risk of a paradox, the Doctor realizes her identity and convinces her to call her father, introducing herself as the commander of UNIT in the future without identifying herself by name, with the Brigadier (voiced by Jon Culshaw once again) telling her that he is assured that the future of UNIT is in good hands.


List of other appearances


Video

*'' Wartime'' (voice only) *''
Downtime In computing and telecommunications, downtime (also (system) outage or (system) drought colloquially) is a period when a system is unavailable. The unavailability is the proportion of a time-span that a system is unavailable or offline. This is ...
'' (novelised by scriptwriter Marc Platt as part of the Virgin Missing Adventures line) *''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'' (novelised by scriptwriter
Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...
as part of the Target Books novelisation line) *'' The Ghosts of N-Space'' (novelised by scriptwriter Barry Letts as part of the Virgin Missing Adventures line)


= Big Finish Productions

= *'' The Spectre of Lanyon Moor'' (with the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe) *'' Minuet in Hell'' (with the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard) *'' Zagreus'' (the TARDIS creates a holographic projection in the form of the Brigadier) *''
Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and credited to the Jagger–Richards partnership. It is the opening track on the band's 1968 Studio album, album ''Beggars Banquet ...
'' (''Doctor Who Unbound'' series, out of normal ''Doctor Who'' continuity; travels with an alternate Third Doctor) *'' Masters of War'' (''Doctor Who Unbound'' series, out of normal ''Doctor Who'' continuity; leaves an alternate Third Doctor after facing an alternate Davros and the Daleks) *'' UNIT: The Coup'' *'' UNIT: Time Heals'' *'' UNIT: The Wasting'' *''The Blue Tooth'' (adventure related by the character Liz Shaw) *'' Old Soldiers'' *''The Doll of Death'' (adventure related by the character Jo Grant) *'' The Three Companions'' *'' The Magician's Oath'' (adventure related by the character Captain Mike Yates) *'' The Mega'' (adventure related by the characters Jo Grant & Captain Mike Yates) *''Shadow of the Past'' (adventure related by the character Liz Shaw) *''
The Many Deaths of Jo Grant ''The Companion Chronicles'' is a sci-fi audio series produced by Big Finish, detailing adventures usually featuring the Doctor, as told by various former companions of his, with only one further voice actor taking part in the narration. It be ...
'' (adventure related by the character Jo Grant) *'' The Rings of Ikiria'' (adventure related by the character Captain Mike Yates) *'' The Last Post'' (adventure related by the character Liz Shaw) *''The Third Doctor Adventures: Volume Five'' (portrayed by
Jon Culshaw Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968) is an English actor, comedian and Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy ''Dead Ringers (comedy), Dead Ringers'' since 2000. Culshaw has voiced ...
) *''The Legacy of Time: The Sacrifice of Jo Grant'' (cameo appearance; portrayed by Jon Culshaw) *''Way of the Burryman/The Forth Generation'' (portrayed by Jon Culshaw)


= BBCi webcast

= *'' Death Comes to Time''


= Short Trips audios

= *''Walls of Confinement''


Novels


= The Companions of Doctor Who

= *''Harry Sullivan's War'' by Ian Marter


=

Virgin New Adventures The ''Virgin New Adventures'' (NA series, or NAs) are a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British Science fiction on television, science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. They continued the story of the Doctor from th ...

= *'' Blood Heat'' by Jim Mortimore ( parallel universe version of the Brigadier) *'' No Future'' by
Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. Other British television dramas f ...
*'' Happy Endings'' by
Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. Other British television dramas f ...
*'' The Dying Days'' by Lance Parkin


= Virgin Missing Adventures

= *'' Dancing the Code'' by Paul Leonard *'' The Eye of the Giant'' by Christopher Bulis *'' The Scales of Injustice'' by Gary Russell


= Virgin sidestep novel

= *'' Who Killed Kennedy'' by David Bishop


= Eighth Doctor Adventures

= *''
The Eight Doctors ''The Eight Doctors'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was the first of the Eighth Doctor Adventure ...
'' by Terrance Dicks *'' The Shadows of Avalon'' by
Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. Other British television dramas f ...


= Past Doctor Adventures

= *'' The Devil Goblins from Neptune'' by Martin Day and Keith Topping (Third Doctor, Liz, Benton & Yates) *'' Business Unusual'' by Gary Russell (Sixth Doctor & Mel) *'' The Face of the Enemy'' by David A. McIntee (Third Doctor's era; works with Benton, Yates, Ian, Barbara and the Master in the absence of the Third Doctor and Jo) *'' Deep Blue'' by Mark Morris (set in the Third Doctor's era but working with the Fifth, Tegan & Turlough; also Benton & Yates) *'' Last of the Gaderene'' by
Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...
(Third Doctor, Jo, Benton & Yates) *''
Verdigris Verdigris () is a common name for any of a variety of somewhat toxic copper salt (chemistry), salts of acetic acid, which range in colour from green to a blue-green, bluish-green depending on their chemical composition.H. Kühn, Verdigris and Cop ...
'' by Paul Magrs (Third Doctor, Jo, Benton & Yates) *'' The King of Terror'' by Keith Topping (Fifth Doctor, Tegan & Turlough) *'' Rags'' by Mick Lewis (Third Doctor, Jo, Benton & Yates) *'' The Shadow in the Glass'' by Justin Richards and Stephen Cole (Sixth Doctor) *'' Deadly Reunion'' by Terrance Dicks and
Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...
(Third Doctor, Jo, Benton & Yates) *'' Island of Death'' by
Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...
(Third Doctor, Jo, Benton & Yates)


= Lethbridge-Stewart

= *''The Forgotten Son'' by Andy Frankham-Allen *''The Schizoid Earth'' by
David A McIntee David A. McIntee (31 December 1968 – 15 December 2024) was a British writer. Life and career McIntee wrote many spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction Television program, television series ''Doctor Who'', as well as one each based ...
*''Beast of Fang Rock'' by Andy Frankham-Allen (based on an idea by Terrance Dicks) *''Mutually Assured Domination'' by Nick Walters *''Moon Blink'' by Sadie Miller *''The Showstoppers'' by
Jonathan Cooper Jonathan Javell Cooper (born January 19, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2013 NFL draft. He play ...
*''The Grandfather Infestation'' by
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
*''Times Squared'' by Rick Cross *''Blood of Atlantis'' by Simon A. Forward *''Mind of Stone'' by Iain McLaughlin *''Night of the Intelligence'' by Andy Frankham-Allen *''The Daughters of Earth'' by Sarah Groenewegen *''The Dreamer's Lament'' by Benjamin Burford-Jones *''A Very Private Haunting'' by Sharon Bidwell *''The New Unusual'' by Adrian Sherlock and Andy Frankham-Allen *''The Man From Yesterday'' by Nick Walters *''The Laughing Gnome: Scary Monsters'' by Simon A. Forward *''The Laughing Gnome: Fear of The Web'' by Alyson Leeds *''The Laughing Gnome: The Danger Men'' by Nick Walters *''The Laughing Gnome: Rise of The Dominator'' by Robert Mammone *''The Laughing Gnome: Lucy Wilson and The Bledoe Cadets'' by Tim Gambrell *''The Laughing Gnome: On His Majesty's National Service'' by
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
*''Bloodlines: Home Fires Burn'' by Gareth Madgwick *''Bloodlines: The Shadowman'' by Sharon Bidwell *''Bloodlines: An Ordinary Man'' by Andy Frankham-Allen and Tim Gambrell *''Bloodlines: The George Kostinen Mystery'' by Chris Lynch *''Bloodlines: Foreword to the Past'' by Baz Greenland *''I, Alistair'' by Robert Mammone *''Domination Game'' by Alyson Leeds and Megan Fizell *''Fear Frequency'' by George Ivanoff *''The Haunting of Gabriel Chase'' by British author Andrew Allen *''Warriors of Montu'' by Gareth Madgwick *''The Overseers'' by James Middleditch *''Blue Blood'' by Australian author Chris Thomas *''A Most Haunted Man'' by Sarah Groenewegen *''Legacy of the Dominator'' by Nick Walters *''The Hiraeth Embrace'' by James Middleditch *''Spheres of Influence'' by Violet Addison and David N. Smith


The Lucy Wilson Mysteries

*''Avatars of The Intelligence'' by Sue Hampton *''Curse of The Mirror Clowns'' by Chris Lynch *''The Midnight People'' by
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
*''The Bandril Invasion'' by Wink Taylor *''The Brigadier and The Bledoe Cadets'' by Tim Gambrell


Novellas

*''The Life of Evans'' by
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
*''The Flaming Soldier'' by Christopher Bryant *''The Lost Skin'' by Andy Frankham-Allen


Anthologies

*''The HAVOC Files'' *''The HAVOC Files 2'' *''The HAVOC Files 3'' *''The HAVOC Files 4'' *''The Lethbridge-Stewart Short Story Collection'' *''Lineage'' *''The Lethbridge-Stewart Short Story Collection 2'' *''The HAVOC Files 2 - Special Edition'' *''The HAVOC Files: The Laughing Gnome'' *''The HAVOC Files: Loose Ends'' *''The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Christmas Crackers'' *''The HAVOC Files 3 - Special Edition''


Short stories

*"Brief Encounter—Listening Watch" by
Dan Abnett Daniel P. Abnett ( ; born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and has worked on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since ...
(''
Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In ...
Winter Special 1991'') *"Brief Encounter: A Wee Deoch an..?" by
Colin Baker Colin Charles Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor. He played Paul Merroney in the BBC television drama series ''The Brothers (1972 TV series), The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the Sixth Doctor, sixth incarnation of The Doctor (Do ...
(''
Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In ...
Winter Special 1991'') *"The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back" by Vanessa Bishop ('' Decalog'') *"Where the Heart Is" by
Andy Lane Andrew Lane (born 17 April 1963), as Andy Lane, is a British author and journalist best known for the Young Sherlock Holmes series of Young Adult novels. He has written novels in the Virgin New Adventures range and audio dramas for Big Fin ...
('' Decalog 2: Lost Property'') *"UNITed We Fall" by Keith R.A. DeCandido ('' Decalog 3: Consequences'') *"Freedom" by Steve Lyons ('' Short Trips'') *"Degrees of Truth" by David A. McIntee ('' Short Trips'' audio book, read by Nicholas Courtney) *"Honest Living" by Jason Loborik ('' More Short Trips'') *"Still Lives" by Ian Potter ('' Short Trips: Zodiac'') *"The Switching" by
Simon Guerrier Simon Guerrier (born June 1976) is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of ''Doctor Who'' and its Doctor Who spin-offs, spinoffs. Although he has written three ''Doctor Who'' novels, fo ...
('' Short Trips: Zodiac'') *"Hidden Talent" by Andrew Spokes ('' Short Trips: Companions'') *"An Overture Too Early" by
Simon Guerrier Simon Guerrier (born June 1976) is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of ''Doctor Who'' and its Doctor Who spin-offs, spinoffs. Although he has written three ''Doctor Who'' novels, fo ...
('' Short Trips: The Muses'') *"UNIT Christmas Parties: First Christmas" by Nick Wallace ('' Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury'') *"UNIT Christmas Parties: Christmas Truce" by Terrance Dicks ('' Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury'') *"UNIT Christmas Parties: Ships That Pass" by Karen Dunn ('' Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury'') *"Faithful Friends" by Mark Wright & Cavan Scott ('' Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas'') *"The Ambush" by Andy Frankham-Allen (''
Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In ...
'', '' Lethbridge-Stewart: The HAVOC Files'') *"Cowpats and Comfort" by Tim Gambrell ('' The Lethbridge-Stewart Quiz Book (Exclusive Edition)'')


Comics

*"The Arkwood Experiments" by John Canning ('' TV Comic 944–949'') *"The Multi-Mobile!" by John Canning ('' TV Comic 950–954'') *"Insect" by John Canning ('' TV Comic 955–959'') *"The Metal Eaters" by John Canning ('' TV Comic 960–964'') *"The Fishmen of Carpantha" by John Canning ('' TV Comic 965–969'') *"Doctor Who and the Rocks from Venus" by John Canning ('' TV Comic 970–976'') *"Assassin from Space" by Patrick Williams ('' TV Comic Holiday Special 1970'') *"Undercover" by Patrick Williams ('' TV Comic Holiday Special 1970'') *"Castaway" by John Canning ('' TV Comic Annual 1971'') *"Levitation" by John Canning ('' TV Comic Annual 1971'') *"Fogbound" by Frank Langford (''Doctor Who Holiday Special 1973'') *"Secret of the Tower" by Alex Badia (''Doctor Who Holiday Special 1973'') *"Doomcloud" (''Doctor Who Holiday Special 1974'') *"The Time Thief" by Steve Livesey (''Doctor Who Annual 1974'') *"Menace of the Molags" by Steve Livesey (''Doctor Who Annual 1974'') *"Dead on Arrival" by Edgar Hodges (''Doctor Who Annual 1975'') *"The Man in the Ion Mask" by
Dan Abnett Daniel P. Abnett ( ; born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and has worked on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since ...
and Brian Williamson (''
Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In ...
Winter Special 1991'') *"Change of Mind" by Kate Orman and Barrie Mitchell (''Doctor Who Magazine'' 221–223) *"Target Practice" by Gareth Roberts and Adrian Salmon (''Doctor Who Magazine'' 234) *"Final Genesis" by Warwick Gray and Colin Andrew (''Doctor Who Magazine'' 203: cameo appearance in parallel universe) *"Mark of Mandragora" by
Dan Abnett Daniel P. Abnett ( ; born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and has worked on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since ...
(''Doctor Who Magazine'' 167–172: has a small role as most of the UNIT leader's role is carried out by Muriel Frost) *"The Warkeeper's Crown" by Alan Barnes (''Doctor Who Magazine'' 378–380) *"The Forgotten" by Tony Lee (writer) and Pia Guerra (artist) (''IDW Publishing'' Issue #2: has a small part in the Third Doctor's segment) *"Prisoners of Time" by Scott and David Tipton. Issue three and issue twelve.


References outside of ''Doctor Who''

The character also appears briefly in a cameo role at the end of writer
Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. Other British television dramas f ...
's novelisation of the 1997 ITV science-fiction serial '' The Uninvited''. Although the character is not named in the book, the description is that of Lethbridge-Stewart and Cornell later admitted that this was indeed his intention.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
' ''
Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...
'' featured an organisation called W.H.O. (the Weird Happenings Organisation) run by a Brigadier Alysande Stuart. Her twin brother Alistaire was WHO's "scientific advisor" (the role the Doctor had in UNIT). A character named "Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart" had earlier appeared in three panels of ''
Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the List of X-Men comics, X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of super ...
'' #218, supervising the arrest of the
Juggernaut A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originates in the mid-nineteenth century. ''Juggernaut'' is the early rendering in English ...
in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, where he also calls out to a "Sergeant-Major Benton" at one point. The
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
novel ''Waters of Death'' by
Kel Richards Kelvin Barry "Kel" Richards (born 8 February 1946) is an Australian author, journalist, broadcaster and lay Christian. Born in Sydney, Richards has written a series of crime novels and thrillers for adult readers which includes ''The Case of ...
features a naval commander called Ralph Lethbridge-Stewart, alongside Captain Harry Sullivan and Lieutenant Philip Benton. It is set in the same fictional location as the ''Doctor Who'' story '' Terror of the Zygons''. An unnamed army brigadier, who looks and acts very similar to Lethbridge-Stewart, appears in the comic strip '' Caballistics, Inc.'' He first appeared in the story ''Going Underground'', where he is in charge of the army's response following a demon invasion of the
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...
; a member of his SAS team refers to "bloody robot yetis" having been down there once. He shows up again in the story ''Ashes'', in charge of the military response to a devastating attack on Glasgow. This character is one of several references to both the ''Doctor Who'' universe and other sci-fi/horror properties in ''Caballistics''. Although unnamed, two characters strongly resembling Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton (who was specifically named) appear in the John M. Ford ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' novel '' How Much for Just the Planet?'' at a rather treacherous golf course on the planet Direidi. Similarly to Alysande Stuart, the comic book ''
Jack Staff ''Jack Staff'' is a British superhero created by comic book writer/artist Paul Grist. While the title character is billed as "Britain's Greatest Hero", the series is known for being in the style of an anthology title and featuring an ensemble c ...
'' includes Commander Liz Stewart of S.M.I.L.E. (Secret Military Intelligence Lethal Executive). The Brigadier briefly appears in Kim Newman and
Eugene Byrne Eugene Byrne (born 25 February 1959) is an English freelance journalist and fiction writer. His novel ''ThigMOO'', and the story it was based on, were nominated for the BSFA award. His story "HMS Habakkuk" was nominated for a Sidewise Award for Al ...
's ''
Back in the USSA ''Back in the USSA'' is a 1997 collection of seven short stories by English writers Eugene Byrne and Kim Newman, which was published by Mark V. Ziesing Books. The title is a reference to the song "Back in the U.S.S.R." by The Beatles. The storie ...
'', supporting Britain's involvement in an alternate
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. The Brigadier was referenced in name in the
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
show '' The Middleman''. In the episode "The Clotharian Contamination Protocol", Wendy and The Middleman go to check out a returned Voyager probe. However, a nearby
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
listening station team also arrives. Using their random IDs, and due to the quick thinking of the Middleman, they are intimidated into leaving. As they go, the Middleman calls out the other team's lead, "Mr... Lethbridge-Stewart, if that is your real name!"


See also

* United Nations Intelligence Taskforce * UNIT dating controversy * List of Doctor Who supporting characters


References


External links


Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website

''The Dying Days'' E-Book on the BBC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lethbridge-Stewart, Brigadier Doctor Who companions Fictional brigadiers Fictional British Army officers Fictional colonels Fictional cyborgs Fictional diplomats Fictional generals Fictional knights Fictional schoolteachers Recurring characters in Doctor Who The Sarah Jane Adventures characters Scottish male characters in television Television characters introduced in 1968 UNIT personnel