HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John Francis Christopher Ducker (born 16 March 1943), known professionally as John Leeson, is an English actor. He is known for portraying Bungle in ''
Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
'' and voicing K9 in ''
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 ...
'' and spin-offs '' The Sarah Jane Adventures'' and '' K9''.


Early career

Leeson trained at
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...
and his varied stage and television career spans half a century. It includes work in both repertory and West End productions including
Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...
's '' Plaza Suite'' (1969), ''Flint'' (1970) and ''Don't Start Without Me'' (1971), and character acting work across a wide range of television sitcoms and costume dramas from the 1970s onwards, including ''
Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
'', '' Sorry!'', '' Rings on Their Fingers'', adaptations of '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' and '' Vanity Fair'', '' Shadow of the Noose'', ''
Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...
'' and ''
Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...
''. He also embarked on a parallel career in voiceover work, freelancing as a continuity announcer with BFBS Television in Germany, BBC Television, and Channel 4.


''Doctor Who'' and spin-offs

Leeson was first brought on as the voice of K9 in ''
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 ...
'' for 1977's '' The Invisible Enemy''. Producer Graham Williams liked the character so much that the decision was made to retain him as a regular character to appeal to the younger members of the audience.
Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is best known for having played the Fourth Doctor, fourth and longest-serving incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction television ...
, who played the Fourth Doctor, detested the character of K9, but gets on well with Leeson (when Leeson appeared on Tom Baker's edition of '' This Is Your Life'' in 2000, he entered on all fours). Leeson became worried about how appearing only as the voice of the character would hinder future employment if he was not appearing in visible roles; he left the programme after the conclusion of the 16th season in 1979. He was, however seen on-screen that season as the character Dugeen during the serial '' The Power of Kroll'' (1978–1979). David Brierley took over for four stories (one of which was never completed due to a BBC strike) the following year. When John Nathan-Turner took over as producer of the series for season 18 in 1980, Leeson agreed to return before the character was written out. Leeson also agreed to voice K9 in '' K-9 and Company'' (1981), a spin-off from ''Doctor Who'' which was not picked up after the airing of its pilot episode. He later voiced K9 for a cameo appearance in the 20th anniversary episode of ''Doctor Who'', " The Five Doctors", and has since reprised K9's voice in two BBV and several Big Finish audio dramas including '' Zagreus'' and the ''
Gallifrey The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Time Lords are so named for their command of time travel technology and their non-linear perception of t ...
'' series. He voiced K9 for the character's return in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode " School Reunion", leading to giving him recurring character status in '' The Sarah Jane Adventures''. Leeson's then reprised K9 again in the episode " Journey's End". The most recent occasion of Leeson voicing K9 is in the spin-off television series '' K9''. Leeson also voiced K9 in a ''Doctor Who''-themed episode of ''
The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which The Weakest Link (British game show), first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host ...
''. He did not reprise his role as K9 in '' Lego Dimensions'' as he was unavailable at the time, so archive audio was used instead. Leeson's vocal contributions to ''Doctor Who'' can also be heard as other characters in the serials '' The Invisible Enemy'' and '' Remembrance of the Daleks''. Leeson played the role of "Prosecutor 2" in the 2005 stage production of '' The Trial of Davros'' and has compiled a one-man show, ''A Dog's Life'', directed by Richard Fawkes. In November 2013, Leeson appeared as K9 in the one-off 50th anniversary comedy homage ''
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot ''The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot'' is a 2013 comedy spoof and homage to the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It appeared on the BBC Red Button service after the broadcast of "The Day of the Doctor", the official 50th ann ...
''.


Other credits

Other credits include appearances in ''
Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four series of thirteen 50-minute episodes were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, prod ...
'' (in the season A episode "Mission to Destiny" and the season B episode "Gambit"). Also, notably in children's programmes, ITV's ''
Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
'' from 1972 as the original Bungle, and the BBC's '' Jigsaw'' in which he voiced Jigg, the show's "mascot" and played the giant Biggum, who was so tall only his feet were seen and his voice heard. He was one of the resident team of actors in stunts for ITV's ''
Game for a Laugh ''Game for a Laugh'' was a British light entertainment programme which ran for 56 editions and four specials between 26 September 1981 and 23 November 1985, made by LWT for the ITV network. Description The show revolved around a variety o ...
'' (1981–85), appearing in one memorable stunt involving a car transporter wrecking his car and blaming it on the unsuspecting victim. His film credits are few but included the Hunt Secretary in the film of '' Tarka the Otter'' (1979), and a TV interviewer in the film version of '' Whoops Apocalypse'' (1986). His radio work includes the comedy serial ''All That Jazz'' (1990) in which he played the character of Mike and additionally provided the scripted continuity link at the beginning. Leeson has read extensively for the audio book charity Calibre Audio Library, and is also the narrator/character voices behind ''
The Space Gypsy Adventures The Space Gypsy Adventures is a children's sci-fi comedy radio and internet series created by Cumbrian broadcaster and cartoonist Terry Askew. It was first broadcast on United Kingdom, British Hospital Radio in 1986 under the title of 'The Advent ...
'' on Children's UK hospital radio. In 2010 John appeared in a character role in the
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...
''Rebels Without A Clue'' with actor Rik Barnett. Away from stage and screen he was regularly heard as
continuity announcer In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the ...
on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
when his warm tones proved a distinct contrast to the K9 voice. A lively interest in both classical music and particularly wine, led him to develop a longstanding parallel career as a wine educator. Under his birth name he is an accredited tutor for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and he is a member both of the Association of Wine Educators and the Circle of Wine Writers. He is a freelance lecturer in wine both on land and in cruises at sea, and is a regular tutor for The Wine Education Service Ltd.


Literature

Leeson's autobiography, entitled ''Flight of the Budgerigar'', was published by Hirst in October 2011. It was superseded by an updated and expanded version entitled ''Tweaking the Tail'' which was published in July 2013 by Fantom Films. A book of favourite recipes collected across the years, ''Dog's Dinners'' (the title referencing his work as the voice of K9), also published by Fantom, was published in May 2014. An enthusiastic cook, he also contributed a chapter on teaching
wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...
(in his birth name of John Ducker) to ''Educated Tastes: Food, Drink and Connoisseur Culture'', edited by Jeremy Strong, and published by the University of Nebraska Press.


Personal life

In 1969, Leeson married Judy Griffiths, an assistant at the BBC. Their son, Guy Ducker (born 1972), is a film editor and director.


Public service

Now statutorily retired, he also served as a local justice of the peace for over 25 years, having served as Deputy Chairman of his local Bench (Ealing) for six years across the period. In 2002 and 2010, under his birth name of John Ducker, he stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the district of
Perivale Perivale () is a mainly residential suburban town of Greater London, west of Charing Cross. It is the smallest of the seven towns which make up the London Borough of Ealing. Perivale is predominately residential, with a library, community ce ...
in the local council elections for
Ealing London Borough Council Ealing London Borough Council, which styles itself Ealing Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Ealing in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majori ...
, but failed to be elected.


Filmography


Television


Video games


Film


References


External links

*
BBC press release announcing the return of K9
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeson, John 1943 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male television actors English male voice actors Liberal Democrats (UK) people Living people Male actors from Leicester Radio and television announcers