Doctor Who K9 voice actor John Leeson dies aged 83

John Leeson, the voice of K9 in Doctor Who and the original Bungle bear in ITV’s Rainbow, died "peacefully" on Sunday (November 1), aged 83.

Born in Stoneygate, Leicester, on March 16, 1943, Leeson was best known for voicing the robotic dog K9 in the long-running BBC sci-fi series.

He first appeared in Doctor Who in 1977 in The Invisible Enemy and continued in the role for much of the original series.

Mr Leeson reprised the role of K9 multiple times after leaving the main series, including in the 1981 spin-off K9 and Company, the 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors, and several audio dramas.

He returned to the main programme in 2006 following its revival.

Earlier this year, he reunited with Tom Baker for the audio drama Sir Sherlock: The Red Letter Day, in which they played Doctor Watson and Sherlock Holmes.

Beyond Doctor Who, Mr Leeson voiced Bungle in the original series of Rainbow and appeared in shows including Dad’s Army, Blake’s 7, and The Bill.

John Leeson dies "peacefully" aged 83

Mr Leeson’s son, Guy Ducker, confirmed his father’s death on Facebook, saying: "I regret to announce the death of my father, John Ducker, a.k.a. John Leeson, at 3.03pm today after a summer of illness.

"The end was peaceful.

"Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

Russell T Davies leads tributes to John  Leeson following his death

Russell T Davies, former Doctor Who showrunner, paid tribute to Mr Leeson on Instagram, describing him as a "true gent" and a "fine, fine actor."

Mr Davies said: "When we brought K9 back in 2006, there was no question that we’d ask John to provide the voice, it was impossible to imagine anyone else.

"And really, what a performance, what a character: a posh dog, uppity, haughty, wry, but somehow innocent too, and so funny.

"‘Maximum defence mode!’ God he was good. Pitched perfectly so that kids could impersonate him.

"That’s not easy, that’s hell of a piece of acting.

"And he was wonderfully dedicated to that character for – gasp, six decades!

"He’d phone me up and chat sometimes – on the landline, I remember, those were the days.

"A true gent, and a great loss.

"Sympathy to his family and friends.

"Good night, sir.

"Affirmative!"

What was your favourite memory of John Leeson and K9 on Doctor Who? Let us know in the comments below.