Ex-Dr Whos' tribute to Jon Pertwee
- Publication: Birmingham Mail
- Date: 1996-05-21
- Author:
- Page: 9
- Language: English
FORMER Dr Whos, together with other stars of stage and screen, have paid tribute to actor Jon Pertwee, who died aged 76 from a heart attack while on holiday with his wife and friends.
The actor played the cult Time Lord for four years during the 19708 and went on to appear as children's character Worzel Gummidge for nearly a decade.
Dr Who No. 4, Tom Baker, said: "I am very sorry to hear the news. I was a great admirer of such a stylish actor". Another Doctor, Colin Baker (No. 6) said he was devastated.
Great mate
"He was a man of such presence and stature. I can't believe he has gone — it is a great shock.
"Of all of the interpretations of the Doctor his was the moat straight. He felt his Doctor should be an action man.".
Sylvester McCoy, the seventh Doctor, said: "I will miss him dearly. When I was a child Jon Pertwee on radio entertained and delighted me, and made me laugh.
"As a young man he amazed and excited me with his performance as Dr Who. When I took the role I met him for the first time and he became my great mate."
Una Stubbs, who starred alongside him in Worzel Gum-midge, said: "I am absolutely shocked and saddened and my thoughts and are now with his wife and children."
Broadcaster David Jacobs said: "It is too terrible for words. Jon was one of the funniest men that Britain has ever produced, one of the greatest character actors. He was marginally eccentric, he lived his life to the full." Comedian Ronnie Barker worked with Pertwee in the popular BBC radio series The Navy Lark for nine years. He said: "I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. We had a lot of laughs.
"Jon was always very nattily dressed — he was certainly the smartest looking Dr Who."
Tour
Pertwee, whose acting career spanned 60 years, was found dead in bed by his German-born second wife Ingeborg yesterday morning.
He had no history of health problems and had worked right up until the end of his life.
He was using the holiday in Connecticut to take a break from his popular one-man tour of Britain which he was due to resume on Thursday. The news came as the cult science fiction series was about to take off again with a feature-film length special on Bank Holiday Monday, with Paul McGann.
Pertwee was philosophical about being typecast by his two moat well-known roles, Dr Who and Gummidge.
"I'm very much afraid to say it, but I'm rather a cult figure," he said.
He happily attended Dr Who conventions and spoke to tam. Recently he said: "Acton don't retire, they fade away, like old generals. I just want to peter out, not rust out! I get desperately bored when I'm not working."
Venusian
Pertwee admitted that he would love to play Dr Who again, but felt he was too old. "Al 76, I'm too old for all the stunts and the Venusian karate," he told this week's Radio Times."
Captions:
■ VERY SORRY: Tom Baker
■ DEVASTATED: Colin Baker
■ SADDENED: Una Stubbs
■ NATTILY DRESSED: Jon Pertwee, the third Dr Who
■ CHILDREN'S FAVOURITE: Jon as Worzel Gummidge
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: (1996-05-21). Ex-Dr Whos' tribute to Jon Pertwee. Birmingham Mail p. 9.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Ex-Dr Whos' tribute to Jon Pertwee." Birmingham Mail [add city] 1996-05-21, 9. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Ex-Dr Whos' tribute to Jon Pertwee." Birmingham Mail, edition, sec., 1996-05-21
- Turabian: "Ex-Dr Whos' tribute to Jon Pertwee." Birmingham Mail, 1996-05-21, section, 9 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Ex-Dr Whos' tribute to Jon Pertwee | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Ex-Dr_Whos%27_tribute_to_Jon_Pertwee | work=Birmingham Mail | pages=9 | date=1996-05-21 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=10 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Ex-Dr Whos' tribute to Jon Pertwee | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Ex-Dr_Whos%27_tribute_to_Jon_Pertwee | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=10 May 2025}}</ref>
