Doctor Who pays touching tribute to Nicholas Courtney’s Brigadier

While first reluctant to help the Doctor on his various adventures, the Brigadier eventually became one of the Doctor's greatest friends and often made appearances during the introduction of Jon Pertwee's Doctor and beyond.

In The Legend of Ruby Sunday, there are several references to the beloved Brigadier, with the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and the Brigadier's daughter Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) reminiscing together.

Arriving at UNIT HQ, the Doctor introduces Ruby (Millie Gibson) to Kate, saying: "I knew Kate's dad – he was the best of men."

Later in the episode, Kate and the Doctor reminisce about the Brigadier, with Kate remembering: "My father… he'd tell me stories about you when I was a kid. He'd sit there in the firelight, telling tales of the Doctor, his eyes shining."

Read more:

• Doctor Who unmasks The One Who Waits – major twist explained
• Doctor Who hints at Susan’s return – and confirms major family reveal

Courtney's final appearance in Doctor Who was in 1989's Battlefield in which he starred opposite Sylvester McCoy as the seventh Doctor.

The sci-fi series paid tribute to Courtney in 2011, in The Wedding of River Song, announcing that the Brigadier had died.

Doctor Who continues on Saturday 15th June on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.