Jon Pertwee: Difference between revisions

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{{real world}}
{{real world}}
[[File:JonPertwee.jpg|thumb|Jon Pertwee strikes a humorous pose in a pre-''Doctor Who'' publicity shot.]]
{{Infobox Person
'''John Devon Roland Pertwee''' ([[7 July]] [[1919]] Chelsea, [[London]], [[England]], [[UK]] - [[20 May]] [[1996]]), better known as '''Jon Pertwee''', played the [[Third Doctor|third incarnation]] of [[the Doctor]] from [[1970]] to [[1974]]. He died of a [[heart attack]] on 20 May 1996 in Timber Lake, Connecticut, USA. He was married to Ingeborg Rhoesa, and had two children. His son {{w|Sean Pertwee}} is an actor and his daughter {{w|Dariel Pertwee}} an accomplished stage actress. Outside of ''Doctor Who'', he is well-known as the title character in the ITV series ''Worzel Gummidge (1979-1981)'' and hosted the ITV murder mystery quiz programme ''Whodunnit!'' between [[1974]] and [[1978]].
| image          = Jon-pertwee.jpg
| aka            = John Devon Roland Pertwee
| birth date    = [[7 July (people)|7 July]] [[1919 (people)|1919]]
| death date    = [[20 May (people)|20 May]] [[1996 (people)|1996]]
| role          = [[Third Doctor]]
| job title      = [[Actor]]
| story          = [[#Credits|See Credits Section]]  
| time          = 1970-74, 1983, 1993-96, 2003 (posthumous)
| non dwu        = ''Toad of Toad Hall'', ''Miss Pilgrim's Progress'', ''Will Any Gentleman...?'', ''Ivanhoe'', ''The Navy Lark'', ''Carry on'' films, ''Jackanory'', ''[[The Avengers]]'', ''The House That Dripped Blood'', ''The Goodies'', ''Whodunnit?'', ''Worzel Gummidge'', ''SuperTed''
| imdb          = 0675727
}}'''John Devon Roland Pertwee''' (born [[7 July (people)|7 July]] [[1919 (people)|1919]] in [[London]], died [[20 May (people)|20 May]] [[1996 (people)|1996]] in [[Connecticut]]<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-jon-pertwee-5615100.html The Independent]</ref>) played the [[Third Doctor]] from 1970 to 1974, beginning from ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'' to ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]''.


Pertwee was a comic actor, with roles such as the conniving CPO Pertwee in ''The Navy Lark'' (1959-1977) (he also voiced the recurring villain - The Master - during the mid 70s run of the series) on [[BBC]] Radio and provided character voices for other previous radio comedy series such as ''Waterlogged Spa''. He played the part of Lycus in the [[1963]] London stage production of ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' and appeared in the brief role of Crassus in the [[1966]] film version, the screenplay for which was co-written by his brother, Michael Pertwee. He appeared in four ''Carry On'' films: ''Carry on Cleo'' (1964), ''Carry On Screaming!'' (1966) (which, coincidentally, has a joke about Doctor Who), ''Carry On Cowboy'' (1965) and ''Carry On Columbus'' (1992). He guest starred in the British comedy television series ''The Goodies,'' in the installment "Wacky Wales."
He returned to the role in the 20th anniversary special ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', the [[Children in Need]] special ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]'' and the BBC Radio stories ''[[The Paradise of Death (audio story)|The Paradise of Death]]'' and ''[[The Ghosts of N-Space (audio story)|The Ghosts of N-Space]]''.


In [[1972]] he released a vocal version of the programme's celebrated [[Doctor Who theme|theme tune]] entitled "[[Who is the Doctor]],"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.millenniumeffect.co.uk/audio/tributes/songs1.php#pertwee |title=1972 - Who is the Doctor |date of source= |website name=The Millennium Effect |accessdate=11th December 2011}}</ref> and in [[1980]] released a novelty track based on Worzel Gummidge entitled "Worzel's Song."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/tv/kids/worzel.htm |title=Worzel Gummidge @ Nostalgia Central |date of source=1998/2008 |website name=Nostalgia Central | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071230103214/http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/tv/kids/worzel.htm | archivedate=December 30 2007 |accessdate=11th December= 2011}}</ref>
Outside of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', he was well-known for three major roles. His longest-running role — lasting from 1959 to 1977 — was that of the conniving CPO Pertwee in the popular radio series, {{wi|The Navy Lark}}. He was also the host of the [[ITV]] murder mystery quiz programme {{wi|Whodunnit? (British game show)|Whodunnit?}} from his final year as the Doctor until 1978. His next — and last — major role was that of {{w|Worzel Gummidge}} in the [[ITV]] series of the same name.
He returned to the role of the Doctor in the [[1983]] twentieth-Anniversary television movie ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'' and in the [[1993]] charity special ''[[Dimensions in Time]].'' He also performed in two radio spin-offs, ''[[The Paradise of Death]]'' and ''[[The Ghosts of N-Space (audio story)|The Ghosts of N-Space]].'' During the [[1990s]] he made a guest appearance in the "Lords and Ladies" episode of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series ''Harry Hill's Fruit Corner,'' playing a [[Time Lord]].


=== Before he became The Doctor... ===
Despite his serious take on the Doctor, Pertwee was mainly a comic actor. Not only did he enjoy a reputation for funny voices on radio — he had regular roles in [[World War II]]-era comedies ''Waterlogged Spa'' and ''Up the Pole'' that preceded ''The Navy Lark'' —  but he generally played lighter roles on stage and screen. He was, for instance, "Lycus" in the 1963 London stage production of {{wi|A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum}} and "Crassus" in the {{w|A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film)|1966 film}}. Like his ''Doctor Who'' predecessor, [[William Hartnell]], he was also found significant employment in the {{wi|Carry On (franchise)|Carry On}} franchise, appearing in three films during the 1960s: ''[[Carry On Cleo]]'', {{wi|Carry On Screaming!}}, and {{wi|Carry On Cowboy}}. Indeed, he helped end that franchise by appearing in {{w|Carry On Columbus|the very last ''Carry On'' film}} in 1992.
Pertwee was an officer in the [[Royal Navy]], working in naval intelligence during the [[Second World War]]. He was a crew member of HMS Hood and was transferred off the ship shortly before it was sunk, losing all but three men. Pertwee enrolled in RADA, but was expelled for, as he put it, "lack of seriousness." He was married twice, first to [[Jean Marsh]] ([[1955]]–[[1960]]), whom he divorced, and then, on [[13 August]] [[1960]], to Ingeborg Rhoesha, by whom he had two children, Sean and Dariel. He was the cousin of actor Bill Pertwee.


=== Why that fancy-pants get-up? ===
He was also a minor recording artist, trading on his fame in his two most popular franchises. In 1972 he released a vocal version of the programme's celebrated [[Doctor Who theme|theme tune]] entitled "[[Who is the Doctor]]",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.millenniumeffect.co.uk/audio/tributes/songs1.php#pertwee|title=1972 - Who is the Doctor|website name=The Millennium Effect|accessdate=11 December 2011}}</ref> and in 1980 released a novelty track based on ''Worzel Gummidge'' entitled "Worzel's Song".<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/tv/kids/worzel.htm|title = Worzel Gummidge @ Nostalgia Central|date of source = 1998/2008|website name = Nostalgia Central|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071230103214/http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/tv/kids/worzel.htm|archivedate = 30 December 2007|accessdate = 11 December 2011}}</ref>
By Pertwee's own account, he conceived the first outfit that the Third Doctor wore as a joke. Retrieving an old velvet smoking jacket, ruffled shirt, and opera cape from storage, he decided that it was the most ridiculous outfit he had ever seen, most of all that he had ever worn. He wore it to an appointment at the producer's office. Far from laughing him out of that office, the production team loved the idea. From that day, elaborate, dandy-esque clothes became a crucial part of the Third Doctor's character.
 
=== Before ''Doctor Who'' ===
[[File:Pertwee's Progress.jpg|thumb|right|Jon Pertwee in 1955, with ''Pertwee's Progress'' radio co-star Kirk Stevens.]]
Pertwee was an officer in the [[Royal Navy]], working in naval intelligence during the [[Second World War]]. He was a crew member of ''HMS Hood'' and was transferred off the ship shortly before it was sunk, losing all but three men. Pertwee enrolled in RADA, but was expelled for, as he put it, "lack of seriousness." He was married twice, first to [[Jean Marsh]] (1955-1960), whom he divorced, and then, on 13 August 1960, to Ingeborg Rhoesha by whom he had two children, Sean and Dariel. He was the cousin of actor Bill Pertwee (a regular in ''Dad's Army'').
 
=== As the Doctor ===
As he did not really know who he was outside of comedic roles, Pertwee also insisted that despite his reputation as a comic actor, he wanted to play the Doctor more seriously and heroically, as a man of action — and a technologically-oriented one at that. These details of his approach helped him to appreciate his own true personality.
 
Pertwee was vocal about the Doctor being given what he termed "moments of charm", small dialogue sequences with other characters where there was no plot exposition, but mutual character development. Often these sequences would consist of the Doctor dispensing advice or instilling courage.
 
Pertwee discussed his decision to leave ''Doctor Who'' in 1974 on several occasions, such as the [[PBS]] documentary ''Doctor Who's Who's Who'' and the ''Myth Makers'' video series. He cited two catalysts in his decision: the departure of [[Barry Letts]] as series producer and the 1973 death of close friend [[Roger Delgado]], who had played {{Delgado}}.
 
==== Why that fancy-pants get-up? ====
By Pertwee's own account, he conceived the first outfit that the Third Doctor wore as a joke. Retrieving an old velvet smoking jacket, ruffled shirt, and opera cape from storage, he decided that it was the most ridiculous outfit he had ever seen, most of all that he had ever worn. He wore it to an appointment at the producer's office. Far from laughing him out of that office, the production team loved the idea. From that day, elaborate, dandy-esque clothes became a crucial part of the Third Doctor's character. It's worth noting, however, that a 2013 interview with [[costume designer]], [[Christine Rawlins]], was at variance with Pertwee's recollection.<ref>[http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/toby-hadoke-s-who-s-round-19---christine-rawlins-925 Hadoke, Toby. ''Who's Round''. No. 19. May 2013.]</ref>


==== Details of the Third Doctor's outfits ====
==== Details of the Third Doctor's outfits ====
As the Third Doctor, Pertwee frequently wore velvet smoking coats in various solid colours, usually with colour-co-ordinated trousers, as "dinner suits." With these dinner suits, he wore frilled shirts in lighter colours, some of which had darker-coloured contrast trim on their frills. These frilled shirts also tended to have bow ties knotted, frequently in artist's style, around the closed shirt collars; '''''their''''' solid colours were often identical to, or darker than, the dominant solid colours of the smoking coats.
As the Third Doctor, Pertwee frequently wore velvet smoking coats in various solid colours, usually with colour-co-ordinated trousers, as "dinner suits." With these dinner suits, he wore frilled shirts in lighter colours, some of which had darker-coloured contrast trim on their frills. These frilled shirts also tended to have bow ties knotted, frequently in artist's style, around the closed shirt collars; their solid colours were often identical to, or darker than, the dominant solid colours of the smoking coats.
 
Sometimes the Third Doctor would wear an Inverness cape over his outfits. The very first time he did so, in ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'', the story with which Pertwee actually began his tenure in the role, his Inverness cape was black in colour, its lining was bright red in colour, and he had "borrowed" (read: stolen) it, and indeed all the other articles of his clothes, from the hospital from which he had escaped. (The Third Doctor obtained duplicates of all of those for himself from [[UNIT]] after he had returned the originals to their rightful owners.) Sometimes, his Inverness cape would be lined in blue, purple, or violet colours, or its outer shell would have some sort of colour pattern, usually an obvious plaid in such cases. Some of the Third Doctor's Inverness capes, when he wore them, would have only cape-like sleeves, as did the very first one he ever wore; others would have full capelettes that would be distinct from the main "frock" of the Inverness.
 
In toto, the Third Doctor's outfits were typical of the dapper, technologically-oriented man of action as Pertwee played him, and who Pertwee came to realise that he himself was outside of his comedic characters.
 
=== Later years ===
{{video|Splink - Jon Pertwee (1976)|thumb|right|In 1976, Pertwee lent his talent to this famous British public service announcement that taught kids how to cross the road safely.}}
Outside acting, Pertwee was an avid sportsman. He was especially fond of water-skiing. A favourite ring of his, which became his trademark, was retrieved from a shipwreck whilst he was scuba diving, which had a coin mounted on.{{Quote|The coin that you see on it shows Athene, the owl goddess of wisdom. A roman sailor came across this coin - obviously somebody from Greece had come to Rome and used this coin - and he thought, "That's nice, I'm going to have it made into a ring," and then he took it to sea with him, and kept in in a little pot. In about 1958 I was diving and found this wreck, pulled up all the amphora - we also found the stock of the anchor, so we were able to see what the boat was. and date it to about 55AD from the insignia on the side - and in one of the pots I found this ring, from the poor bloody sailor who had obviously drowned. I gave it to a man called Silver Douglas, a jeweller, who did it up for me to make it fit my little finger and it's been there ever since - you can probably see in on a lot of the Doctor Who photos.|Jon Pertwee|DWM 241}}
 
Pertwee would continue to act in films and television and make appearances worldwide in support of ''Doctor Who.'' Eventually, he became more aggressive in boosting projects that he favoured. Early success in persuading ''Doctor Who'' actors such as [[Patrick Troughton]] to appear as guests at American science fiction conventions inspired Pertwee to lobby for a radio version of the series after it was put on hiatus. Additionally, in the 1980s he vigorously canvassed British producers on behalf of ''Worzel Gummidge.''
 
Ultimately, Pertwee was successful in seeing the Third Doctor return to the airwaves with two audio productions for BBC Radio, ''[[The Paradise of Death]]'' and ''[[The Ghosts of N-Space (audio story)|The Ghosts of N-Space]]''. ''Worzel Gummidge'' was picked up for production by a New Zealand TV company which produced two series of ''Worzel Gummidge Down Under'' (1987 & 1989). Near the end of his life, Pertwee also appeared in several semi-professional independent productions by [[BBV Productions]]; although his was not the role of the Doctor, he did play ''a'' doctor in ''[[The Zero Imperative]]'', the premiere release of the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series which starred Pertwee's former ''Doctor Who'' co-star [[Caroline John]], who reprised her role of [[Liz Shaw]]. He also made a cameo appearance in the BBV-produced film ''The Airzone Solution''. Whilst it was unrelated to ''Doctor Who'', it featured appearances by, at the time of production, all the surviving actors who had played incarnations of the Doctor except [[Tom Baker]].


Sometimes the Third Doctor would wear an Inverness cape over his outfits. The very first time he did, in ''[[Spearhead from Space]],'' the story Pertwee began his tenure in the role, his Inverness cape was black with a red lining and he had "borrowed" (read: stolen) it, and all the other articles of his clothes, from the hospital from which he had escaped. Sometimes, his Inverness cape would have a blue lining or its outer shell would have some sort of colour pattern, usually an obvious plaid in such cases. Some of the Third Doctor's Inverness capes, when he wore them, would have only cape-like sleeves; others would have full capelettes that would be distinct from the main "frock" of the Inverness.
=== Death ===
Pertwee continued on the convention circuit and with his voice and television acting until his death; he died in his sleep at the age of 76 from a heart attack whilst on holiday in the [[United States of America|American]] state of Connecticut on [[20 May (people)|20 May]] [[1996 (people)|1996]]. (Some reports place the location of his death in [[New York state|New York]].) He died only days after the American broadcast of the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|''Doctor Who'' television movie]], which had used, in its opening credits, a logo based on the one from his era of the television series. The BBC broadcast of the television movie featured a dedication to Pertwee at its conclusion.


In toto, the Third Doctor's outfits were typical of the dapper, technologically-oriented man of action as Pertwee played him and of whom Pertwee came to realise that he himself was.
He was [[Cremation|cremated]] at Putley Vale Crematorium. He had a Worzel Gummidge model affixed to his [[coffin]], following the instructions on his [[will]].


=== As The Doctor ===
Just before his death, Pertwee played the Doctor for a [[Vodafone advertisement]], in which he narrowly avoids being caught in Liverpool by an American government agent (played by Kyle MacLachlan). Pertwee's last television appearance was 21 April 1996: ''Surprise Surprise'', where he (as the Doctor) met young ''Who'' fan David Petter and presented him with a real Dalek.
As he did not really know who he was outside of comedic roles, Pertwee also insisted that despite his reputation as a comic actor, he wanted to play the Doctor more seriously and heroically, as a man of action--and a technologically-oriented one at that. These details of his approach helped him to appreciate his own true personality.


Pertwee was vocal about the Doctor being given what he termed "moments of charm", small dialogue sequences with other characters where there was no plot exposition, but mutual character development. Often these sequences would consist of the Doctor dispensing advice or instilling courage.
The latest known surviving footage of Jon Pertwee before his death was filmed during his final trip to the Isle of Wight on 2 May 1996, merely 18 days before his heart attack. Pertwee had travelled there to visit the Medina Theatre in Newport during the tour of his one-man show. While he stayed at the Isle of Wight, a few local fans were given the chance to meet him. The footage of their meeting was recorded on a video cassette and exists online under the name, "Jon Pertwee's last visit to the Isle of Wight 2 May 1996". It was made available by an individual using the pseudonym 20mbPodcast.


Pertwee discussed his decision to leave ''Doctor Who'' in 1974 on several occasions, such as the [[PBS]] documentary ''Doctor Who's Who's Who'' and the ''Myth Makers'' video series. He cited two catalysts in his decision: the departure of [[Barry Letts]] as series producer and the 1973 death of close friend [[Roger Delgado]], who had played [[The Master]].
His last association with the series was posthumous. With the approval of his widow, Ingeborg, his voice was used as part of the plot of the [[Big Finish Productions]] 40th-Anniversary ''Doctor Who'' audio drama, ''[[Zagreus (audio story)|Zagreus]]''. Pertwee's voice was culled from the fan-produced ''Doctor Who'' film ''[[Devious]]''<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.doctorwho-devious.com/people/cameos/jon_pertwee.htm|title = Jon Pertwee...|website name = doctor who devious.com|accessdate = 11 December 2011}}</ref>, portions of which were recorded prior to his death; he filmed his scenes for the production in April 1995. Although the production was not authorised or commissioned by the BBC, a 12-minute excerpt from the still-unfinished ''Devious'' was nonetheless included as a bonus feature on the [[BBC Video]] 2009 DVD release of ''[[The War Games]]''.
He was a lifelong fan of cartoons and a self-proclaimed expert in animation.


=== Later years ===
His godson, [[Adam James]], appeared in ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]''.
Outside acting, Pertwee was an avid sportsman. He was especially fond of water-skiing. A favourite ring of his, which became his trademark, had begun as a coin he had retrieved from a shipwreck whilst he was scuba diving, which he had mounted.


[[File:John-pertwee.jpg|left|thumb|Pertwee in [[1995]].]]
In an interview conducted for ''[[30 Years in the TARDIS]]'', Jon Pertwee cited the Draconians as his favourite ''Doctor Who'' monsters. The costumes allowed the actors playing them to express themselves more fully than a Dalek or Cyberman.
Pertwee would continue to act in films and television ands make appearances world-wide in support of ''Doctor Who.'' Eventually, he became more aggressive in boosting projects that he favoured. Early success in persuading ''Doctor Who'' actors such as [[Patrick Troughton]] to appear as guests at American science fiction conventions inspired Pertwee to lobby for a radio version of the series after it was put on hiatus. Additionally, in the 1980s he vigorously canvassed British producers on behalf of ''Worzel Gummidge.''


Ultimately, Pertwee was successful in seeing the Third Doctor return to the airwaves with two audio productions for BBC Radio, ''[[The Paradise of Death]]'' and ''[[The Ghosts of N-Space (audio story)|The Ghosts of N-Space]]''. ''Worzel Gummidge'' was picked up for production by a New Zealand TV company which produced two series of ''Worzel Gummidge Down Under'' (1987 & 1989). Near the end of his life, Pertwee also appeared in several semi-professional independent productions by [[BBV Productions]]; although his was not the role of the Doctor, he did play '''''a''''' doctor in ''[[The Zero Imperative]]'', the premiere release of the [[P.R.O.B.E.]] series which starred Pertwee's former ''Doctor Who'' co-star [[Caroline John]], who reprised her role of [[Liz Shaw]]. He also made a cameo appearance in the BBV-produced film ''The Airzone Solution''. Whilst it was unrelated to ''Doctor Who'', it featured appearances by, at the time of production, all the surviving actors who had played incarnations of the Doctor except [[Tom Baker]].
== Credits ==
As the [[Third Doctor]]
=== Television ===
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Silurians (TV story)|Doctor Who and the Silurians]]''
* ''[[The Ambassadors of Death (TV story)|The Ambassadors of Death]]''
* ''[[Inferno (TV story)|Inferno]]''
* ''[[Terror of the Autons (TV story)|Terror of the Autons]]''
* ''[[The Mind of Evil (TV story)|The Mind of Evil]]''
* ''[[The Claws of Axos (TV story)|The Claws of Axos]]''
* ''[[Colony in Space (TV story)|Colony in Space]]''
* ''[[The Dæmons (TV story)|The Dæmons]]''
* ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Curse of Peladon (TV story)|The Curse of Peladon]]''
* ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]''
* ''[[The Mutants (TV story)|The Mutants]]''
* ''[[The Time Monster (TV story)|The Time Monster]]''
* ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]''
* ''[[Carnival of Monsters (TV story)|Carnival of Monsters]]''
* ''[[Frontier in Space (TV story)|Frontier in Space]]''
* ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Green Death (TV story)|The Green Death]]''
* ''[[The Time Warrior (TV story)|The Time Warrior]]''
* ''[[Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)|Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]''
* ''[[Death to the Daleks (TV story)|Death to the Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Monster of Peladon (TV story)|The Monster of Peladon]]''
* ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]''
* ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''
* ''[[The War Games in Colour (TV story)|The War Games in Colour]]''


His last appearance on TV was also his last as the Doctor: on the ''Surprise, Surprise'' episode of 21 April 1996, he [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMygcknDzXc appeared] to meet young ''Who'' fan David Petter and present him with a real Dalek.
===== Mini-episodes =====
* ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]''


=== His death ===
=== Audio ===
Pertwee continued on the convention circuit and with his voice and television acting until his death at the age of 76 from a heart attack whilst on holiday in the [[United States of America|American]] state of Connecticut on [[20 May]] [[1996]]. (Some reports place the location of his death in [[New York state|New York]].) He died only days after the American broadcast of the [[Doctor Who (1996)|''Doctor Who'' television movie]], which had used, in its opening credits, a logo based on the one from his era of the television series. The BBC broadcast of the television movie featured a dedication to Pertwee at its conclusion.
==== BBC Audio ====
* ''[[Glorious Goodwood (audio story)|Glorious Goodwood]]''
* ''[[The Paradise of Death (audio story)|The Paradise of Death]]''
* ''[[The Ghosts of N-Space (audio story)|The Ghosts of N-Space]]''


Just before his death, Pertwee played a Doctor-like character for a British television commercial.
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[Zagreus (audio story)|Zagreus]]'' (voice taken from ''[[Devious]]'')


His last association with the series was posthumous. With the approval of his widow, Ingeborg, his voice was used as part of the plot of the [[Big Finish Productions]] 40th-Anniversary ''Doctor Who'' audio drama, ''[[Zagreus (audio story)|Zagreus]].'' Pertwee's voice was culled from a fan-produced ''Doctor Who'' film, ''[[Devious]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doctorwho-devious.com/people/cameos/jon_pertwee.htm |title=Jon Pertwee... |date of source= |website name=doctor who devious.com |accessdate=11th December 2011}}</ref>, portions of which were recorded prior to his death; he filmed his scenes for the production in April 1995. Although the production was not authorised or commissioned by the BBC, a 12-minute excerpt from the still-unfinished ''Devious'' was nonetheless included as a bonus feature on the [[BBC Video]] 2009 DVD release of ''[[The War Games]].''
Other Roles
=== Direct-to-video ===
==== P.R.O.B.E. ====
* ''[[The Zero Imperative (home video)|The Zero Imperative]]'' - Dr. [[Jeremiah O'Kane]]


He was a lifelong fan of cartoons and self-proclaimed expert in animation.
=== Audiobook Readings ===
==== Target Novelisations ====
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (novelisation)|Planet of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon (novelisation)|The Curse of Peladon]]''


== Trivia ==
=== Documentary ===
* His god-son, [[Adam James]], appeared in ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]].''
* ''[[Doctor Who's Who's Who]]''
* ''[[Myth Makers: Wendy Padbury]]''
* ''[[Myth Makers: Jon Pertwee]]''
* ''[[The Troughton Years]]''
* ''[[The Pertwee Years]]''
* ''[[Return to Devil's End]]''
* ''[[30 Years in the TARDIS]]''
* ''[[The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond]]''
* ''[[Myth Makers: Roger Delgado - A Tribute]]''
* ''[[Life on Earth (documentary)|Life on Earth]]'' (archive recording)


== Footnotes ==
=== Other ===
{{reflist}}
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Ambassadors of Death (trailer)]]''
* ''[[Children in Need 1985 (TV story)|Children in Need 1985]]''
* ''[[Myth Runner (home video)|Myth Runner]]''
* ''[[Daleks v Vodafone]]''
* ''[[Devious]]''
* ''[[The Skivers (audio skit)|The Skivers 1995]]''
* ''[[Surprise Surprise! special (TV story)|Surprise Surprise! 1996]]''
* [[Vodafone advertisement]]


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{imdb name|id=0675727}}
{{imdb name|id=0675727}}
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=pertwee&GSfn=jon&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=6821181&pt=Jon%20Pertwee& Burial record for Jon Pertwee] at [http://Findagrave.com Findagrave.com]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=pertwee&GSfn=jon&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=6821181&pt=Jon%20Pertwee& Burial record for Jon Pertwee] at [http://Findagrave.com Findagrave.com]
* [http://www.jonpertwee.com/ Jon Pertwee Dot Com]
* [http://www.jonpertwee.com/ Jon Pertwee Dot Com]
* [http://www.carryonline.com/carry/pert.html Jon Pertwee's biography] at [http://www.carryonline.com Carryonline.com]
* [http://www.carryonline.com/carry/pert.html Jon Pertwee's biography] at [http://www.carryonline.com Carryonline.com]
* [http://www.kasterborous.com/articles.asp?id=176 Action Who - Jon Pertwee article at Kasterborous.com]
* [http://www.kasterborous.com/articles.asp?id=176 Action Who - Jon Pertwee article at Kasterborous.com]
{{iwx|wiki=disney|wiki name=the Disney Wiki}}


== Footnotes ==
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{{Wikipedia|Jon_Pertwee}}
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[[Category:Actors who portrayed the Third Doctor]]

Latest revision as of 02:57, 25 December 2024

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John Devon Roland Pertwee (born 7 July 1919 in London, died 20 May 1996 in Connecticut[1]) played the Third Doctor from 1970 to 1974, beginning from Spearhead from Space to Planet of the Spiders.

He returned to the role in the 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors, the Children in Need special Dimensions in Time and the BBC Radio stories The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space.

Outside of Doctor Who, he was well-known for three major roles. His longest-running role — lasting from 1959 to 1977 — was that of the conniving CPO Pertwee in the popular radio series, The Navy Lark. He was also the host of the ITV murder mystery quiz programme Whodunnit? from his final year as the Doctor until 1978. His next — and last — major role was that of Worzel Gummidge in the ITV series of the same name.

Despite his serious take on the Doctor, Pertwee was mainly a comic actor. Not only did he enjoy a reputation for funny voices on radio — he had regular roles in World War II-era comedies Waterlogged Spa and Up the Pole that preceded The Navy Lark —  but he generally played lighter roles on stage and screen. He was, for instance, "Lycus" in the 1963 London stage production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and "Crassus" in the 1966 film. Like his Doctor Who predecessor, William Hartnell, he was also found significant employment in the Carry On franchise, appearing in three films during the 1960s: Carry On Cleo, Carry On Screaming!, and Carry On Cowboy. Indeed, he helped end that franchise by appearing in the very last Carry On film in 1992.

He was also a minor recording artist, trading on his fame in his two most popular franchises. In 1972 he released a vocal version of the programme's celebrated theme tune entitled "Who is the Doctor",[2] and in 1980 released a novelty track based on Worzel Gummidge entitled "Worzel's Song".[3]

Before Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Jon Pertwee in 1955, with Pertwee's Progress radio co-star Kirk Stevens.

Pertwee was an officer in the Royal Navy, working in naval intelligence during the Second World War. He was a crew member of HMS Hood and was transferred off the ship shortly before it was sunk, losing all but three men. Pertwee enrolled in RADA, but was expelled for, as he put it, "lack of seriousness." He was married twice, first to Jean Marsh (1955-1960), whom he divorced, and then, on 13 August 1960, to Ingeborg Rhoesha by whom he had two children, Sean and Dariel. He was the cousin of actor Bill Pertwee (a regular in Dad's Army).

As the Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

As he did not really know who he was outside of comedic roles, Pertwee also insisted that despite his reputation as a comic actor, he wanted to play the Doctor more seriously and heroically, as a man of action — and a technologically-oriented one at that. These details of his approach helped him to appreciate his own true personality.

Pertwee was vocal about the Doctor being given what he termed "moments of charm", small dialogue sequences with other characters where there was no plot exposition, but mutual character development. Often these sequences would consist of the Doctor dispensing advice or instilling courage.

Pertwee discussed his decision to leave Doctor Who in 1974 on several occasions, such as the PBS documentary Doctor Who's Who's Who and the Myth Makers video series. He cited two catalysts in his decision: the departure of Barry Letts as series producer and the 1973 death of close friend Roger Delgado, who had played the Master.

Why that fancy-pants get-up?[[edit] | [edit source]]

By Pertwee's own account, he conceived the first outfit that the Third Doctor wore as a joke. Retrieving an old velvet smoking jacket, ruffled shirt, and opera cape from storage, he decided that it was the most ridiculous outfit he had ever seen, most of all that he had ever worn. He wore it to an appointment at the producer's office. Far from laughing him out of that office, the production team loved the idea. From that day, elaborate, dandy-esque clothes became a crucial part of the Third Doctor's character. It's worth noting, however, that a 2013 interview with costume designer, Christine Rawlins, was at variance with Pertwee's recollection.[4]

Details of the Third Doctor's outfits[[edit] | [edit source]]

As the Third Doctor, Pertwee frequently wore velvet smoking coats in various solid colours, usually with colour-co-ordinated trousers, as "dinner suits." With these dinner suits, he wore frilled shirts in lighter colours, some of which had darker-coloured contrast trim on their frills. These frilled shirts also tended to have bow ties knotted, frequently in artist's style, around the closed shirt collars; their solid colours were often identical to, or darker than, the dominant solid colours of the smoking coats.

Sometimes the Third Doctor would wear an Inverness cape over his outfits. The very first time he did so, in Spearhead from Space, the story with which Pertwee actually began his tenure in the role, his Inverness cape was black in colour, its lining was bright red in colour, and he had "borrowed" (read: stolen) it, and indeed all the other articles of his clothes, from the hospital from which he had escaped. (The Third Doctor obtained duplicates of all of those for himself from UNIT after he had returned the originals to their rightful owners.) Sometimes, his Inverness cape would be lined in blue, purple, or violet colours, or its outer shell would have some sort of colour pattern, usually an obvious plaid in such cases. Some of the Third Doctor's Inverness capes, when he wore them, would have only cape-like sleeves, as did the very first one he ever wore; others would have full capelettes that would be distinct from the main "frock" of the Inverness.

In toto, the Third Doctor's outfits were typical of the dapper, technologically-oriented man of action as Pertwee played him, and who Pertwee came to realise that he himself was outside of his comedic characters.

Later years[[edit] | [edit source]]

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YouTube

Outside acting, Pertwee was an avid sportsman. He was especially fond of water-skiing. A favourite ring of his, which became his trademark, was retrieved from a shipwreck whilst he was scuba diving, which had a coin mounted on.

The coin that you see on it shows Athene, the owl goddess of wisdom. A roman sailor came across this coin - obviously somebody from Greece had come to Rome and used this coin - and he thought, "That's nice, I'm going to have it made into a ring," and then he took it to sea with him, and kept in in a little pot. In about 1958 I was diving and found this wreck, pulled up all the amphora - we also found the stock of the anchor, so we were able to see what the boat was. and date it to about 55AD from the insignia on the side - and in one of the pots I found this ring, from the poor bloody sailor who had obviously drowned. I gave it to a man called Silver Douglas, a jeweller, who did it up for me to make it fit my little finger and it's been there ever since - you can probably see in on a lot of the Doctor Who photos.Jon Pertwee [DWM 241 [src]]

Pertwee would continue to act in films and television and make appearances worldwide in support of Doctor Who. Eventually, he became more aggressive in boosting projects that he favoured. Early success in persuading Doctor Who actors such as Patrick Troughton to appear as guests at American science fiction conventions inspired Pertwee to lobby for a radio version of the series after it was put on hiatus. Additionally, in the 1980s he vigorously canvassed British producers on behalf of Worzel Gummidge.

Ultimately, Pertwee was successful in seeing the Third Doctor return to the airwaves with two audio productions for BBC Radio, The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space. Worzel Gummidge was picked up for production by a New Zealand TV company which produced two series of Worzel Gummidge Down Under (1987 & 1989). Near the end of his life, Pertwee also appeared in several semi-professional independent productions by BBV Productions; although his was not the role of the Doctor, he did play a doctor in The Zero Imperative, the premiere release of the P.R.O.B.E. series which starred Pertwee's former Doctor Who co-star Caroline John, who reprised her role of Liz Shaw. He also made a cameo appearance in the BBV-produced film The Airzone Solution. Whilst it was unrelated to Doctor Who, it featured appearances by, at the time of production, all the surviving actors who had played incarnations of the Doctor except Tom Baker.

Death[[edit] | [edit source]]

Pertwee continued on the convention circuit and with his voice and television acting until his death; he died in his sleep at the age of 76 from a heart attack whilst on holiday in the American state of Connecticut on 20 May 1996. (Some reports place the location of his death in New York.) He died only days after the American broadcast of the Doctor Who television movie, which had used, in its opening credits, a logo based on the one from his era of the television series. The BBC broadcast of the television movie featured a dedication to Pertwee at its conclusion.

He was cremated at Putley Vale Crematorium. He had a Worzel Gummidge model affixed to his coffin, following the instructions on his will.

Just before his death, Pertwee played the Doctor for a Vodafone advertisement, in which he narrowly avoids being caught in Liverpool by an American government agent (played by Kyle MacLachlan). Pertwee's last television appearance was 21 April 1996: Surprise Surprise, where he (as the Doctor) met young Who fan David Petter and presented him with a real Dalek.

The latest known surviving footage of Jon Pertwee before his death was filmed during his final trip to the Isle of Wight on 2 May 1996, merely 18 days before his heart attack. Pertwee had travelled there to visit the Medina Theatre in Newport during the tour of his one-man show. While he stayed at the Isle of Wight, a few local fans were given the chance to meet him. The footage of their meeting was recorded on a video cassette and exists online under the name, "Jon Pertwee's last visit to the Isle of Wight 2 May 1996". It was made available by an individual using the pseudonym 20mbPodcast.

His last association with the series was posthumous. With the approval of his widow, Ingeborg, his voice was used as part of the plot of the Big Finish Productions 40th-Anniversary Doctor Who audio drama, Zagreus. Pertwee's voice was culled from the fan-produced Doctor Who film Devious[5], portions of which were recorded prior to his death; he filmed his scenes for the production in April 1995. Although the production was not authorised or commissioned by the BBC, a 12-minute excerpt from the still-unfinished Devious was nonetheless included as a bonus feature on the BBC Video 2009 DVD release of The War Games. He was a lifelong fan of cartoons and a self-proclaimed expert in animation.

His godson, Adam James, appeared in Planet of the Dead.

In an interview conducted for 30 Years in the TARDIS, Jon Pertwee cited the Draconians as his favourite Doctor Who monsters. The costumes allowed the actors playing them to express themselves more fully than a Dalek or Cyberman.

Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

As the Third Doctor

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Mini-episodes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

BBC Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other Roles

Direct-to-video[[edit] | [edit source]]

P.R.O.B.E.[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audiobook Readings[[edit] | [edit source]]

Target Novelisations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Documentary[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ The Independent
  2. ↑ 1972 - Who is the Doctor. The Millennium Effect. Retrieved on 11 December 2011.
  3. ↑ Worzel Gummidge @ Nostalgia Central. Nostalgia Central (1998/2008). Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved on 11 December 2011.
  4. ↑ Hadoke, Toby. Who's Round. No. 19. May 2013.
  5. ↑ Jon Pertwee.... doctor who devious.com. Retrieved on 11 December 2011.
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