John Leeson

John Leeson
Other names:	John Ducker
Birth date:	16 March 1943
Work in the DWU
Main roles:	K9, the Nucleus, Dugeen
Main jobs:	Actor
Stories:	See Credits Section
Main time period active:	1977-81, 1983, 1995, 2003-present
Career highlights
Notable non-DWU work:	Rainbow, Blake's 7, Jigsaw, Sorry, Beadle's About, Allo 'Allo, Chucklevision, Stargazing Live: Back to Earth
IMDb profile

John Francis Christian Ducker (born on 16 March 1943) better known by his stage name John Leeson, voiced K9 from 1977-1979, and then from 1980-2010 on Doctor Who, K9 and Company, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and K9. He provided other voice-over roles on television and for Big Finish Productions and Magic Bullet Productions, and reprised K9 for Big Finish and BBV Productions.

He also appeared on screen as Dugeen in the season 16 television story The Power of Kroll, and as Anthony in the Reeltime Pictures spin-off video Downtime.

Tom Baker detested the character of K9, but got along very well with Leeson. A favourite joke during filming breaks was for Baker to work out crossword puzzles, asking the K9 prop the clues with Leeson giving the answers in character.

Leeson himself became frustrated with the character. He left the programme after the conclusion of the 16th season in 1978. 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 series producer for season 18 in 1980, he tempted Leeson back, with the promise the character would be "killed off" that year. Although the character was, eventually, not killed off, merely written out, Leeson agreed to return, and portrayed all of K9's subsequent return appearances on Doctor Who and its spin-off shows.

Career

Leeson's other credits include appearances in Blake's 7 - both in the Season A episode Mission to Destiny and the Season B episode Gambit; Jigsaw in which he played the Scottish giant Biggum, who was so tall only his feet were seen and his voice heard; Sorry!; 'Allo 'Allo!; and Bungle in the children's television series Rainbow. Leeson is also the voice behind the Space Gypsy characters on Children's UK hospital radio.

Today, he is now most likely to be heard as continuity announcer on Channel 4 in Britain. He also contributed to the charity reference book Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who.

DWU credits

Television

As K9

Doctor Who

• The Invisible Enemy
• The Sun Makers
• Underworld
• The Invasion of Time
• The Ribos Operation
• The Pirate Planet
• The Stones of Blood
• The Androids of Tara
• The Armageddon Factor
• The Leisure Hive
• Meglos
• Full Circle
• State of Decay
• Warriors' Gate
• The Five Doctors
• School Reunion
• Journey's End

Mini-episodes

• Merry Christmas Doctor Who
• Dimensions in Time

K9 and Company

• A Girl's Best Friend

The Sarah Jane Adventures

• Invasion of the Bane
• The Lost Boy
• The Mad Woman in the Attic
• The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith
• Mona Lisa's Revenge
• The Gift
• The Nightmare Man
• Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith

Mini-episodes

• From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love

K9

• Regeneration
• Liberation
• The Korven
• The Bounty Hunter
• Sirens of Ceres
• Fear Itself
• The Fall of the House of Gryffen
• Jaws of Orthrus
• Dream-Eaters
• Curse of Anubis
• Oroborus
• Alien Avatar
• Aeolian
• The Last Oak Tree
• Black Hunger
• The Cambridge Spy
• Lost Library of Ukko
• Mutant Copper
• The Custodians
• Taphony and the Time Loop
• Robot Gladiators
• Mind Snap
• Angel of the North
• The Last Precinct
• Hound of the Korven
• The Eclipse of the Korven

Specials

• The Weakest Link: Doctor Who Special
• Pointless Celebrities: Doctor Who Special
• K9's Question Time

Video Games

• LEGO Dimensions

Webcasts

• Shada

Audio

Doctor Who Main Range

• Zagreus

Special Releases

• Shada

The Lost Stories

• The Doomsday Contract

The Fourth Doctor Adventures

• The Sands of Life
• Phantoms of the Deep
• The Dalek Contract / The Final Phase
• The Exxilons
• Requiem for the Rocket Men
• Death Match
• The Fate of Krelos / Return to Telos
• Wave of Destruction
• The Paradox Planet / Legacy of Death
• The Trouble with Drax
• The Pursuit of History / Casualties Of Time
• The Beast of Kravenos
• The Eternal Battle
• The Silent Scream
• The Mind Runners / The Demon Rises
• Planet of the Drashigs
• The False Guardian / Time's Assassin
• Fever Island
• The Perfect Prisoners
• Purgatory 12
• Chase the Night
• The Planet of Witches
• The Quest of the Engineer
• Shadow of the Sun

Novel Adaptations

• The Romance of Crime
• The English Way of Death
• The Well-Mannered War

Dalek Universe

• The Dalek Protocol

Tenth Doctor Classic Companions

• Splinters
• The Stuntman
• Quantum of Axos

The Companion Chronicles

• The Time Vampire

Gallifrey

• Weapon of Choice
• Square One
• The Inquiry
• A Blind Eye
• Lies
• Pandora
• Insurgency
• Imperiatrix
• Fractures
• Warfare
• Appropriation
• Mindbomb
• Panacea
• Reborn
• Disassembled
• Annihilation
• Forever
• Ascension

The Diary of River Song

• A Forever Home

The Eighth of March

• Stolen Futures

Adventures in a Pocket Universe

• The Choice
• The Search

Other Roles

Television

Doctor Who

• The Invisible Enemy - the Nucleus
• The Sun Makers - Computer voice (DWM 306)
• The Power of Kroll - Dugeen
• Remembrance of the Daleks - Renegade Battle Computer voice

Direct-to-video

• Downtime - Anthony

Audio

Doctor Who Main Range

• Revenge of the Swarm - the Nucleus / Computer Voice

The Fourth Doctor Adventures

• The Dalek Contract - Tollivun
• The Paradox Planet / Legacy of Death - Machina
• The Trouble with Drax - Cabot
• The Pursuit of History / Casualties Of Time - the Oortag
• Shadow of the Sun - Professor Nicely

Novel Adaptations

• The English Way of Death - Zodaal

Tenth Doctor Classic Companions

• The Stuntman - Kent Novem
• Quantum of Axos - Voice of Axos

Gallifrey

• Reborn - Tallan
• Ascension - Tallan
• Forever - the Krilig

The Diary of River Song

• A Forever Home - Simmons

Kaldor City

• Storm Mine - Chief Mover

Audiobook Readings

Target Novelisations

• Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation
• Full Circle (K9 voice)
• K9 and Company
• Doctor Who and the State of Decay (K9 voice)
• Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time
• Doctor Who and the Invisible Enemy
• Doctor Who and the Sunmakers (K9 voice)
• Warriors' Gate (K9 voice)
• Doctor Who and the Armageddon Factor
• Doctor Who and the Underworld (K9 voice)
• Meglos (K9 voice)

BBC Novelisations

• The Stones of Blood (K9 voice)
• Shada (K9 voice)
• The Androids of Tara

Doctor Who Audio Annuals

• Mastermind of Space
• A Midsummer's Nightmare (K9 voice)

K9 Audio Annual

• The Monster of Loch Crag
• Powerstone (K9 voice)
• Hound of Hell (K9 voice)
• The Shroud of Azaroth
• The Voton Terror (K9 voice)
• Light Fantastic
• Reluctant Warriors (K9 voice)

The Adventures of K9

• K9 and the Time Trap
• K9 and the Beasts of Vega
• K9 and the Zeta Rescue
• K9 and the Missing Planet

Time Hunter Novels

• Peculiar Lives

Documentary

• Where on Earth Is... Katy Manning Because She'd Really Like to Know!
• K9 Unleashed
• A New Beginning
• Friends Reunited
• Parrot Fashion
• Getting Blood from the Stones
• A Matter of Time
• Celebration
• Dreams and Fantasy
• Out of Time
• The Vampire Lovers
• The Dreaming
• All Aboard the Starliner
• The Doctors Revisited - The Fourth Doctor
• Toby Hadoke's Who's Round

Other

• Blue Peter 1977 & 2006
• Myth Runner
• My Life: I Am Ethan
• The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
• Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty

External links

• John Leeson at the Internet Movie Database
• 2005 BBC press release announcing the return of K9