Should RTD Bring Back The Brigadier And Give Him A Heros Death.

[Larry]

RTD has talked about bringing back the iconic villains/monsters but surely he should also be looking at bringing back the iconic companions he has done it with Sarah and now I think it's time he brought the Brigadier back. I know killing off a companion would be a brave thing to do but I just love the idea of giving the Brig a heros death as he sacrifices his life in order to save The Doctor.

[Captain Tancredi]

Better to do what Paul Cornell did in 'Happy Endings' and make him immortal- or at least self-renewing (it's a long time since I read the book). The thing with the Brigadier is that he puts himself in danger so often for the Doctor that he's probably the one ongoing character who's earned the right to a long retirement and to slip away in his bed.

[P-Bal]

I don't think we need the hero's death thing, but we deffo need The Brig back. If not in Doctor Who, then it would be nice in The Sarah-Jane Adventures.

[WhiteCrow]

I think there's a limit to the number of past characters who should/could be brought back. Certainly the Brig is unique in that he's had contact with pretty much every classic Doctor save Hartnell (and if you argued The Three Doctors all of them).

Problem I feel is the UNIT stories were all a bit pro-military. With us at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, any coverage of UNIT would probably have to be done along the lines of "war is hell". And certainly Tennants Doctor feels a bit anti-establishment. Would it work?

[Si Hunt]

I agree, the Brig needs to come back. Surely the "limit" doesn't exceed one or two old characters per season, and it's getting to the stage where we've had Daleks, Cybermen, Master, Sarah-Jane and K9. The Brig is next on the list. It seems rude he hasn't been brought back yet.

To be honest, they could bring him back in a cameo as a Torchwood General or something and no-one would be any the wiser. Either use him properly and give him his own story, or do that. But decide which, before it's... er... too late.

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

I think, with all due respect to him, that Nick Courtney is now really looking his age (at least on the last docu' interview I saw, whenever that was). So I think the sensible thing to do with the Brig would be perhaps to do a story about him dying - the 'emotional' slant being that for the Doctor, sooner or later all his friends die, because they have such finite (compared to him) lives. It would be, I suppose, a bit like the final scene from Family of Blood where the young boy Tim is now an old, old man.

[Dave Lewis]

I agree with Andrew - a dignified end to the Brig's life would be entirely fitting, both in terms of the character's long history in Doctor Who, and also in keeping with the more human, emotional stories of the 'new' series. Or something.

It would make a decent counterpoint to School Reunion, wherein the reappearance of the Doctor in Sarah Jane's life gave her renewed hope for the future, only this time the reappearance of his time travelling scientific advisor pal would give some closure to the old soldier's life. Possibly.

So long as it wasn't a dreadful continuity festival with references to Mike Yates, the Silurians, and eyepatches. Also, how are they going to bring him back from Avalon? Or did they do that already? Maybe Compassion could make a guest appearance. Or Kate Lethbridge Stewart? Or Kadiatu? I can hear the sound of fanboy wank mags toppling...

[Perry Vale]

I really thought for a moment in Last Of The Timelords that he'd pop up for a cameo appearance when Martha mentioned the old UNIT building they needed to get to. As Jim Diamond said, I-I-I-I should have known better.

[Mike Saville]

I'd like to see him more in a 'scientific advisor' role, the retired Brigadier who disappeared into the shadows and is sought out by Torchwood.

I'd have him naively sacrificing his own life to save Jack, and have Jack having to live with the consequences of the mortality.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Also, how are they going to bring him back from Avalon?

I presume this must be some sort of New Adventures reference and therefore totally irrelevant anyway On a similar note people who think that Romana was ever ACTUALLY President of the Time Lords needs a good kicking too

[Stuart Wallis]

Oh, just bring him back and I'll be happy.

[Fatso the wombat]

Oh, yes, I do think an episode with the Brig in could be wonderful; if it's done right. I did actually have an idea for a story with him in, but it was a bit "School reunion"y (though not set in a school), and the ending would have seen flame wars on an unprecedented scale... Maybe I'll tell the idea one day...

As for Romana being president of Gallifrey... isn't she mentioned as being this in one of the annuals...?

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Are annuals canonical now? Obviously they're slightly more in tune with the actual series than the old World ones were, but they still feature things like alternate versions of Sally Sparrow.

[Dave Lewis]

I presume this must be some sort of New Adventures reference and therefore totally irrelevant anyway On a similar note people who think that Romana was ever ACTUALLY President of the Time Lords needs a good kicking too

Uh-oh... do I detect the very attitude that was being lampooned in my earlier post? I believe I do.

[Rob McCow]

Perhaps he should bring the Brigadier back to give him a tree-planting party on the double.

[Jon Masters]

No

RTD seems to have developed a nasty habit of bringing things back only to finish them off / make it very difficult for anyone to use them again. Its like he's working his way through a list. Leave the Brig alone, and as P-Bal says let him be a bed-bound old Brig giving advice in SJA.

I presume this must be some sort of New Adventures reference and therefore totally irrelevant anyway On a similar note people who think that Romana was ever ACTUALLY President of the Time Lords needs a good kicking too

Not sure if this is a safe subject to broach here without warning but.....none of it's real, you know. Just a programme for the kiddies.

[Stuart Wallis]

So's the Nine O'clock News, but nobody wants to bring Moira Stewart back!

[Si Hunt]

RTD seems to have developed a nasty habit of bringing things back only to finish them off

When did he do this even once? Even the Master was given a "get out" scene.

Si.

[transvamp]

a dignified end to the Brig's life would be entirely fitting

Dignity and Russell T. Davies' writing don't exactly mix.

So long as it wasn't a dreadful continuity festival with references to Mike Yates, the Silurians, and eyepatches.

No it will probably just be lots of farting and saccarine sob-athons and some pixie dust at the end.

[Stuart Wallis]

No it will probably just be lots of farting and saccarine sob-athons and some pixie dust at the end.

The story of my life...