Jon Pertwee

John Devon Roland Pertwee ( PUR-twee; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. His television roles included the third incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who (1970–1974, 1983) and the title character in Worzel Gummidge (1979–1981) and Worzel Gummidge Down Under (1987–1989). He also featured in the BBC Radio sitcom The Navy Lark (1959–1977).

Born into a theatrical family, Pertwee's rebellious behaviour led to his expulsion from two schools and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He subsequently took small parts in repertory theatre, including productions written by his playwright father Roland, and later performed in radio and films. During World War II, Pertwee served in the Royal Navy and worked in the Naval Intelligence Division. Post-war, he became known for his comedic voices and impressions, particularly on the radio programme Mediterranean Merry-Go-Round. He played Chief Petty Officer Pertwee and various other roles in The Navy Lark, and appeared in four films in the Carry On series from 1964 to 1992.

In 1969, Pertwee was cast as the Third Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. His tenure introduced an action-oriented "leading man" interpretation of the character, influenced by contemporary espionage fiction and Pertwee's own enthusiasm for gadgets and fast vehicles. Pertwee later hosted the ITV game show Whodunnit? (1974–1978). He enjoyed renewed success as the scarecrow Worzel Gummidge in a Southern Television adaptation of Barbara Euphan Todd's children's books; after its cancellation he successfully campaigned for a sequel series produced by TVNZ. Towards the end of his life he maintained a close association with Doctor Who by attending many fan conventions and reprising the role in various productions.

Early life

Family John Devon Roland Pertwee was born in Kensington, London, on 7 July 1919, to writer-actor Roland Pertwee and stage actress Avice Scholtz. His paternal ancestors were aristocratic French Huguenots, descended from Charlemagne, who fled France and settled in England in the late 17th century. Pertwee described having "Austrian/German" heritage on his mother's side.

Many of Pertwee's relatives were in show business. His older brother Michael was a writer for film and stage and, with Roland, created the first British television soap opera The Grove Family in 1957. Pertwee was a cousin of actor Bill Pertwee. Pertwee's godfather was actor Henry Ainley, a close friend of his father; coincidentally, Ainley's son Anthony portrayed the Doctor Who villain the Master opposite Pertwee in the 1983 episode "The Five Doctors".

Pertwee's parents divorced in 1921. He and his brother Michael were raised by their paternal grandmother in Surrey and Kensington. After leaving RADA, he briefly toured the country in a double-decker bus with the Arts League of Service Travelling Theatre. He then joined Springfield Theatre in Jersey, and adopted the name "Jon" from a misspelling on a Springfield Theatre billing. He was dismissed from the theatre company for playing practical jokes.

Pertwee took small repertory theatre parts in Birmingham, York and Liverpool. In April 1938, he joined the Rex Lesley-Smith Repertory Players in West Pier, Brighton, where he appeared in his father's play Interference. Pertwee starred in The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles at the Festival Theatre, Cambridge, alongside actress Sarah Churchill; Pertwee and the theatre company regularly shared tea breaks with her father, future Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Later in 1938, he appeared in Goodbye, Mr. Chips at the Q Theatre. Pertwee made his BBC radio debut in Voyage to the Sun, transmitted 13 March 1938. A week later he narrated a Northern Ireland production of Lillibulero. He appeared with his father in The Four Just Men (1939), a film Roland co-wrote, in which Pertwee delivered his first on-screen film lines. He was present at a bombing raid at Portsmouth barracks, which resulted in back problems later in life. Pertwee was posted to the Isle of Man as a sub-lieutenant, where he was one of the founding members of the Service Players, an amateur drama society. During his time in the Navy, Pertwee woke up after a drunken birthday celebration in port to find a tattoo of a cobra on his right forearm—it is visible in his first Doctor Who story Spearhead from Space (1970).

Pertwee was transferred to the Security Staff of the Naval Intelligence Division in Westminster, where he worked alongside future Prime Minister James Callaghan, future James Bond author Ian Fleming, and the man considered to be the inspiration for Bond, Patrick Dalzel-Job. According to Pertwee, he made "a few shillings" from selling Winston Churchill's cigar ends left over from security meetings, rather than disposing of them as requested. Two Mediterranean Merry-Go-Round television broadcasts aired in 1947.

One of Pertwee's most popular Waterlogged Spa characters was an incompetent West Country postmaster with the catchphrase "It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you tears [the letters] up". The character featured in a spin-off radio series, Puffney Post Office, which began airing on 21 April 1950. He appeared as Sidney Tait in the comedy film Ladies Who Do (1963). Pertwee guested on Desert Island Discs on 12 October 1964. In 1965, he starred with Cilla Black in the pantomime Little Red Riding Hood at the Wimbledon Theatre, and appeared in David Croft's BBC pantomime Mother Goose that Christmas.

Pertwee moved from variety acting to comic acting with appearances in three Carry On films: Carry On Cleo (1964) as the soothsayer; Carry On Cowboy (1965) as Sheriff Earp; and Carry On Screaming! (1966) as Dr. Fettle. Pertwee starred in the comedy There's a Girl in My Soup at the Globe Theatre from October 1966, and later appeared in the play's 1967 Broadway production. He was offered the role of Captain Mainwaring in the pilot episode of Dad's Army, but turned it down to continue on Broadway. He appeared in the 1967 The Avengers episode "From Venus with Love".

1970–1974: Doctor Who Pertwee in 1985 making a promotional appearance as the Third DoctorThe lead character of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who had been played first by William Hartnell, and then by Patrick Troughton since 1966. With Troughton leaving the series in 1969, Pertwee's Navy Lark co-star Tenniel Evans suggested that he should apply for the role. Pertwee contacted his agent and was surprised to find he was already on the production team's shortlist. He was the second choice for the role after Ron Moody turned down the part. The Third Doctor was more of an action hero than his predecessors, A flamboyant dresser, he wore frilly shirts, velvet jackets and silk-lined cloaks. In 1989, he stated "I'm an actor playing Dr Who. I'm often asked questions about what the Doctor thinks and I say: 'How the hell do I know?' I'm speaking somebody else's lines.

Pertwee in The House That Dripped Blood (1971)Pertwee co-starred in the Amicus horror anthology The House That Dripped Blood (1971), filmed in the summer of 1970 between his first and second Doctor Who seasons. He played Paul Henderson in the last segment of the film, an arrogant horror film star who meets his doom thanks to a genuine vampire cloak. Pertwee was the subject of an episode of Thames Television's This Is Your Life, broadcast 14 April 1971. "Who is the Doctor", a cover of the Doctor Who theme music featuring vocals by Pertwee, was released in November 1972. He promoted Doctor Who on the children's programme Blue Peter (broadcast 5 November 1973), entering the studio driving the Whomobile.

Pertwee played the Doctor for five seasons, His good friend Roger Delgado, who portrayed the Doctor's archenemy the Master, was killed in a car accident in June 1973, Pertwee was also suffering from chronic back pain. When his request for a increased fee for a sixth season of Doctor Who was rejected by Shaun Sutton, he decided to leave the series. Planet of the Spiders (1974), the fifth and final serial of season 11, concluded with the Third Doctor's regeneration into the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker.

1974–1979: Return to theatre and film Only a fortnight after the broadcast of Planet of the Spiders, Pertwee began hosting the Thames Television murder-mystery game show Whodunnit?. The same year, Pertwee starred with Julie Anthony in a West End production of the musical Irene at the Adelphi Theatre. He features on the cast recording album published by EMI Records. In summer 1976, Pertwee and actor Walter Randall opened Pertwee's Take Away, a restaurant serving hamburgers in Acton, London. It closed after five years. Pertwee appeared in the sex comedy film Adventures of a Private Eye (1977), and voiced characters in the animated films Wombling Free (1977) and The Water Babies (1978). Waterhouse and Hall wrote the musical's book and lyrics; its music was written by Denis King. The series ended in 1981 when Southern Television lost its ITV franchise.

Pertwee appeared in the 1982 film The Boys in Blue. He voiced the sidekick character Spotty Man in the children's animated series SuperTed (1983–1986). Pertwee returned to the role of the Doctor in 1983 for the 20th-anniversary television special "The Five Doctors", alongside Troughton and incumbent actor Peter Davison. His voice was featured in the video game Deus Ex Machina (1984) released by Automata UK.

Pertwee campaigned for a continuation of Worzel Gummidge; it was picked up by the New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ in 1987. Pertwee presented the Doctor Who video releases The Troughton Years (1991), showcasing selected surviving episodes of otherwise lost serials, and The Pertwee Years (1992), a look back at his time on the show. He appeared in the final Carry On film, Carry On Columbus (1992), as the Duke of Costa Brava. Due to a miscommunication with his wife, he initially assumed he had been offered a part in Ridley Scott's film 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), and was disappointed to read the script cover sheet. In his 1996 memoir, he stated that while he enjoyed his association with the series, he had perhaps spent too long in the title role, which led to the "ridiculous situation of people turning me down for parts because, they say, I am too well known as the Doctor." Pertwee observed that after he left the series he only ever worked in a BBC drama on one occasion, as "an aging Basque arsonist and pornographer" in the 1992 series Virtual Murder (alongside his son Sean Pertwee), which he considered to be one of "the best things I've ever done". Pertwee again reprised the role in the five-part radio serial The Paradise of Death (1993), written by Barry Letts and featuring past co-stars Elisabeth Sladen and Nicholas Courtney as Sarah Jane Smith and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart respectively. The story was well-received and peaked at 48 in the album charts, leading to a sequel, The Ghosts of N-Space (1996).

Pertwee also played characters inspired by the Doctor in the direct-to-video science fiction films The Airzone Solution (1993) and The Zero Imperative (1994). In April 1995, he recorded a small part as the Third Doctor in Devious, a Doctor Who fan film set after The War Games (1969) and before Spearhead from Space. Pertwee's scenes were included on the 2009 DVD release of The War Games.

Beginning in 1995, Pertwee toured the United Kingdom with a one-man show, Who Is Jon Pertwee?, which looked back at his career. He was among the voice cast of the 1995 video game Discworld, based on Terry Pratchett's novels. Pertwee played General Von Kramer in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode "Attack of the Hawkmen" (1995). In March 1996, Pertwee was a guest presenter on the Channel 4 magazine programme Food File. His final British television appearance was on Surprise, Surprise, hosted by Cilla Black and broadcast on 21 April 1996, in which he surprised a young fan while appearing in character as the Doctor.

Personal life Pertwee met the actress and writer Jean Marsh (19342025) while working on the film Will Any Gentleman...? (1953). They married in April 1955 and divorced in August 1960. On 13 August 1960, he married Ingeborg Rhoesa (19352026), a German secretary and model he had met in Austria after breaking his leg in a skiing accident. The couple had two children, both actors: a daughter, Dariel (born 1961), and a son, Sean (born 1964). with a toy effigy Worzel Gummidge affixed to the coffin, following the instructions in his will. Pertwee's death came eight days after the Edmonton premiere of the Doctor Who television film on 12 May. The BBC's broadcast on 27 May ended with a dedication: "To the memory of Jon Pertwee, 1919-1996, now with the Time Lords".

Audio of Pertwee recorded for Devious was used in Big Finish Productions' 40th anniversary Doctor Who audio drama Zagreus (2003).

In 2016, Pertwee was honoured with a blue plaque at the New Wimbledon Theatre, which was arranged by the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. Pertwee was the society's first Honorary President.