Actor John Ducker, known professionally as John Leeson and famous for voicing the robotic dog K9 in Doctor Who, has died at the age of 83 following a “summer of illness”. His son, Guy, confirmed the news in a Facebook post on November 1, describing the passing as “peaceful”.
Son’s emotional tribute
In the post, Guy wrote: “I regret to announce the death of my father, John Ducker, a.k.a. John Leeson, at 3:03pm today after a summer of illness. The end was peaceful. 'Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.'”
Fans quickly responded with tributes, with one writing: “I'm ever so sorry for your loss. Your father meant the world to many people. I was four years old when I got into 'Doctor Who' and him voicing K9 always made me smile. I wish he could've returned. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this time.”
Career beyond Doctor Who
Leeson first voiced K9 in the 1977 Doctor Who episode The Invisible Enemy. Producer Graham Williams was impressed by his performance and kept the character as a regular to appeal to the show’s younger audience. Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor, famously disliked the K9 character but got on well with Leeson.
Beyond Doctor Who, Leeson was the original voice of Bungle the bear in the children’s series Rainbow and appeared in shows including Blake's 7 and Dad's Army.
