This is here to brighten your day:
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Wow sounds wrong when it isn’t sung in Danish 
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As today would have been William Russell’s 100th birthday, I think it only right and proper that we reignite this thread to share our admiration for one of Doctor Who’s leading lights.
A wonderful man, by all accounts, and absolutely superb as Ian Chesterton.
What are your favourite William Russell moments?
(Obviously his surprise cameo at the end of The Power of the Doctor is pretty damn near the top of the list).
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Some of my favourite Ian scenes are in The Aztecs. I love all the stuff between him and Ixta and how he initially gets a grudging respect from the Aztecs because how easily he takes Ixta down in their first fight.
And obviously the scenes in the villa in The Romans - so funny.
Russell and Hill just light up the screen whenever they are working together.
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This is my favourite Ian story I’ve encountered so far. While others focus on his background as chemistry, here Ian is a bit of a history fan of this particular era.
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And this appearance set the current world record for longest gap between the exit of a TV show regular and their return to the show—57 years! It’s a record that won’t be broken in a long time!
Ian is and will remain one of my favourite companions. As the action hero of the early days of the show, he was constantly reliable and chivalrious, and I especially love how close a bond he formed with Barbara during his time on the show (as evidenced by The Romans and their exit scene in The Chase).
But one of my favourite moments with him is the cute little dance he does when listening to The Beatles! Such a daddy move that makes me wish he was my father!
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Ian and Barbra are the heart and soul of the very first episode of Doctor Who, their interactions with Susan and One (not to mention each other) are brilliant from the offset.
While some shows can have a bit of a rocky start that makes the first episode rough to revisit, William Russell is a large part of why that’s not the cast for Doctor Who
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Although I was in the world when William Russell was appearing in Doctor Who, I was just a baby. Growing up, I only knew Ian Chesterton from the Target novelisations. I didn’t get to see him onscreen until the BBC repeated ‘An Unearthly Child’ as part of its Five Faces of Doctor Who season in 1981. I’ve been a fan ever since.
In recent years, William Russell brought Ian Chesterton to life again in various audio adventures for Big Finish. My favourite of these is ‘The Revenants,’ an atmospheric story set not on some strange new world in the far-flung future but on Orkney in the 1950s. Highly recommended.
Russell also narrated some of my favourite Target audiobooks, which I enjoy greatly. Actually, a little admission here, sometimes when I am stressed and need some calm in my life, I like to listen to William Russell reading ‘Doctor Who and the Zarbi.’ A strange choice, you might think, but it takes me back to when I was a boy, sitting on the sofa in my grandparents’ house, reading that Target book for the very first time - it’s like a comfort blanket to me.
William Russell, you are much missed.
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It’s strange to consider, in retrospect, that Ian and Barbara, whilst the first true companions (along with Susan, although she’s a very different case), served a rather different narrative role to later companions - especially during season 1. They were, initially at least, just as much leads as William Hartnell… and much more familiar to the audience. They were the show’s first audience identification figures, yet they were so much more than that!
I love them both. Each served a different role, though, as @JayPea acknowledged above, both brought such heart to the show. As @deltaandthebannermen says, Ian has real highlights throughout The Aztecs. I’d also draw attention to The Crusade and his performance - Sir Ian of Jaffa! Fully capable of starring as the lead in his own right, he steps up to the plate time and again, showing intelligence, charm, skill and strength. He’s kind, good humoured and dashing when required.
Ian Chesterton. What a hero!
William Russell. RIP.
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Ian really was the hero of the show back in his time, before the Doctor started to fit that role more. I think Ian really has a lot of the characteristics that we’d know the Doctor to have later, especially the bravery, moral compass, and loyalty to his companion (Barbara). Also his usual approach of using his intelligence in situations, but ability to be tough when he needed to. The first Doctor of course wasn’t devoid of those things, but it took a bit of time for him to develop those himself. I like to think the Doctor learned so much from Ian, he’s someone the Doctor even looks to emulate in some ways, and that Ian was one of the most influential companions on the Doctor. Ian is the first male companion, and to this day still the greatest. RIP William Russell.
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It’s also something that the revival came back to with great effect. Rose follows, well, Rose, and it’s a great introduction to the new era as we see everything through her eyes for that first season
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I fired up my audiobook of The Aztecs in the early hours this morning (thanks to Storm Bert for rattling everything it could find in the marina here!). It’s narrated by William Russell and is one of my favourite audios. The story is interestingly complex, rather than bafflingly so, and Russell gets Hartnell’s tetchy voice spot on.
I ended up listening for about three hours, until just before the second duel, and am now keen to find more time later today to continue. Great stuff!
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