John Leeson
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John Francis Christopher Ducker (born 16 March 1943), known professionally as John Leeson, is an English actor, voice artist and freelance wine educator. He is known for portraying Bungle in ''
Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' and voicing K9 in ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' and spin-off ''
The Sarah Jane Adventures ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC sc ...
''.


Early career

Leeson trained at
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...
and his varied stage and television career spans half a century. It includes work in both repertory and West End productions including
Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...
's ''
Plaza Suite ''Plaza Suite'' is a comedy play by Neil Simon. Plot The play is composed of three acts, each involving different characters but all set in Suite 719 of New York City's Plaza Hotel. The first act, ''Visitor From Mamaroneck'', introduces the au ...
'' (1969), ''Flint'' (1970) and ''Don't Start Without Me'' (1971), and
character acting A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...
work across a wide range of television sitcoms and costume dramas from the 1970s onwards, including ''
Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
'', '' Sorry!'', ''
Rings on Their Fingers ''Rings on Their Fingers'' is a British television sitcom, written by Richard Waring. It ran from October 1978 to November 1980. Plot It concerns a young unmarried couple (Sandy Bennett and Oliver Pryde) played by Diane Keen Diane Keen (born ...
'', adaptations of ''
The Barretts of Wimpole Street ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress Ka ...
'' and '' Vanity Fair'', ''
Shadow of the Noose ''Shadow of the Noose'' is a BBC television legal drama series about the life and career of barrister Sir Edward Marshall Hall. It starred Jonathan Hyde as Marshall Hall; Michael Feast as his clerk, Edgar Bowker; Leslee Udwin as Henriette Mar ...
'', ''
Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...
'' and ''
Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...
''. He also embarked on a parallel career in voiceover work, freelancing as a continuity announcer with BFBS Television in Germany, BBC Television, and Channel 4.


''Doctor Who'' and spin-offs

Leeson was first brought on as the voice of K9 in ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' for 1977's '' The Invisible Enemy''. Producer Graham Williams liked the character that the decision was made to retain him as a regular character to appeal to the younger members of the audience.
Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the Fourth Doctor, fourth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Wh ...
, who played the
Fourth Doctor The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the ...
, detested the character of K9, but gets on well with Leeson (when Leeson appeared on Tom Baker's edition of '' This Is Your Life'' in 2000, he entered on all fours). Leeson became frustrated with the limitations of the character, and he left the programme after the conclusion of the 16th season in 1979. He was also seen on-screen that season as the character Dugeen during the serial ''
The Power of Kroll ''The Power of Kroll'' is the fifth serial of the 16th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 23 December 1978 to 13 January 1979. The serial is set o ...
'' (1978–79). David Brierly took over for four stories (one of which was never completed due to a BBC strike) the following year. When
John Nathan-Turner John Nathan-Turner (''né'' Turner; 12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002) was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. He was also the final producer of the series' first ...
took over as producer of the series for season 18 in 1980, he tempted Leeson back, with the promise that the character would be "killed off" that year. Although the character was ultimately written out, rather than "killed", Leeson agreed to return. Leeson also agreed to voice K9 in ''
K-9 and Company ''K-9 and Company'' is a one-episode television pilot, for a proposed 1981 television spin-off of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It features former series regulars Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist ...
'' (1981), a spin-off from ''Doctor Who'' which was not picked up after the airing of its pilot episode. He later voiced K9 for a cameo appearance in the 20th anniversary episode of ''Doctor Who'', ''
The Five Doctors ''The Five Doctors'' is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', produced in celebration of the programme's 20th anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago ...
'', and has since reprised K9's voice in two BBV and several Big Finish audio dramas including ''
Zagreus In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Zagreus ( grc-gre, Ζαγρεύς) was sometimes identified with a god worshipped by the followers of Orphism, the "first Dionysus", a son of Zeus and Persephone, who was dismembered by the Titans and reb ...
'' and the ''
Gallifrey Gallifrey () is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It is the original home world of the Time Lords, the civilisation to which the protagonist, The Doct ...
'' series. He voiced K9 for the character's return in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode " School Reunion", leading to giving him recurring character status in ''
The Sarah Jane Adventures ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC sc ...
''. Leeson's then reprised K9 again in the episode "
Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry comp ...
". The most recent occasion of Leeson voicing K9 is in the spin-off television series '' K9''. Leeson also voiced K9 in a ''Doctor Who''-themed episode of ''
The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which The Weakest Link (British game show), first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host ...
''. He did not reprise his role as K9 in ''
Lego Dimensions ''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360. It fo ...
'' as he was unavailable at the time, so archive audio was used instead. Leeson's vocal contributions to ''Doctor Who'' can also be heard as other characters in the serials '' The Invisible Enemy'' and ''
Remembrance of the Daleks ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 25th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The serial was first broadcast in four weekly episodes from 5 to 26 October 1988. It was written by Ben Aaronovi ...
''. Leeson played the role of "Prosecutor 2" in the 2005 stage production of ''
The Trial of Davros ''The Trial of Davros'' is a theatrical production featuring characters from the long-running British BBC science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It was written by Kevin Taylor and Michael Wisher foHyde Fundraisers a group of science ...
'' and has compiled a one-man show, ''A Dog's Life'', directed by Richard Fawkes. In November 2013, Leeson appeared as K9 in the one-off 50th anniversary comedy homage ''
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot ''The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot'' is a 2013 comedy spoof and homage to the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It appeared on the BBC Red Button service after the broadcast of "The Day of the Doctor", the official 50th ann ...
''.


Other credits

Other credits include appearances in ''
Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first ...
'' (in the season A episode "Mission to Destiny" and the season B episode "Gambit"). Also, notably in children's programmes, ITV's ''
Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' from 1972 as the original Bungle, and the BBC's ''
Jigsaw Jigsaw may refer to: * Jigsaw (tool), a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves * Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces Arts and media Comics * Jigsaw (Marvel Comics), a supervillain and arch-enemy of ...
'' in which he voiced Jigg, the show's "mascot" and played the giant Biggum, who was so tall only his feet were seen and his voice heard. He was one of the resident team of actors in stunts for ITV's ''
Game for a Laugh ''Game for a Laugh'' was a British light entertainment programme which ran for 56 editions and four specials between 26 September 1981 and 23 November 1985, made by LWT for the ITV network. Description The show revolved around a variety o ...
'' (1981–85), appearing in one memorable stunt involving a car transporter wrecking his car and blaming it on the unsuspecting victim. His film credits are few but included the Hunt Secretary in the film of ''
Tarka the Otter ''Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers'' is a novel by English writer Henry Williamson, first published in 1927 by G.P. Putnam's Sons with an introduction by the Hon. Sir John Fortescue. It won th ...
'' (1979), and a TV interviewer in the film version of ''
Whoops Apocalypse ''Whoops Apocalypse'' is a six-part 1982 television sitcom by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, made by London Weekend Television for ITV. Marshall and Renwick later reworked the concept as a 1986 film of the same name from ITC Entertainment ...
'' (1986). His radio work includes the comedy serial '' All That Jazz'' (1990) in which he played the character of Mike and additionally provided the scripted continuity link at the beginning. Leeson has read extensively for the audio book charity Calibre Audio Library, and is also the narrator/character voices behind ''
The Space Gypsy Adventures The Space Gypsy Adventures is a children's sci-fi comedy radio and internet series created by Cumbrian broadcaster and cartoonist Terry Askew. It was first broadcast on British Hospital Radio in 1986 under the title of 'The Adventures of Leah, D ...
'' on Children's UK hospital radio. In 2010 John appeared in a character role in the
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
''Rebels Without A Clue'' with actor Rik Barnett. Away from stage and screen he was regularly heard as
continuity announcer In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the ...
on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
when his warm tones proved a distinct contrast to the K9 voice. A lively interest in both classical music and particularly wine, led him to develop a longstanding parallel career as a wine educator. Under his birth name he is an accredited tutor for the
Wine & Spirit Education Trust The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, often referred to as WSET, is a global organisation which arranges courses and exams in the field of wine, spirits and sake. WSET was founded in 1969, is headquartered in London and is generally regarded as one ...
, and he is a member both of the Association of Wine Educators and the Circle of Wine Writers. He is a freelance lecturer in wine both on land and in cruises at sea, and is a regular tutor for The Wine Education Service Ltd.


Literature

Leeson's autobiography, entitled ''Flight of the Budgerigar'', was published by Hirst in October 2011. It was superseded by an updated and expanded version entitled ''Tweaking the Tail'' which was published in July 2013 by Fantom Films. A book of favourite recipes collected across the years, ''Dog's Dinners'' (the title referencing his work as the voice of K9), also published by Fantom, was published in May 2014. An enthusiastic cook, he also contributed a chapter on teaching
wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...
(in his birth name of John Ducker) to ''Educated Tastes: Food, Drink and Connoisseur Culture'', edited by Jeremy Strong, and published by the University of Nebraska Press.


Personal life

In 1969, Leeson married his wife, Judy. Their son, Guy Ducker, is a film editor and director.


Local government

Now statutorily retired, he also served as a local
justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for over 25 years, having served as Deputy Chairman of his local Bench (Ealing) for six years across the period. In 2002 and 2010, under his birth name of John Ducker, he stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the district of
Perivale Perivale () is an area of Greater London, west of Charing Cross. It is the smallest of the seven towns which make up the London Borough of Ealing. Perivale is mostly residential, with a library, community centre, a number of parks and open s ...
in the local council elections for
Ealing London Borough Council Ealing London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Ealing in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. History There have previously been a number of ...
, but failed to be elected.


Filmography


Television


Video games


Film


References


External links

*
BBC press release announcing the return of K9
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeson, John 1943 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male television actors English male voice actors Liberal Democrats (UK) people Living people Male actors from Leicestershire People from Leicester Radio and television announcers