John Leeson, the Voice of Doctor Who's K9, Dies Aged 83
John Leeson, the actor who voiced the robot dog K9 in Doctor Who and its spin-offs, has died aged 83. K9 was his best-known role, and one he played across six decades.
K9 and the fourth Doctor
His most memorable part came in 1977, when K9 joined Doctor Who alongside Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor. K9 stayed in the show for several years and proved popular with viewers, even though Baker has said he disliked the character.
After the series was revived he came back to the main programme, having already voiced K9 in several audio dramas and in spin-offs such as CBBC's The Sarah Jane Adventures. In 2026 he reunited with Baker in the audio drama Sir Sherlock: The Red Letter Day, with Baker as Sherlock Holmes and Leeson as Doctor John Watson.
A tribute from the man who brought K9 back
Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies shared a post on Instagram. He called Leeson "the voice of K9, and a fine, fine actor". Davies revived the character in 2006, soon after bringing the BBC series back, and said it was impossible to imagine anyone else in the part.
He described K9 as a posh, uppity, haughty and wry dog who was somehow innocent too. The voice was pitched so that children could impersonate it, Davies said, and Leeson stayed devoted to the character for six decades.
The showrunner added that the actor would sometimes phone him for a chat on the landline, and stayed gracious about the one time he had not been paid.
The announcement and the career behind it
His son, Guy Ducker, announced the death in a Facebook post. He wrote that his father, John Ducker, also known as John Leeson, died at 3:03pm that day after a summer of illness. The post said the end was peaceful. It included a line from Shakespeare: "Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
Leeson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before a career on stage and screen. Early television credits included Dad's Army and The Spanish Farm. He played Bungle the Bear in the children's series Rainbow and appeared in Crown Court, Sorry! and Longitude.
His other credits include The Bill, Vanity Fair, Doctors and Blake's 7. On Channel 4 his voice was a regular presence between programmes as a continuity announcer.
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Davies's recollection suggests the voice work was valued by colleagues as well as by children who copied it. Nothing in the report says whether Baker or the programme itself has commented on the death.
Source: Manchester Evening News