John Leeson, voice of Doctor Who’s K‑9, dies at 83

John Francis Christopher Ducker, known professionally as John Leeson, has died at age 83. His son Guy Ducker announced on Facebook that Leeson died at 3:03pm on 1 November 2026 after a summer of illness and that the end was peaceful. Leeson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and his stage and television career spanned about 50 years, including West End plays such as Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite (1969) and television credits from Dad’s Army to Vanity Fair. He was best known for voicing the robot dog K9, first appearing in Doctor Who’s 1977 serial The Invisible Enemy; Leeson left as voice-only performer after season 16 in 1979, returned under producer John Nathan-Turner for season 18 in 1980, and later voiced K9 in the 1981 pilot K-9 and Company. Leeson reprised K9 for The Five Doctors anniversary, the 2006 Doctor Who episode School Reunion, Journey’s End, recurring work in The Sarah Jane Adventures, the K9 television series, and several Big Finish audio dramas; Big Finish posted condolences following his death. In recent years Leeson worked with Tom Baker again, voicing John Watson in the Sir Sherlock audio dramas and reuniting with Baker for a new story in that series.