BBC Radio 4 Extra, July 6 2019 and on BBC Sounds

Sean Pertwee presents a delightful, and sometimes poignant, tribute to his father to mark his centenary.

They say that your favourite Doctor is the one who was in the role when you were eight or nine years old – which might explain why Jon Pertwee’s incarnation of the Time Lord has always been top of the list for me (a choice I’m delighted that my daughter shares). I loved his time as the Doctor, and had the added frisson of going past his house on Castlenau, in Barnes, every day on my way into school, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Meeting him in person towards the end of his life was fascinating, and one of those memories that I’ll treasure.

All of those thoughts have come back to the surface through the events to mark Pertwee’s centenary, which falls tomorrow (7 July): watching the “new” Planet of the Daleks at the BFI, interviewing Katy Manning for a piece out next week, and hosting Alister Pearson’s art competition. But none more so than through Richard Latto and Stuart Manning’s fantastic radio documentary, narrated by Jon’s son Sean, whose love for and pride in his father’s work shines through from start to finish.

Although Pertwee’s time as the Doctor and as Worzel Gummidge take pride of place, and a commensurate portion of the hour, this isn’t by any means simply about them. Audio recordings have been dug out of Pertwee’s pre-war radio appearances, as well as multiple clips from his radio series such as The Navy Lark alongside other long-forgotten productions – including a moment where he’s appearing with one of his former selves (so to speak). The Who material doesn’t go down the usual tracks either – there are backstage interviews that have only been heard once, if at all, and some really fascinating insights into how he perceived the role. I’m not as up to speed with the Worzel material (reading Stuart Manning’s book was the first time I really got to know about the history), but there’s some equally unusual material here, including the soundtrack to a mooted revival.

There’s some great choices made with regard to the presentation of the archive material, and I defy anyone not to have something in their throat when they hear the final musical choice, that comes after Sean talks about his father’s passing.

Verdict: Not to be missed, a fantastic celebration of a wonderful life. Can we have an extended version please? 10/10

Paul Simpson