John Hurt 1940-2017

Known to Big Finish and Doctor Who fans as The War Doctor, these performances are just a small part in the career of one of the great British actors, a career which has encompassed ground-breaking roles and iconic, distinctive appearances on stage and screen.

We had the privilege of working with the actor several times, experiences we will very much treasure. Our thoughts are with his family at this sorrowful time.

Big Finish's line producer, David Richardson: ‘It’s a bitter blow to the whole country to lose Sir John Hurt. He was extraordinary - an actor whose work I have admired for as long as I’ve been watching television and films. We were so lucky to have him as a nation, and we were so lucky to have him at Big Finish. He was lovely to work with - so down to earth, so funny… he had time for everyone in the studio. And as the War Doctor and as our Invisible Man, as with every other role he has ever played in a long and unforgettable career, he was magnificent. What an honour to have worked with him. What an honour.'

Co-executive producer Nick Briggs. 'I certainly echo everything David has said in the previous paragraph. John was a lovely, funny, warm, talented man. It seemed to me that he always looked to enjoy himself, to see the positive and practical and not to look for problems. The warmth and trust we felt from him was entirely mutual and felt like such a privilege. It is a measure of the profound effect he's had on my life that, although I knew he was very ill and not expected to recover, I am deeply upset at the news of his passing. All of us who met, knew, worked with him or just loved his work are so lucky to have had him in our lives. He had about him the air of a simple, generous greatness the like of which I had never experienced before and strongly suspect I will never experience again.'