Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies paid tribute on Instagram, saying there had been “no question” about asking Mr Leeson to reprise the voice when K9 returned to the programme.
He described the character as “a posh dog, uppity, haughty, wry, but somehow innocent too, and so funny,” adding that the vocal performance was “pitched perfectly so that kids could impersonate him.”
Mr Davies called Mr Leeson “a true gent, and a great loss,” signing off with the robot dog’s trademark phrase: “Affirmative!”
Keith Barnfather, a producer of behind-the-scenes Doctor Who documentaries who first collaborated with Mr Leeson in the 1980s, remembered him as “kind, considerate, professional, charming, talented, unassuming.”
Lisa Bowerman, whose own career spans the Doctor Who universe, called him “an utterly lovely man” with “a truly iconic voice.”