10 Doctor Who Scenes Actors Hated Shooting
7. Kevin Lindsay Is The Suffering Sontaran
Doctor Who monster actors have always suffered for their art – but none moreso than Kevin Lindsay.
Lindsay played the first ever Sontaran, Linx, in the Season 11 story The Time Warrior, and his slimy performance is a big part of what made the creatures such a success. But behind the scenes, things were far from straightforward.
With its combination of prosthetics, helmet, and heavily-padded fabric suit, the Sontaran costume was incredibly difficult to wear, and severely restricted Lindsay’s breathing. This culminated in him collapsing during the first studio block.
As it happened, the Doctor Who team wasn’t entirely culpable. In fact, Lindsay had, unwittingly, been suffering from a heart condition all along, and the costume had exacerbated this.
Remarkably, this bad experience didn’t put Lindsay off the show. On the contrary, he returned to play Styre in the following year’s The Sontaran Experiment, though the decision for Styre to go without his helmet for most of the serial made things somewhat easier.
Tragically, Lindsay would die from a heart condition just a few months later. Looking back, it’s incredible that he was able to bring Linx and Styre to life so convincingly, while in so much discomfort.