Of the four original actors to travel in the TARDIS in
Doctor Who (1963), he is the most recent one to make a reappearance in the series, in the 2022 Centenary special
The Power of the Doctor (2022).
In the mid-1980s, writer
Peter Grimwade originally envisaged him as returning to star opposite
Peter Davison as the teacher in
Mawdryn Undead: Part One (1983), but Russell proved unavailable due to theatre commitments. The story was then changed to bring back
Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.