Terrance Dicks, ‘Doctor Who’ Writer and Script Editor, Dies at 84

He worked as a script editor on more than 150 episodes of the show

Doctor Who logo
BBC America

Terrance Dicks, one of the original writers and long-time contributors to the BBC’s “Doctor Who” franchise, died at the age of 84.

The program’s official Twitter account tweeted out the news on Monday morning.

Born on May 10, 1935, in London, Dicks was first hired to work on “Doctor Who” as a script editor in 1968. He remained on the show until 1983.

Dicks worked as a script editor on more than 150 episodes of the long-running show, including penning classic serials including “The War Games” and “The Five Doctors.” He also wrote more than 60 “Doctor Who” novels for Target Books.

Dicks was remembered by a number of people within the “Doctor Who” family.

“The lights of Doctor Who are dimmer tonight, with the passing of Terrance Dicks. He was one of the greatest contributors to Doctor Who’s history, on screen and off. As writer and script editor, he was responsible for some of the show’s greatest moments and iconic creations. As the most prolific and brilliant adaptor of Doctor Who stories into Target novels, he was responsible for a range of books that taught a generation of children, myself included, how pleasurable and accessible and thrilling reading could be. Doctor Who was lucky to have his talents. He will always be a legend of the show. Everyone working on Doctor Who sends his family and friends our love and condolences at this difficult time,” showrunner Chris Chibnall told the BBC.

“Very hard to express what Terrance Dicks meant to a whole generation. A brilliant TV professional, a funny and generous soul. Most of all, though, an inspirational writer who took so many of us on unforgettable journeys into space and time. Bless you, Terrance,” Mark Gatiss wrote in a tweet.

“I remember reading his and Malcolm Hulke’s book THE MAKING OF DOCTOR WHO when I was eleven or twelve, and deciding then that I would one day write an episode of ‘Doctor Who,’ because they had shown me how. RIP Terrance Dicks,” Neil Gaiman wrote in a tweet as well.

Check out more tributes to Dicks below:

 

Comments