David Ralph Martin (1 January 1935 – 30 March 2007) was an English television and film writer. He was born in
Handsworth,
Birmingham,
England, and attended
Handsworth Grammar School
King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, formerly and commonly Handsworth Grammar School, is a grammar school that admits boys from the age of eleven (as well as girls in the sixth form, since September 1997). The school was founded i ...
.
Doctor Who
David contributed numerous scripts for the ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' television series between 1971 and 1979 including:
* ''
The Claws of Axos'' (1971)
* ''
The Mutants
''The Mutants'' is the fourth serial of the ninth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 8 April to 13 May 1972.
The serial is set on and high above the ...
'' (1972)
* ''
The Three Doctors'' (1973)
* ''
The Sontaran Experiment'' (1975)
* ''
The Hand of Fear'' (1976)
* ''
The Invisible Enemy'' (1977)
* ''
Underworld'' (1978)
* ''
The Armageddon Factor'' (1979)
For all of these, Martin collaborated with
Bob Baker. Together they were nicknamed "The Bristol Boys" by the ''Doctor Who'' production teams with whom they worked.
Baker and Martin's most notable contributions to the ''Doctor Who''
mythos were the robotic hound
K-9 (created for ''The Invisible Enemy'') and the renegade
Time Lord Omega (created for ''
The Three Doctors'', ''Doctor Whos tenth anniversary story).
They also worked together on the 1975 children's
science fantasy
Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...
television serial ''
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
'' and ''
Into the Labyrinth''.
In 1986, he wrote the Doctor Who Make Your Own Adventure book ''
Search for the Doctor
Lists of books based on ''Doctor Who'' cover different types of book in the ''Doctor Who'' media franchise.
These include novels, audiobooks, and short story anthologies. The lists are organized by publisher and imprint.
''Doctor Who'' novelis ...
''.
Death
At the beginning of 2007 Martin, a smoker, was diagnosed with
lung cancer; he died of the disease in March.
[David Martin - Classic series writer passes away](_blank)
(published and accessed 12 April 2007) He and his wife Celia (née Constanduros, born 1944),
Bridport partner of TV chef Keith Floyd in shock at his sudden death
/ref> had two children, Leo and Thea; he also had a daughter, Anna, from his first marriage.
References
External links
*
Guardian obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Dave (Screenwriter)
1935 births
2007 deaths
Deaths from lung cancer in England
British science fiction writers
English science fiction writers
English television writers
Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands
People from Handsworth, West Midlands
British male television writers
20th-century English screenwriters