David Whitaker (screenwriter)

David Whitaker
David Whitaker, an image from a documentary accompanying the DVD release of the serial The Edge of Destruction.
Born	David Arthur Whitaker 18 April 1928(1928-04-18) Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England
Died	4 February 1980(1980-02-04) (aged 51) Fulham, London, England
Occupation	Television Script editor and Author
Known for	Founding script editor of Doctor Who

David Whitaker (18 April 1928, Knebworth, Hertfordshire – 4 February 1980) was an English screenwriter and novelist best known for his work in the early days of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He served as the series' first story editor working on the programme's first fifty-one episodes in this capacity.

He also wrote a number of Doctor Who serials himself. His scripts for the series include The Crusade (1965), The Power of the Daleks (1966) and The Evil of the Daleks (1967), The Enemy of the World (1967/8) and The Wheel in Space (1968, from a story by Kit Pedler), all highly regarded by admirers of the series. Other Dalek work included writing the Dalek comic strip in the children's magazine, TV Century 21, and the 1965 stage play The Curse of the Daleks.

In 1964, Whitaker became the first person to write a novelised adaptation of a Doctor Who serial (ultimately, more than 150 such books would be published over the next 30 years). His book, Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks, was based upon Terry Nation's teleplay for the first Dalek story. Later in 1973 Target Books purchased the rights to the novelisation and issued it under the jacket title Doctor Who and the Daleks.

In 1965, Whitaker wrote his second Doctor Who novelisation, this time based upon his own script, The Crusade. Both books were originally published by Frederick Muller, with the Dalek story also having a paperback release by Armada; in 1973 Whitaker's books (along with a third novelisation by Bill Strutton based upon The Web Planet) were republished by Target Books, launching its prolific series of novelisations.

At the time of his death, Whitaker was undergoing treatment for cancer. He died leaving his novelisation of his 1968 serial The Enemy of the World only partly finished and his plans to adapt The Evil of the Daleks never coming to pass. The adaptation of The Enemy of the World was completed later by Ian Marter, and The Evil of the Daleks was eventually adapted by John Peel and released in 1993.

List of Doctor Who serial credits

As writer

• The Edge of Destruction
• The Rescue (Two-part story that saw the introduction of the character Vicki as a companion for the First Doctor.)
• The Crusade
• The Power of the Daleks (The first story to feature Patrick Troughton as The Doctor, with uncredited rewrites by Dennis Spooner.)
• The Evil of the Daleks (Originally intended to be the "Final End" of the Daleks; introduced companion Victoria Waterfield to the series.)
• The Enemy of the World
• The Wheel in Space (From an idea by Kit Pedler; introduced the companion Zoe (Wendy Padbury), and saw the return of the Cybermen to the series.)
• The Ambassadors of Death (with uncredited rewrites by Trevor Ray, Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke, supposedly Whitaker's least favourite story.)

He was also meant to script the story that became The Invasion, however he was unable to do so, leaving then story editor and future Doctor Who producer Derrick Sherwin to script it himself.

As Story Editor

• An Unearthly Child
• The Daleks
• The Edge of Destruction
• Marco Polo
• The Keys of Marinus
• The Aztecs
• The Sensorites
• The Reign of Terror
• Planet of Giants
• The Dalek Invasion of Earth

References

• Walker, Stephen James (2006). Talkback: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Doctor Who Interview Book: Volume One: The Sixties. England: Telos Publishing Ltd. pp. 31. ISBN 1-84583-006-7. 

External links

• David Whitaker at the Internet Movie Database
• David Whitaker at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Persondata
Name	Whitaker, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	18 April 1928
Place of birth	Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England
Date of death	4 February 1980
Place of death	Fulham, London, England