Malcolm Hulke

Malcolm Hulke (21 November 1924–6 July 1979) was a British television writer and author of the industry "bible" Writing for Television in the 70s.^[1] He is remembered chiefly for his work on the science fiction series Doctor Who although he contributed to many popular television series of the era.

His first major television work was a series of 1950s children's science fiction serials - Target Luna, Pathfinders in Space, Pathfinders to Mars, and Pathfinders to Venus - which he co-wrote with Eric Paice for the British ABC network. The producer of the series was Sydney Newman, who was later responsible for the creation of Doctor Who as Head of Drama at BBC Television.

In addition to the Pathfinders series and Doctor Who (which he started writing for in 1967) Hulke contributed scripts to The Avengers, The Protectors, Danger Man, Crossroads, football soap United! and Gideon's Way.

His scripts for Doctor Who were noted for avoiding black-and-white characterisation and simplistic plotting. Military figures are usually presented unfavourably - Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Ambassadors of Death both have a general as the ultimate villain. One of his best-known contributions to the series is Doctor Who and the Silurians. This story depicts an encounter between the human race and the remnants of a technological reptilian race that ruled Earth in prehistoric times. Hulke avoids casting either side as heroes or monsters. Hulke's "Silurians" are the first non-human creatures to be presented as having individual personalities in Doctor Who since the un-named antagonists of his own The Faceless Ones more than three years before. Outside of Hulke's work they are the first since the Monoids in 1966's The Ark.

He also contributed to Target Books' range of Doctor Who novelisations, adapting all but one of his scripts before his death, as well as 1973's The Green Death. Hulke's novelisations were noted for providing a wealth of additional background detail and character depth.

He was a friend and mentor to Terrance Dicks, with whom he collaborated in 1962 on The Avengers episode "The Mauritius Penny", which was Dicks' first television credit; The War Games, Dicks' first Doctor Who script, and on the non-fiction book The Making of Doctor Who.

He was at one point a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain.

Doctor Who stories written by Malcolm Hulke

Starring Patrick Troughton:

• The Faceless Ones (with David Ellis, 1967)
• The War Games (with Terrance Dicks, 1969)

Starring Jon Pertwee:

• Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970)
• The Ambassadors of Death (with David Whitaker, Terrance Dicks and Trevor Ray, 1970)
• Colony in Space (1971)
• The Sea Devils (1972)
• Frontier in Space (1973)
• Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974)

Doctor Who novelisations by Malcolm Hulke

• Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters (1974) (adapted from Doctor Who and the Silurians)
• Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon (1974) (adapted from Colony In Space)
• Doctor Who and the Sea Devils (1974)
• Doctor Who and the Green Death (1975) (adapted from The Green Death, written by Robert Sloman)
• Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion (1976)
• Doctor Who and the Space War (1976) (adapted from Frontier in Space)
• Doctor Who and the War Games (1979)

References

1. ^ http://www.ffbooks.co.uk/x0/x2888.htm

External links

• Malcolm Hulke at the Internet Movie Database
• Malcolm Hulke at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Persondata
Name	Hulke, Malcolm
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	21 November 1924
Place of birth	Hampstead, London, England
Date of death	6 July 1979
Place of death	Cambridgeshire, England