David Whitaker (b. 1928 in Knebworth - February 4, 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. Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Knebworth is a village in the north of Hertfordshire, England. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... A broadcast of the long-running and popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... Script Editor is a program included with Mac OS that allows AppleScripts to be written, debugged, and ran. ...

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) highly regarded by admirers of the series after forty years. 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. The Crusade is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from March 27 to April 17, 1965. ... The Power of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from November 5 to December 10, 1966. ... The Evil Of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in seven weekly parts from May 20 to July 1, 1967. ... TV Century 21 (also known as TV21) was an important comic in the 60s and a verhicle to promote the many space age adventure puppet series created by Gerry Anderson and his wife Sylvia Anderson. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Written by David Whitaker and Terry Nation, The Curse Of The Daleks is a Doctor Who stage play which appeared in the mid 1960s at the height of Dalekmania. ...

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 The Daleks. (It was later retitled Doctor Who and the Daleks when it was republished by Target Books in 1973, presumably as a reference to the popular Peter Cushing film which was also based upon Nation's story.) Terry Nation (August 8, 1930 – March 9, 1997) was a British television screenwriter and is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks for the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... The Daleks (also known as The Mutants, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast weekly from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964. ... Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. ... Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) was the first of two Doctor Who films made in the 1960s, and was followed by Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD. The film features Peter Cushing as Dr. Who, Roberta Tovey, Jennie Linden and noted Carry On star Roy Castle. ...

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. Bill Strutton was a prolific British scriptwriter who worked on some of the best-remembered 1960s television shows including Ivanhoe, The Saint, The Avengers and Doctor Who. ... The Web Planet is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from February 13 - March 20, 1965. ...

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. Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... The Enemy of the World is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from December 23, 1967 to January 27, 1968. ... Ian Marter in 1983. ... John Peel (born 1954) is a British writer, best known for his books connected to several television series. ...

List of Doctor Who serial credits

As writer

• The Edge of Destruction
• The Rescue
• The Crusade
• The Power of the Daleks
• The Evil of the Daleks
• The Enemy of the World
• The Wheel in Space (from an idea by Kit Pedler)
• The Ambassadors of Death (with uncredited rewrites by Trevor Ray, Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke)

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

The Edge of Destruction (also known as Inside the Spaceship, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 2 weekly parts on February 8 and February 15, 1964. ... The Rescue is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on January 2 and January 9, 1965. ... The Crusade is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from March 27 to April 17, 1965. ... The Power of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from November 5 to December 10, 1966. ... The Evil Of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in seven weekly parts from May 20 to July 1, 1967. ... The Enemy of the World is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from December 23, 1967 to January 27, 1968. ... The Wheel in Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from April 27 to June 1, 1968. ... Dr. Kit Pedler was the Head of the Electron Microscopy Department at the University of London. ... The Ambassadors of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts from March 21 to May 2, 1970. ... Trevor Ray is a British actor who has appeared in many TV-series. ... Terrance Dicks (born 1935 in East Ham, London) is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular childrens books during the 1970s and 80s. ... Malcolm Hulke (died July 6, 1979) was a British television writer, notable for his work on the science fiction series Doctor Who. ... An Unearthly Child (also known as 100,000 BC, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. ... The Daleks (also known as The Mutants, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast weekly from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964. ... The Edge of Destruction (also known as Inside the Spaceship, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 2 weekly parts on February 8 and February 15, 1964. ... Marco Polo is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 7 weekly parts from February 22 to April 4, 1964. ... The Keys of Marinus is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 6 weekly parts from April 11 to May 16, 1964. ... The Aztecs is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 4 weekly parts from May 23 to June 13, 1964. ... The Sensorites is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from June 20 to August 1, 1964. ... The Reign of Terror is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from August 8 to September 12, 1964. ... Planet of Giants is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from October 31 to November 14, 1964. ... The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from November 21 to December 26, 1964. ...

References

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

Stephen James Walker is a writer and editor most associated with his work relating to the BBC Television series Doctor Who, usually with co-editors David J. Howe and/or Mark Stammers. ...

External links

• David Whitaker at the Internet Movie Database