Doctor Who: Terrance Dicks, prolific writer and script editor, dies aged 84
By James Aggas
We look back on legendary Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks, who has sadly passed away aged 84, and why he was so influential to the series.
For many Doctor Who fans, particularly those of the Classic Series, this news will come as a huge blow. Earlier today, it was announced that writer and script editor Terrance Dicks has passed away, aged 84.
Dicks’s contribution to Doctor Who cannot be overstated. Not only did he give us so many classic stories, including The Brain of Morbius, Horror of Fang Rock and The Five Doctors. But he was also absolutely crucial to shaping an incredibly iconic era of the TV series.
When Terrance Dicks was made head script editor of the series, he and producer Barry Letts helped to shape the Third Doctor’s era. Together, they not only helped to give us arguably one of the greatest seasons of Doctor Who ever made. But they also created one of the greatest and most iconic villains of the series: the Master.
Even before the Third Doctor’s era, Terrance Dicks helped to give us some incredibly important mythology. At the end of Season 6, he and Malcolm Hulke wrote the ten-episode long epic, The War Games. Along with being the Second Doctor’s final adventure, the story was also the first ever appearance (or even mention) of the Time Lords. As a result, this was a story that changed Doctor Who forever.
We are sad to report the death of Terrance Dicks, one of the original writers of Doctor Who. https://t.co/E6LCaWtB8x
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) September 2, 2019
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Target books and original novels
But even after Terrance Dicks had finished working for the series television, he still remained closely tied to the programme. Over the years, he wrote many novelizations of classic stories for the Target brand. For a long time, these were the only way for fans to experience these stories if they had missed the original broadcast.
But Dicks did more than just translate these visual stories to the page. He also added his own sense of style to them, too. He added so much flair and character to these much-loved stories, capturing both the feeling of the original story, but also adding something new.
He even wrote some original novels for both Virgin Publishing and BBC Books during the Nineties and Noughties. So he had a close connection to Doctor Who for a very long time.
Knowing that he’s no longer with us is simply devastating to the fandom. He was an iconic figure in his own right, and one of the last great writers of the original era left alive until now. He will be deeply missed.
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What are your favorite memories of Terrance Dicks? Did you enjoy his TV stories or his books more? What do you think was his greatest contribution to Doctor Who? Let us know in the comments below.