Dennis Spooner

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Dennis Spooner (born 1 December 1932 in Tottenham London; died 20 September 1986) was an English television scriptwriter, known for his ability to write to order if necessary, who created the classic British television series Man in a Suitcase, The Champions, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and The Adventurer, and co-created Department S, as well as writing for others including The Avengers, Fireball XL5, Hancock, Doctor Who, Stingray, Thunderbirds, The Baron, Doomwatch, UFO, Jason King, The Protectors, The New Avengers and The Professionals.

His work on Doctor Who was during William Hartnell's tenure as the Doctor, and he can be credited with the introduction of comedy elements in the programme. His scripts were The Reign of Terror, The Romans, and The Time Meddler. He also wrote some episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan and served as story editor for the programme between The Rescue and The Chase in 1965. He decided not to return to editing Doctor Who following the expiry of his six-month contract. Dalek creator Terry Nation had recently taken over as script supervisor on the high-profile new series The Baron, and requested Spooner's help on the show. Spooner, enticed by the prospect of working on a programme which would receive attention in the lucrative American market, readily agreed.

He did, however, later return to the series to perform uncredited rewrites on David Whitaker's scripts for The Power of the Daleks. Spooner died on September 20, 1986, after suffering a heart attack.