Derrick Sherwin

Derrick Sherwin (born 16 April 1936) is a retired British television producer, writer, story-editor and actor.

Early life

Sherwin began his career in the theatre and worked as a junior set designer, scenic artist, scene shifter, stage manager and lighting designer. He also spent two years of National Service in the Royal Air Force. Following this, Sherwin established himself as an actor in theatre, films and television. While still working as an actor, Sherwin also began work as a freelance writer, contributing scripts to series such as Crossroads and Z-Cars.^[1]

Doctor Who

In 1967, Sherwin was offered a story-editing role on Doctor Who by BBC Head of Serials Shaun Sutton. He was script editor on the stories from The Web of Fear to The Mind Robber, and on the latter tale he wrote the first episode.^[2] He also wrote the script for The Invasion, which introduced the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT), having adapted the original storyline supplied by Kit Pedler.

In 1968-1969, Sherwin began to take a greater role in the producing side of Doctor Who, and after the serial The Mind Robber, he became the unofficial Assistant Producer for the next 3 serials, with Terrance Dicks succeeding him as script editor. On The Space Pirates, Sherwin briefly resumed his old role as script editor, while Dicks was busy writing the epic 10-part season finale The War Games, with Malcolm Hulke. Dicks has credited Sherwin with the creation of the Time Lords, who were introduced in The War Games, scripted by Dicks and Malcolm Hulke.

Sherwin succeeded Peter Bryant as producer of the programme in 1969, producing the serials The War Games and Spearhead from Space. Sherwin was also involved with Bryant in the casting of Jon Pertwee in the lead role on the programme.^[3] He also made a small on-screen appearance as a car park attendant in Spearhead from Space – he had formerly been an actor and was still a member of the actors' union, and dismissed the actor originally cast in the part for not being able to perform the role adequately.^[4]

Sherwin was responsible for the idea of exiling the Doctor to Earth (which happens at the end of The Second Doctor's last serial, The War Games), a decision he took in an attempt to improve falling viewing figures, reinvent the programme and bring more reality to Doctor Who by basing it more on Nigel Kneale's Quatermass serials from the 1950s.^[4] For this purpose, Sherwin created the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) in The Invasion as an organisation that the Doctor could become allied to on Earth during his exile. UNIT became a prominent feature of Doctor Who throughout The Third Doctor's era, when Doctor Who was produced by Sherwin's successor, Barry Letts, following Sherwin's departure from the role after Jon Pertwee's debut serial, Spearhead from Space.

Other work

After Doctor Who, Sherwin once again worked alongside Peter Bryant, after Bryant successfully persuaded Sherwin to join him on the production of Paul Temple (1969-1971). Sherwin later produced The Man Outside (1972), Ski-Boy (1973), and The Perils of Pendragon (1974).

Selected filmography

• The Vengeance of She (1968)

Publications

• Who's Next? (2014) (autobiography). Fantom Films Ltd. ISBN 9781781961117
• The Perfect Assassin or Wroten's Law (2014). (novel). United p.c. ISBN 9783710303319

References

External links

• Derrick Sherwin at the Internet Movie Database
• Derrick Sherwin Interview at Best British TV