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{{real world}}
{{real world}}
'''Mervyn Pinfield''' was [[Associate Producer]] for ''[[Doctor Who]]'' from "[[An Unearthly Child]] to "[[The Romans]]."  He also directed the stories "[[The Sensorites]]," "[[Planet of Giants]]," and "[[The Space Museum]]." His non-''Doctor Who'' directing credits include ''The Monsters,'' ''The Franchise Affair,''and ''Compact.''
{{Infobox Person
| image            = Mervyn Pinfield.jpg
| birth date      = [[28 February (people)|28 February]] [[1912 (people)|1912]]
| death date      = [[20 May (people)|20 May]] [[1966 (people)|1966]]
| job title        = [[Associate producer]], [[Director (crew)|Director]]
| story            =
| time            = 1963-1965
| non dwu          = ''Starr and Company'', ''The Franchise Affair'', ''The Monsters'', ''Compact''
| imdb            = 0684129
}}
'''Mervyn Pinfield''' (born '''Reginald Mervyn Pinfield''' on [[28 February (people)|28 February]] [[1912 (people)|1912]]<ref name="TCH 5">[[TCH 5]]</ref> in Evesham, [[Worcestershire]], died [[20 May (people)|20 May]] [[1966 (people)|1966]]<ref name="TCH 5"/><ref>[[INFO]]: "[[The Unwilling Warriors]]"</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=152922|title=Mervyn Pinfield|accessdate=18 June 2019|website name=Aveleyman|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20181104185009/https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=152922|archivedate=4 November 2018}}</ref>) was the [[associate producer]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' from ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'' to ''[[The Romans (TV story)|The Romans]]''. He also [[Director (crew)|directed]] episodes of ''[[The Sensorites (TV story)|The Sensorites]], ''(episodes 1-4) ''[[Planet of Giants (TV story)|Planet of Giants]] ''(episodes 1 and 2) and all the episodes of ''[[The Space Museum (TV story)|The Space Museum]]''.


Before joining the [[BBC]] early in the [[1950s]] to work on live drama at Alexandra Palace, he spent over four years in 'weekly rep' as Director/Theatre Manager at the Royalty Theatre, Morecambe. Pinfield was also known as the inventor of an early type of Teleprompter, or Autocue, which he called the Piniprompter.
Although uncredited, he began directing duties on ''[[Galaxy 4 (TV story)|Galaxy 4]]'' before [[Derek Martinus]] took over the remainder of the production as a result of ill-health preventing him being fully commit to the story. ([[DCOM]]: ''[[The Trouble with Chumblies (documentary)|The Trouble with Chumblies]]'')


Apparanetly, he died in [[1965]].
== Career ==
Before working on ''Who'', Pinfield developed an early prompter system similar to autocue which he called the piniprompter.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/5Kdxx6MPf6DYxFGTv1d5nJg/mervyn-pinfield</ref>


==External links==
His non-''Doctor Who'' directing credits include ''The Monsters'', {{wi|The Franchise Affair}} and ''[[Compact]]''. Before joining the [[BBC]] early in the 1950s to work on live drama at [[Alexandra Palace]], he spent over four years in "weekly rep" as director/theatre manager at the Royalty Theatre, Morecambe.
*{{imdb name|id=0684129|name=Mervyn Pinfield}}


[[Category:Doctor Who crew|Pinfield, Mervyn]]
Assigned to ''Doctor Who'' because of his technical experience, he was originally intended to assist the young and inexperienced [[producer]] [[Verity Lambert]]. However, Pinfield's role became more advisory in nature after Lambert proved herself to be a competent producer. ([[INFO]]: ''The Sensorites'')
[[Category:Doctor Who directors|Pinfield, Mervyn]]
 
[[File:Mervyn Pinfield in the test footage for the title sequence 2.jpg|thumb|left|Mervyn Pinfield in the [[title sequence]] test footage.<ref name="imagesource">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/DWInbound/status/1722567256188625003|title=Doctor Who Inbound on Twitter|website name=Twitter|author=Doctor Who Inbound|date of source=9 November 2023|accessdate=10 November 2023|archivedate=10 November 2023|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/rzzaJ}}</ref>]]
He performed for the face insert test footage of the original [[title sequence]] that was considered too scary by [[Verity Lambert]],<ref name="NATEOTL">[[Nothing at the End of the Lane (publisher)#Issue 4|''Nothing at the End of the Lane'' issue 4]], page 78</ref><ref name="imagesource"/> along with [[Jim Stephens]].<ref name="NATEOTL"/><ref name="stephens">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/DWInbound/status/1722567248361984479|title=Doctor Who Inbound on Twitter|website name=Twitter|author=Doctor Who Inbound|date of source=9 November 2023|accessdate=10 November 2023|archivedate=10 November 2023|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/Ve3Pe}}</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/NothingLane/status/1261670820360916993 account] by [[Richard Bignell]]</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/mimosamargot/status/1370898155324076033</ref> This is instead attributed to [[Tony Halfpenny]] in the documentary ''[[Doctor Who: Origins (documentary)|Origins]]''.
 
Pinfield was originally supposed to direct ''[[Galaxy 4 (TV story)|Galaxy 4]]'' and ''[[Mission to the Unknown (TV story)|Mission to the Unknown]]'', but fell ill while conducting pre-filming for the former at [[Ealing Studios]]. ([[TCH 5]]) He did direct some of the film inserts that were eventually used in ''Galaxy 4''. ([[DWMSE 7]])
 
Out of all the people who worked on ''Doctor Who'', his death was one of the earliest to occur over the long history of its production, less than three years after it had debuted.
 
== Death ==
The [[INFO]] text on the 2010 DVD release of ''The Space Museum'' erroneously gives Pinfield's date of death as [[20 August (people)|20 August]] [[1966 (people)|1966]]. However, [[TCH 5]] and other sources have given his actual death date of [[20 May (people)|20 May]] [[1966 (people)|1966]].
 
== Legacy ==
He was portrayed by [[Jeff Rawle]] in the 50th anniversary docudrama ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time (TV story)|An Adventure in Space and Time]]''.
 
== External links ==
{{imdb name|id=0684129}}
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{NameSort}}
 
[[Category:Doctor Who directors]]
[[Category:Doctor Who associate producers]]

Latest revision as of 19:36, 3 June 2024

RealWorld.png

Mervyn Pinfield (born Reginald Mervyn Pinfield on 28 February 1912[1] in Evesham, Worcestershire, died 20 May 1966[1][2][3]) was the associate producer of Doctor Who from An Unearthly Child to The Romans. He also directed episodes of The Sensorites, (episodes 1-4) Planet of Giants (episodes 1 and 2) and all the episodes of The Space Museum.

Although uncredited, he began directing duties on Galaxy 4 before Derek Martinus took over the remainder of the production as a result of ill-health preventing him being fully commit to the story. (DCOM: The Trouble with Chumblies)

Career[[edit] | [edit source]]

Before working on Who, Pinfield developed an early prompter system similar to autocue which he called the piniprompter.[4]

His non-Doctor Who directing credits include The Monsters, The Franchise Affair and Compact. Before joining the BBC early in the 1950s to work on live drama at Alexandra Palace, he spent over four years in "weekly rep" as director/theatre manager at the Royalty Theatre, Morecambe.

Assigned to Doctor Who because of his technical experience, he was originally intended to assist the young and inexperienced producer Verity Lambert. However, Pinfield's role became more advisory in nature after Lambert proved herself to be a competent producer. (INFO: The Sensorites)

Mervyn Pinfield in the title sequence test footage.[5]

He performed for the face insert test footage of the original title sequence that was considered too scary by Verity Lambert,[6][5] along with Jim Stephens.[6][7][8][9] This is instead attributed to Tony Halfpenny in the documentary Origins.

Pinfield was originally supposed to direct Galaxy 4 and Mission to the Unknown, but fell ill while conducting pre-filming for the former at Ealing Studios. (TCH 5) He did direct some of the film inserts that were eventually used in Galaxy 4. (DWMSE 7)

Out of all the people who worked on Doctor Who, his death was one of the earliest to occur over the long history of its production, less than three years after it had debuted.

Death[[edit] | [edit source]]

The INFO text on the 2010 DVD release of The Space Museum erroneously gives Pinfield's date of death as 20 August 1966. However, TCH 5 and other sources have given his actual death date of 20 May 1966.

Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]

He was portrayed by Jeff Rawle in the 50th anniversary docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 TCH 5
  2. ↑ INFO: "The Unwilling Warriors"
  3. ↑ Mervyn Pinfield. Aveleyman. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved on 18 June 2019.
  4. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/5Kdxx6MPf6DYxFGTv1d5nJg/mervyn-pinfield
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Doctor Who Inbound (9 November 2023). Doctor Who Inbound on Twitter. Twitter. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved on 10 November 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Nothing at the End of the Lane issue 4, page 78
  7. ↑ Doctor Who Inbound (9 November 2023). Doctor Who Inbound on Twitter. Twitter. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved on 10 November 2023.
  8. ↑ account by Richard Bignell
  9. ↑ https://twitter.com/mimosamargot/status/1370898155324076033
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