Ian Marter: Difference between revisions

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{{real world}}
{{Infobox Person
{{Infobox Person
|image = 511px-IanMarter.jpg
|image     = 511px-IanMarter.jpg
|birth date = [[28 October (people)|28 October]] [[1944 (people)|1944]]
|birth date = [[28 October (people)|28 October]] [[1944 (people)|1944]]
|death date = 28 October [[1986 (people)|1986]]
|death date = 28 October [[1986 (people)|1986]]
|role = [[Harry Sullivan]]
|role       = [[Harry Sullivan]]
|job title = Actor, [[Writer|writer]]
|job title = Actor, [[writer]]
|time = 1973-75, 1977-79, 1981, 1983-86, 1987-88 (posthumous)
|time       = 1973-75, 1977-79, 1981, 1983-86, 1987-88 (posthumous)
|non dwu = ''Crown Court'', ''Fell Tiger'', ''[[Bergerac]]'', ''[[Sherlock Holmes|The Return of Sherlock Holmes]]''
|non dwu   = ''Crown Court'', ''Fell Tiger'', ''[[Bergerac]]'', ''[[Sherlock Holmes|The Return of Sherlock Holmes]]''
|imdb = 0551722
|imdb       = 0551722
|clip = Exclusive First Look On Target with Ian Marter Part 1 - Carnival of Monsters
|clip       = Exclusive First Look On Target with Ian Marter Part 1 - Carnival of Monsters
|clip2 = DVD Special Feature - On Target with Ian Marter Part 2 - Doctor Who Carnival of Monsters
|clip2     = DVD Special Feature - On Target with Ian Marter Part 2 - Doctor Who Carnival of Monsters
}}'''Ian Don Marter''' ([[28 October (people)|28 October]] [[1944 (people)|1944]]<ref>[[REF]]: ''[[Who-ology: The Official Miscellany]]''</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/659419393219305472|title=Ian Marter (1944 –1986) was born on this day… We remember him fondly as Harry Sullivan.|author=Doctor Who Official|website name=Twitter|date of source=28 October 2012|accessdate=13 December 2016}}</ref>-[[28 October (people)|28 October]] [[1986 (people)|1986]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/articles/the-doctor-who-novels-of-ian-marter/|title=The ''Doctor Who'' novels of Ian Marter|author=Whyte, Nicholas|date of source=19 March 2007|website name=Strange Horizons|accessdate=13 December 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20747 Find a Grave]</ref>) played [[companion]] [[Harry Sullivan]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' from ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' to ''[[Terror of the Zygons (TV story)|Terror of the Zygons]]'' and again in ''[[The Android Invasion (TV story)|The Android Invasion]]''.
}}{{real world}}{{you may|Ian Marter (Scratchman)|n1=his DWU counterpart}}
'''Ian Don Marter''' ([[28 October (people)|28 October]] [[1944 (people)|1944]]-[[28 October (people)|28 October]] [[1986 (people)|1986]]<ref>[https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=11194 Aveleyman]</ref>) played [[companion]] [[Harry Sullivan]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' from ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' to ''[[Terror of the Zygons (TV story)|Terror of the Zygons]]'' and again in ''[[The Android Invasion (TV story)|The Android Invasion]]''. He also played the minor role of [[John Andrews (Carnival of Monsters)|Lieutenant John Andrews]] in the ''Doctor Who'' story ''[[Carnival of Monsters (TV story)|Carnival of Monsters]]''.


He wrote several books for the [[Target novelisation]]s, including two published posthumously.
In addition to acting, Mater wrote several [[Target novelisation]]s of TV serials, including two published posthumously. He sometimes wrote under the {{w|pen name}} '''Ian Don'''.


He also played the minor role of Lieutenant [[John Andrews]] in the ''Doctor Who'' story ''[[Carnival of Monsters (TV story)|Carnival of Monsters]]''.
== Biography ==
=== Early career ===
Marter married Rosemary Heyland in 1968 and later had two sons, Rupert and Toby. After graduating from [[Oxford University]] in 1969, Marter worked at the {{w|Bristol Old Vic}} theatre, where he was a stage manager and acted in various minor roles. To supplement his low actor's wages, he worked for a time as a milkman and a schoolteacher.


He sometimes wrote under the {{w|pen name}} Ian Don.
=== ''Doctor Who'' ===
In [[1970 (production)|1970]] he auditioned for the regular role of [[Captain]] [[Mike Yates]] in the [[Season 8 (Doctor Who 1963)|eighth season]] of ''Doctor Who''. Although he was offered the part, he was unable to accept due to other commitments. He sufficiently impressed the production team to be kept in mind however, and was cast in a supporting role in the [[1973 (releases)|1973]] story'' [[Carnival of Monsters (TV story)|Carnival of Monsters]]'', broadcast as part of the [[Season 10 (Doctor Who 1963)|tenth season]] of the programme.


== Biography ==
In [[1974 (production)|1974]], he was cast as companion Harry Sullivan, a character developed by the production team when they thought the [[Fourth Doctor]] might be portrayed by an older actor who would be unable to handle the more physical action scenes. However, after [[Tom Baker]] was cast and proved himself capable of said scenes, this was no longer an issue. Harry was written out after just one season, despite being a popular character and gelling well with Baker and other lead [[Elisabeth Sladen]]. Marter was the third ''Doctor Who'' regular to be cast following a guest appearance; the first two were [[Peter Purves]] and [[Nicholas Courtney]].
After graduating from [[Oxford University]] in 1969, Marter worked at the {{w|Bristol Old Vic}} theatre, where he was a stage manager and acted in various minor roles. To supplement his low actor's wages, he worked for a time as a milkman and a schoolteacher.


In 1970 he auditioned for the regular role of Captain [[Mike Yates]] in the eighth season of ''Doctor Who''. Although he was offered the part, he was unable to accept due to other commitments. He sufficiently impressed the production team to be kept in mind however, and was cast in a supporting role in the 1973 story'' [[Carnival of Monsters (TV story)|Carnival of Monsters]]'', broadcast as part of the tenth season of the programme.
=== Scratchman ===
Marter remained involved with ''Doctor Who'' after his departure from the cast. He co-wrote the script for a potential [[List of Doctor Who feature films|feature film]] version, provisionally titled ''[[Doctor Who Meets Scratchman]]'' in collaboration with Baker and film director {{w|James Hill (British director)|James Hill}}, although this never came to pass. The intention was to have Baker's Doctor come face to face with [[Scratchman]], an ancient British word for the devil. The finale of the film would have taken place on a giant pinball table, the holes in the table portals to other dimensions. The project fizzled out due to lack of funding and the dire state of the British film industry.


In 1974, he was cast as companion Harry Sullivan, a character developed by the production team when they thought the [[Fourth Doctor]] might be portrayed by an older actor who would be unable to handle the more physical action scenes. However, after [[Tom Baker]], who was forty, was cast, this was no longer an issue. Harry was written out after just one season, despite being a popular character and gelling with Baker and other lead [[Elisabeth Sladen]]. Marter was the third ''Doctor Who'' regular to be cast following a guest appearance; the first two were [[Peter Purves]] and [[Nicholas Courtney]].
=== Later acting career ===
Marter's acting career outside of ''Doctor Who'' consisted mainly of guest roles in series such as the [[BBC]]'s ''[[Bergerac]]'' (in 1985) and {{w|Granada Television}}'s {{wi|Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)|The Return of Sherlock Holmes}} (in 1986). He also had minor roles in films, such as {{wi|The Abominable Dr. Phibes}} (1971) and {{wi|The Medusa Touch (film)|The Medusa Touch}} (1978).


According to some who worked with Marter, he was a bisexual man but tended to keep his sexuality secret during his life. <ref name="NickAutobio">Courtney, Nicholas; McManus, Michael (2005) ''Still Getting Away With It: The Life and Times of Nicholas Courtney'', ISBN: 1871330734</ref> <ref name="DWMTomB">[[DWM 501]]</ref>
=== Ventures as a novelist ===
He also became involved with the writing of novelisations of ''Doctor Who'' stories for [[Target Books]], penning nine adaptations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Marter's novelisations were sometimes controversial; most notably for the use of the word 'bastard' in his novelisations of ''[[Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World (novelisation)|The Enemy of the World]]'' and ''[[The Invasion (novelisation)|The Invasion]]''.{{Fact}}


Marter remained involved with ''Doctor Who'' after his departure from the cast. He co-wrote the script for a potential [[List of Doctor Who feature films|feature film]] version, provisionally titled ''[[Doctor Who Meets Scratchman]]'' in collaboration with Baker and film director {{w|James Hill (British director)|James Hill}}, although this never came to pass. The intention was to have Baker's Doctor come face to face with [[Scratchman]], an ancient British word for the devil. The finale of the film would have taken place on a giant pinball table, the holes in the table portals to other dimensions. The project fizzled out due to lack of funding and the dire state of the British film industry. However, much of the material written by Marter and Baker for that project would be adapted, by Baker himself with [[James Goss]], for the 2019 novel ''[[Scratchman (novelisation)|Scratchman]]''.
In addition to his ''Doctor Who'' novelisations, he adapted several 1980s [[United States|American]] films, such as {{wi|Splash (film)|Splash}} (1984) and {{wi|Down and Out in Beverly Hills}} (1986) for [[Target Books|Target]] and their [[Star Books]] imprint. Some of these books were published under the pen name Ian Don.
 
He also became involved with the writing of novelisations of ''Doctor Who'' stories for [[Target Books]], penning nine adaptations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Marter's novelisations were controversial, most notably for his use of the word 'bastard' in his novelisation of ''[[Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World (novelisation)|The Enemy of the World]]''.


The last of Marter's ''Doctor Who'' novelisations was ''[[The Rescue (novelisation)|The Rescue]]'', which was completed by range editor [[Nigel Robinson]] after Marter's unexpected death. Marter is, to date, one of only six ''Doctor Who'' actors (the others being [[Colin Baker]], [[David Banks]], [[Glyn Jones]], [[Mark Gatiss]] and [[Tom Baker]]; original series writer [[Victor Pemberton]] also appeared as an actor) to write licensed fiction based upon the series.
Marter also wrote an original spin-off novel for Target, ''[[Harry Sullivan's War (novel)|Harry Sullivan's War]]'', starring the character he had played on screen, published in 1986, only weeks before his death; this was the second original ''Doctor Who''-related novel ever published, after ''[[Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma (novel)|Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma]]''.


Marter also wrote an original spin-off novel for Target, ''[[Harry Sullivan's War (novel)|Harry Sullivan's War]]'', starring the character he had played on screen, published in 1986, only weeks before his death; this was the second original ''Doctor Who''-related novel ever published, after ''[[Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma (novel)|Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma]]''. Marter planned a sequel and an adaptation of the unused ''Doctor Who Meets Scratchman'' script at the time of his death.
Marter died suddenly at his home in [[London]] on his forty-second birthday in [[1986 (people)|1986]] (some sources erroneously give his date of death as being two days later{{Fact}}, [[30 October (people)|30 October]]) after suffering a heart attack brought on by complications of type 1 diabetes. As a result, he has the sad distinction of being the first companion actor to pass away.


In addition to his ''Doctor Who'' novelisations, he adapted several 1980s [[United States|American]] films, such as {{wi|Splash (film)|Splash}} (1984) and {{wi|Down and Out in Beverly Hills}} (1986) for [[Target Books|Target]] and their [[Star Books]] imprint. Some of these books were published under the pen name Ian Don.
At the time of his death, Marter had been planning a sequel to ''Harry Sullivan's War'' and an adaptation of the unused ''Doctor Who Meets Scratchman'' script. He had also just completed work on two novelisations, ''[[The Reign of Terror (novelisation)|The Reign of Terror]]'' and ''[[The Rescue (novelisation)|The Rescue]]''. Both were published posthumously. The last of Marter's ''Doctor Who'' novelisations was ''[[The Rescue (novelisation)|The Rescue]]'', which was completed by range editor [[Nigel Robinson]] after Marter's unexpected death.


Marter's acting career outside of ''Doctor Who'' consisted mainly of guest roles in series such as the [[BBC]]'s ''[[Bergerac]]'' (in 1985) and {{w|Granada Television}}'s {{wi|Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)|The Return of Sherlock Holmes}} (in 1986). He also had minor roles in films, such as {{wi|The Abominable Dr. Phibes}} (1971) and {{wi|The Medusa Touch (film)|The Medusa Touch}} (1978).
Marter is, to date, one of only six ''Doctor Who'' actors (the others being [[Colin Baker]], [[David Banks]], [[Glyn Jones]], [[Mark Gatiss]] and [[Tom Baker]]; though production individuals like [[Victor Pemberton]] also ''technically'' appeared in acting roles) to write licensed fiction based upon the series.


Marter married Rosemary Heyland in 1968 and had two sons, Rupert and Toby. He died suddenly at his home in [[London]] on his forty-second birthday in [[1986 (people)|1986]] (some sources erroneously give his date of death as being two days later, [[30 October (people)|30 October]]) after suffering a heart attack brought on by complications of type 1 diabetes. He has the sad distinction of being the first companion actor to pass away, and only the third major ''Doctor Who'' actor to die (the first was [[Roger Delgado]] in 1973, follwed by [[William Hartnell]] two years later).
According to some who worked with Marter, he was a bisexual man but tended to keep his sexuality secret during his life.<ref name="NickAutobio">Courtney, Nicholas; McManus, Michael (2005) ''Still Getting Away With It: The Life and Times of Nicholas Courtney'', ISBN: 1871330734</ref><ref name="DWMTomB">[[DWM 501]]</ref>


At the time of his death, Marter had completed work on two final novelisations, ''[[The Reign of Terror (novelisation)|The Reign of Terror]]'' and ''[[The Rescue (novelisation)|The Rescue]]''. Both were published posthumously.
== Posthumous acknowledgement ==
Though ''Doctor Who and Stratchman'' was never produced in any format during Marter's lifetime, the project - and consequently much of the original concept & material written by Marter and Baker - would be adapted, by Baker himself alongside [[James Goss]], for the [[2019 (releases)|2019]] novel ''[[Scratchman (novelisation)|Scratchman]]''. Marter received an acknowledgement "as a friend and a good egg" at the end of the novel, presented in such as way that also implies the existence of a [[Ian Marter (Scratchman)|fictional Ian Marter]] who lives within the [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universe]], as a friend of [[the Doctor]].


== Credits ==
== Credits ==
=== Acting ===
=== Acting ===
==== Doctor Who ====
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[Carnival of Monsters (TV story)|Carnival of Monsters]]'' - [[John Andrews]]
* ''[[Carnival of Monsters (TV story)|Carnival of Monsters]]'' - [[John Andrews (Carnival of Monsters)|John Andrews]]
As [[Harry Sullivan]]
As [[Harry Sullivan]]
* ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]''
* ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]''
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* [http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/authors/mart/marter.htm Profile on the ''On Target'' Target Books fansite]
* [http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/authors/mart/marter.htm Profile on the ''On Target'' Target Books fansite]
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[[Category:Doctor Who regular cast]]
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[[Category:Doctor Who novelisation writers]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed companions of the Doctor]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed companions of the Doctor]]
[[Category:Non-heterosexual real world people]]

Latest revision as of 20:23, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png
You may be looking for his DWU counterpart.

Ian Don Marter (28 October 1944-28 October 1986[1]) played companion Harry Sullivan in Doctor Who from Robot to Terror of the Zygons and again in The Android Invasion. He also played the minor role of Lieutenant John Andrews in the Doctor Who story Carnival of Monsters.

In addition to acting, Mater wrote several Target novelisations of TV serials, including two published posthumously. He sometimes wrote under the pen name Ian Don.

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

Early career[[edit] | [edit source]]

Marter married Rosemary Heyland in 1968 and later had two sons, Rupert and Toby. After graduating from Oxford University in 1969, Marter worked at the Bristol Old Vic theatre, where he was a stage manager and acted in various minor roles. To supplement his low actor's wages, he worked for a time as a milkman and a schoolteacher.

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

In 1970 he auditioned for the regular role of Captain Mike Yates in the eighth season of Doctor Who. Although he was offered the part, he was unable to accept due to other commitments. He sufficiently impressed the production team to be kept in mind however, and was cast in a supporting role in the 1973 story Carnival of Monsters, broadcast as part of the tenth season of the programme.

In 1974, he was cast as companion Harry Sullivan, a character developed by the production team when they thought the Fourth Doctor might be portrayed by an older actor who would be unable to handle the more physical action scenes. However, after Tom Baker was cast and proved himself capable of said scenes, this was no longer an issue. Harry was written out after just one season, despite being a popular character and gelling well with Baker and other lead Elisabeth Sladen. Marter was the third Doctor Who regular to be cast following a guest appearance; the first two were Peter Purves and Nicholas Courtney.

Scratchman[[edit] | [edit source]]

Marter remained involved with Doctor Who after his departure from the cast. He co-wrote the script for a potential feature film version, provisionally titled Doctor Who Meets Scratchman in collaboration with Baker and film director James Hill, although this never came to pass. The intention was to have Baker's Doctor come face to face with Scratchman, an ancient British word for the devil. The finale of the film would have taken place on a giant pinball table, the holes in the table portals to other dimensions. The project fizzled out due to lack of funding and the dire state of the British film industry.

Later acting career[[edit] | [edit source]]

Marter's acting career outside of Doctor Who consisted mainly of guest roles in series such as the BBC's Bergerac (in 1985) and Granada Television's The Return of Sherlock Holmes (in 1986). He also had minor roles in films, such as The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and The Medusa Touch (1978).

Ventures as a novelist[[edit] | [edit source]]

He also became involved with the writing of novelisations of Doctor Who stories for Target Books, penning nine adaptations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Marter's novelisations were sometimes controversial; most notably for the use of the word 'bastard' in his novelisations of The Enemy of the World and The Invasion.[source needed]

In addition to his Doctor Who novelisations, he adapted several 1980s American films, such as Splash (1984) and Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) for Target and their Star Books imprint. Some of these books were published under the pen name Ian Don.

Marter also wrote an original spin-off novel for Target, Harry Sullivan's War, starring the character he had played on screen, published in 1986, only weeks before his death; this was the second original Doctor Who-related novel ever published, after Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma.

Marter died suddenly at his home in London on his forty-second birthday in 1986 (some sources erroneously give his date of death as being two days later[source needed], 30 October) after suffering a heart attack brought on by complications of type 1 diabetes. As a result, he has the sad distinction of being the first companion actor to pass away.

At the time of his death, Marter had been planning a sequel to Harry Sullivan's War and an adaptation of the unused Doctor Who Meets Scratchman script. He had also just completed work on two novelisations, The Reign of Terror and The Rescue. Both were published posthumously. The last of Marter's Doctor Who novelisations was The Rescue, which was completed by range editor Nigel Robinson after Marter's unexpected death.

Marter is, to date, one of only six Doctor Who actors (the others being Colin Baker, David Banks, Glyn Jones, Mark Gatiss and Tom Baker; though production individuals like Victor Pemberton also technically appeared in acting roles) to write licensed fiction based upon the series.

According to some who worked with Marter, he was a bisexual man but tended to keep his sexuality secret during his life.[2][3]

Posthumous acknowledgement[[edit] | [edit source]]

Though Doctor Who and Stratchman was never produced in any format during Marter's lifetime, the project - and consequently much of the original concept & material written by Marter and Baker - would be adapted, by Baker himself alongside James Goss, for the 2019 novel Scratchman. Marter received an acknowledgement "as a friend and a good egg" at the end of the novel, presented in such as way that also implies the existence of a fictional Ian Marter who lives within the Doctor Who universe, as a friend of the Doctor.

Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

Acting[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

As Harry Sullivan

Writing[[edit] | [edit source]]

Target Novelisations[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Companions of Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Aveleyman
  2. ↑ Courtney, Nicholas; McManus, Michael (2005) Still Getting Away With It: The Life and Times of Nicholas Courtney, ISBN: 1871330734
  3. ↑ DWM 501

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

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