Peter R. Newman: Difference between revisions

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{{real world}}
{{real world}}
{{Infobox Person
| image      = Peter R. Newman.jpg
| role        =
| job title  = [[Writer]]
| birth date  = [[4 June (people)|4 June]] [[1926 (people)|1926]]
| death date  = [[22 February (people)|22 February]] [[1975 (people)|1975]]
| aka        =
| story      = ''[[The Sensorites (TV story)|The Sensorites]]''
| time        = [[1964 (production)|1964]]
| non dwu    = ''Yesterday's Enemy'', ''The Savage Guns''
| imdb        = 0628227
| clip        = Exclusive First Look Looking for Peter - The Sensorites - BBC
| clip2      = Exclusive First Look Looking for Peter Part 2 - The Sensorites - BBC
}}'''Peter Richard Newman''' ([[4 June (people)|4 June]] [[1926 (people)|1926]]-[[22 February (people)|22 February]] [[1975 (people)|1975]]<ref>Newman's official death certificate, easily visible in ''[[Looking for Peter (documentary)|Looking for Peter]]''. 22 February 1975 was also the transmission date of ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]'' part one.''</ref>) wrote the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' television story ''[[The Sensorites (TV story)|The Sensorites]]''.


'''Peter Richard Newman''' ([[4 June]] [[1926]] — [[22 February]] [[1975]]<ref>Newman's official death certificate, easily visible in ''[[Looking for Peter]]''</ref>) wrote the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' television story ''[[The Sensorites (TV story)|The Sensorites]]''.
Before the release of ''[[Looking for Peter (documentary)|Looking for Peter]]'', a documentary on the 2012 [[DVD]] release of his [[serial]], very little was publicly known about Newman. Accurate information was so scarce that even his year of death was disputed. According to [[Richard Bignell]], there were rumours that Newman had taken his own life, possibly as early as 1969.<ref>In the documentary, [[Toby Hadoke]] is shown viewing a Wikipedia page that shows the incorrect 1969 death year.</ref>


Prior to the release of ''[[Looking for Peter]]'', a documentary on the [[2012]] [[DVD]] release of his [[serial]], very little was known about him. Accurate information was so scarce that even his year of death was disputed. According to [[Richard Bignell]], there were rumours that he had committed suicide, possibly as early as [[1969]].<ref>In the documentary, [[Toby Hadoke]] is shown viewing an unidentified website that shows the incorrect 1969 death year.</ref>
Several new details have emerged, however, about his life. Thanks to this new scholarship, it is now known that Newman was born in {{w|Ilford}} in {{w|Essex}}, the same town in which he died. He was one of seven siblings and was of the "perfect" age for service in [[World War II]]. He served as a pilot in [[Burma]] during the conflict, which almost certainly informed his writing on the {{w|Hammer Studios}} war film, {{wi|Yesterday's Enemy}}. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Newman was, in the words of Hammer historian [[Marcus Hearn]], "Hammer's golden boy". He was commissioned for at least two more films after that, though neither was produced.


Several new details have emerged, however, about his life. Thanks to this new scholarship, it is now known that he was born in {{w|Ilford}} in {{w|Essex}}, the same town in whch he died. He came from a brood of seven siblings and was of the "perfect" age for service in [[World War II]]. He served as a pilot in [[Burma]] during the conflict, which almost certainly informed his writing on the {{w|Hammer Studios}} war film, {{wi|Yesterday's Enemy}}. In the late 1950s and early [[1960s]] he was, in the words of Hammer historian, [[Marcus Hearn]], "Hammer's golden boy". He was commissioned for at least two more films after that, though neither was produced.
Newman's relationship with Hammer was discontinued when he began demanding more money. Hearn believes that he effectively priced himself out of Hammer's budget.


His relationship with Hammer was discontinued when he began demanding more money. Hearn believes that he effectively priced himself out of Hammer's budget.
Details about how Newman got commissioned for ''[[Doctor Who]]'' remain unfortunately opaque, but according to his youngest sister, he was quite proud to have written for the programme. (However, Newman's sister recalls that the transmission broke down while he and his family tried to watch one of the episodes.) Nevertheless, his family believe that he was embarrassed by the costumes for the [[Sensorite]]s themselves.


Details about how he got commissioned for ''[[Doctor Who]]'' remain unfortunately opaque, but according to his youngest sister, he was quite proud to have written for the programme. (Although his sister recalls that the transmission broke down while he and his family tried to watch one of the episodes.) Nevertheless, his family believe that he was embarrassed by the costumes for the [[Sensorite]]s themselves.
In any event, ''The Sensorites'' was Newman's last screen credit. For the last ten years of his life, he remained prone to intense writer's block. His niece claimed to remember his room being filled with crumpled paper as he continued to try to write something.


In any event, ''The Sensorites'' was his last screen credit. For the last ten years of his life, he remained prone to intense writer's block. His niece claimed to remember his room being filled with crumpled paper as he continued to try to write something.
Because Newman could no longer make ends meet as a writer, he was mostly employed at the Tate Gallery in London during his final years; a reference is made to him aiding a television film crew at the museum on one occasion, but the documentary doesn't expand on this lead. It was while working at the Tate that Newman slipped and fell down a flight of stairs, hitting his head hard against a radiator. This caused a massive cerebral haemorrhage, from which he died. ([[DOC]]: ''[[Looking for Peter (documentary)|Looking for Peter]]'')
 
Because he could no longer make ends meet as a writer, he was mostly employed in an art museum in his final years; a reference is made to him aiding a film crew at the museum on one occasion, but the documentary doesn't expand on this lead. It was at this museum where he slipped and fell down the stairs, hitting it hard {{What?}} against a radiator. This caused a massive cerebral haemorrhage, from which he died. ([[DOC]]: ''[[Looking for Peter]]'')


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{imdb name|id=0628227|name=Peter R. Newman}}
{{imdb name|id=0628227}}
== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{NameSort}}
{{NameSort}}
[[Category:Doctor Who television writers|Newman, Peter R.]]
 
[[Category:Doctor Who television writers]]

Latest revision as of 21:44, 9 February 2024

RealWorld.png

Peter Richard Newman (4 June 1926-22 February 1975[1]) wrote the Doctor Who television story The Sensorites.

Before the release of Looking for Peter, a documentary on the 2012 DVD release of his serial, very little was publicly known about Newman. Accurate information was so scarce that even his year of death was disputed. According to Richard Bignell, there were rumours that Newman had taken his own life, possibly as early as 1969.[2]

Several new details have emerged, however, about his life. Thanks to this new scholarship, it is now known that Newman was born in Ilford in Essex, the same town in which he died. He was one of seven siblings and was of the "perfect" age for service in World War II. He served as a pilot in Burma during the conflict, which almost certainly informed his writing on the Hammer Studios war film, Yesterday's Enemy. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Newman was, in the words of Hammer historian Marcus Hearn, "Hammer's golden boy". He was commissioned for at least two more films after that, though neither was produced.

Newman's relationship with Hammer was discontinued when he began demanding more money. Hearn believes that he effectively priced himself out of Hammer's budget.

Details about how Newman got commissioned for Doctor Who remain unfortunately opaque, but according to his youngest sister, he was quite proud to have written for the programme. (However, Newman's sister recalls that the transmission broke down while he and his family tried to watch one of the episodes.) Nevertheless, his family believe that he was embarrassed by the costumes for the Sensorites themselves.

In any event, The Sensorites was Newman's last screen credit. For the last ten years of his life, he remained prone to intense writer's block. His niece claimed to remember his room being filled with crumpled paper as he continued to try to write something.

Because Newman could no longer make ends meet as a writer, he was mostly employed at the Tate Gallery in London during his final years; a reference is made to him aiding a television film crew at the museum on one occasion, but the documentary doesn't expand on this lead. It was while working at the Tate that Newman slipped and fell down a flight of stairs, hitting his head hard against a radiator. This caused a massive cerebral haemorrhage, from which he died. (DOC: Looking for Peter)

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Newman's official death certificate, easily visible in Looking for Peter. 22 February 1975 was also the transmission date of The Sontaran Experiment part one.
  2. ↑ In the documentary, Toby Hadoke is shown viewing a Wikipedia page that shows the incorrect 1969 death year.
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