Robert Holmes

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Robert Holmes (1928-1986) was script editor of Doctor Who from 1975 to 1977 and the author of many Doctor Who scripts, helping to create or reimagine many key elements of the programme's mythology.

Holmes was, for a time at the end of the Second World War, the youngest serving officer in the British army. He became a police officer, graduating top of his class, but grew disillusioned with the job and eventually became a journalist.

By the 1960s he had branched out into writing screenplays for both films and television series. In 1968 he received his first commission for Doctor Who and over the next few years became one of the series' lead writers.

When Terrance Dicks resigned as script editor in 1974 Holmes successfully applied for the position, continuing to write scripts as well. After leaving the post he wrote a few more stories before taking an extended break from the series.

In 1983, as one of the series' most celebrated writers Holmes was the first person asked to write the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors. He declined but expressed an interest in writing for the series again.

Over the next three years Holmes contributed several more scripts and was heavily involved in the planning of Season 23. However, he passed away before he was able to complete his scriptwriting duties for The Ultimate Foe, and the planned ending of the story was altered.

In 2005, as the creator of the Autons, Robert Holmes' name appeared in the credits of the first episode of the revived Doctor Who.

List of Stories written by Robert Holmes

• The Krotons
• The Space Pirates
• Spearhead from Space
• Terror of the Autons
• Carnival of Monsters
• The Time Warrior
• The Ark in Space - based on a script by John Lucarotti
• Pyramids of Mars - credited as Stephen Harris
• The Brain of Morbius - credited as Robin Bland, based on a script by Terrance Dicks
• The Deadly Assassin
• The Talons of Weng-Chiang
• The Sun Makers
• The Ribos Operation
• The Power of Kroll
• The Caves of Androzani
• The Two Doctors
• The Mysterious Planet
• The Ultimate Foe - first episode (The Trial of a Time Lord Episode 13) only