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'''Joanna Spicer''' was the Assistant Controller (Planning) Television for the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] for several years in at least the [[1960s]]. She was always "in the loop" in the discussions surrounding the creation of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Indeed, she was in the room wither her boss [[Donald Baverstock]] and her lateral colleague [[Sydney Newman]] when the first discussions about how to fill [[Saturday]] evening television occurred in [[March (production)|March]] 1963. With Baverstock, she smiled on Newman's initial plans to create a science fiction programme for Saturday afternoons. | '''Joanna Spicer''' was the Assistant Controller (Planning) Television for the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] for several years in at least the [[1960s]]. She was always "in the loop" in the discussions surrounding the creation of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Indeed, she was in the room wither her boss [[Donald Baverstock]] and her lateral colleague [[Sydney Newman]] when the first discussions about how to fill [[Saturday]] evening television occurred in [[March (production)|March]] 1963. With Baverstock, she smiled on Newman's initial plans to create a science fiction programme for Saturday afternoons. | ||
As the project took shape over the months that followed, however, she raised a number of objections. She was particularly opposed to Newman's plan to reorganise production at the BBC Drama Group generally, such that ''Doctor Who'' be produced by the Serials department, rather than the Children's department. Indeed, after Newman | As the project took shape over the months that followed, however, she raised a number of objections. She was particularly opposed to Newman's plan to reorganise production at the BBC Drama Group generally, such that ''Doctor Who'' be produced by the Serials department, rather than the Children's department. Indeed, after Newman returned to the BBC following a vacation in [[June (production)|June]] 1963, tensions between them rose considerably. He discovered that she had been rubbishing the Serials Department's conduct of pre-production on ''Doctor Who''. They had a blow-up on the phone on [[27 June (production)|27 June]] leading to him writing a memo called "[[Dr. Who Hassle]]", in which he tried to explain why he has restructured production responsibilities in the Drama Group. It was nevertheless an angry memo which began by stating he was "absolutely flabbergasted" by their earlier phone call and ended with a flat declaration that he didn't need any sort of permission by her office to continue. | ||
Despite this, her influence on ''[[Doctor Who]]'' remained constant until after the show began broadcast. At one critical point in [[October (production)|October]], she and [[John Mair]] were solicited by [[Donald Baverstock]] to thoroughly investigate the actual cost of production, in order to come up with realistic budgets. The two financial planners discovered a lot of discrepancies and questions in the book which raised Baverstock's ire, and even briefly threaten to halt production. | Despite this, her influence on ''[[Doctor Who]]'' remained constant until after the show began broadcast. At one critical point in [[October (production)|October]], she and [[John Mair]] were solicited by [[Donald Baverstock]] to thoroughly investigate the actual cost of production, in order to come up with realistic budgets. The two financial planners discovered a lot of discrepancies and questions in the book which raised Baverstock's ire, and even briefly threaten to halt production. | ||
