Doctor Who: The Third History Collection

Ian Marter is best remembered by Doctor Who fans as the actor who played the Fourth Doctor's companion Harry Sullivan. In fact, his first role in Doctor Who came a couple of years earlier when he played the character of Andrews in 'Carnival of Monsters'. Marter worked with his friend Tom Baker on ideas for a possible Doctor Who film, and together they developed a script. Though the film was never made, Marter continued to write and novelised nine Doctor Who adventures for Target books. Ian Marter died in 1986. Robert Holmes, the original script writer of 'Ark in Space', served with distinction in the army and also in the police before becoming a journalist and television writer. Holmes went on to become one of the Doctor Who's most prolific writers. He took over as script sditor of Doctor Who in 1974 during one of the programme's most successful periods at the start of the Fourth Doctor's era, and established a background and society for the Time Lords that has endured to this day. Robert Holmes wrote for many other series including Doomwatch, Spy Trap, Dixon of Dock Green, Blake's 7 and many others. Holmes died in 1986, while working on the final episodes of the Doctor Who story The Trial of a Time Lord.

Terrance Dicks was born in East Ham, London in 1935. His first writing jobs in radio and television included scripting episodes of Crossroads and The Avengers. In 1969 he became the script editor for Doctor Who, and went on to become one of the most influential figures in the series' history. He wrote over fifty novelisations for the Target Books range, as well as two spin-off stage plays and several television scripts. He was one of the most prolific authors of children's fiction.

James Moran is a British screenwriter for television and film, who wrote the horror-comedy Severance. He works in the horror, comedy, science-fiction, historical fiction and spy thriller genres.

Mark Gatiss is a screenwriter, director, producer and actor. He is one member of The League of Gentlemen and has written for and acted in Doctor Who, Sherlock (the latter of which he co-created with Steven Moffat along with the acclaimed miniseries Dracula) and many others.

Joy Wilkinson is an award-winning writer working across film, television, theatre and radio. As well as Doctor Who her TV credits include Nick Nickleby and The Watch. Her directing debut – the film Ma’am – is released in 2020.