An opportunity to meet one of Doctor Who‘s most celebrated producers! Philip Hinchcliffe is appearing in Leeds this September to discuss to his time on Doctor Who, courtesy of Who77.
Philip Hinchcliffe, in case you don’t know, oversaw the series during one of the most popular periods in its history. The year was 1975, and Jon Pertwee had just regenerated into Tom Baker. Elisabeth Sladen was on board the TARDIS as the ever-popular Sarah Jane Smith. Robert Holmes, one of the show’s most accomplished writers, was the script editor. It was truly a unique and magical time.
And on the 22nd September 2024, fans will have a chance to meet the man himself for The Gothic Tales: An Afternoon with Philip Hinchcliffe. He will be appearing at Headrow House in Leeds – an intimate venue where there will be a rare opportunity to hear first-hand from Hinchcliffe as he discusses his time on the programme. You can book your tickets here.
Over the course of the afternoon, Philip Hinchcliffe will also be discussing and signing copies of the new book The DNA of Doctor Who: The Philip Hinchcliffe Years, which is the first in a new series taking a look at the creatives who have helped to make Doctor Who what it is today. The project came about as the result of a Kickstarter campaign launched by Gareth Kavanagh, and you can find out more here.
In short, The DNA of Doctor Who: The Philip Hinchcliffe Years is “a series of essays on every one of Philip’s stories written by a host of well-known contributors bringing fresh perspectives to some of our most well-loved stories,” together with an introduction from Louise Jameson, who played the Doctor’s companion Leela. Throughout the book, Philip Hinchcliffe will also be adding his own observations and memories from what is, even to this day, one of the most popular periods in Doctor Who history.
Edited by Gary Russell, you can also expect contributions from such Doctor Who aficionados as Toby Hadoke, Matthew Sweet, Simon Guerrier and David J. Howe, along with lavish artwork from Will Brooks who has produced over 160 covers for Titan Comics’ Doctor Who, Torchwood and Sherlock ranges. It promises to be a stunning volume and an essential addition to any Doctor Who fan’s library.
But if you’ve never heard of Philip Hinchcliffe, or indeed if you’ve never seen any stories from his era, then you may be wondering why this is such a big deal. Well, Philip Hinchcliffe oversaw (and in some cases helped to devise) some of the most popular Doctor Who stories of all time, and had a bold vision for the show which, together with his script editor Robert Holmes, he daringly implemented – even at the risk of bad press. In short, Philip Hinchcliffe was unafraid to present a realistic depiction of horror and threat in the Doctor Who episodes he produced.
One particularly controversial moment came during the classic Doctor Who story ‘The Deadly Assassin,’ which saw the Doctor on the run from his own people after being accused of murdering the Gallifreyan president. He ventured into the disturbing ‘virtual reality’ of the Matrix to confront the true perpetrator, and at the end of the third episode there was a brutal fist-fight in a river which ended with the Doctor being held underwater. The episode finished on a freezeframe of the Doctor drowning, which triggered outrage from the prominent TV campaigner Mary Whitehouse.
The horror value was not downplayed, either, as you can probably deduce from the name of Who77’s event. ‘The Ark in Space’ saw the crewmembers of a space vessel mutating into alien Wirrn. ‘Terror of the Zygons’ was all about shape-shifting monsters with a robot Loch Ness Monster. ‘The Seeds of Doom’ dealt with flesh-eating plants, and a deranged botanist who turned people into compost. ‘The Talons of Weng-Chiang’ riffed on the history of Jack the Ripper, and featured oversized, man-eating sewer rats. In short: Doctor Who was not for the feint-hearted in the 1970s!
But perhaps the most celebrated story from Philip Hinchcliffe’s time is the Terry Nation adventure ‘Genesis of the Daleks‘ which, since its broadcast, has frequently topped the polls as being one of the most popular Doctor Who stories of all time. This gritty serial from Tom Baker’s first season saw the Time Lord being sent on a mission to avert the Daleks’ creation, and introduced the sinister, demented scientist Davros, who was so creepily portrayed by the actor Michael Wisher.
And if you’ve been following the latest era of Doctor Who led by Russell T Davies, you will have seen Philip Hinchcliffe’s fingerprints all over it. Davies’ very first episode ‘Destination: Skaro’ was a mini adventure for Children in Need, and acted as a prequel to ‘Genesis of the Daleks.’ In the story, the newly-regenerated Fourteenth Doctor visited Davros at the moment he came up with the idea for his metallic creations, even if this was a very different Davros from the one fans were used to.
And in the finale of Doctor Who Series 14, the Time Lord came up against the evil Osiran Sutekh – a baddie who hadn’t been seen since the Philip Hinchcliffe era. Sutekh made his debut in the 1975 story ‘Pyramids of Mars,’ which was co-written by Robert Holmes, and was arguably one of the most deadly and powerful enemies the Doctor has ever encountered. Russell T Davies even managed to recruit Gabriel Woolf to provide the voice – the same actor who played Sutekh in ‘Pyramids of Mars.’
So even if you’ve never experienced Philip Hinchcliffe’s work before, Who77’s event promises to be a fascinating afternoon, and a rare opportunity to shake hands with the man himself. We hope you have a great time if you’re able to go. Tickets are available here.
In the meantime, which is your favourite Doctor Who story from the Philip Hinchcliffe era? Let us know in the comments below.
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