Home : Archive : TSV 11-20 : TSV 19 : Feature

Doctor Who's Who

Part 1: The Directors

By Paul Scoones

Up to the end of Season 26, there have been 713 broadcast episodes, nearly half of which were directed by just ten of the 59 directors responsible for those episodes. There is a clear margin between the top three directors - Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry - and the rest; Between them, this trio directed nearly a fifth of all Doctor Who episodes.

Douglas Camfield has directed the most episodes, but Christopher Barry has directed the most stories. The person who has worked longest on the show as a director is also Barry, whose time spans 16 years. Second is Camfield with 12 years, followed by Paddy Russell and Gerald Blake, both with 11 years. Blake is unusual in that he only directed two stories - The Abominable Snowmen in 1967 and The Invasion of Time in 1978, returning to the show after more than a decade away! Other long serving directors are David Maloney (9 years), Pennant Roberts and Barry Letts (both 8 years).

At the other end of the scale are those who have directed the least for the show. This distinction is jointly held by Tony Virgo and Michael Owen Morris, both Fifth Doctor era directors who have only done one two-part story each. Frank Cox directed three episodes for Hartnell's first season.

Sometimes the director went uncredited on the original broadcast. This happened for John Gorrie on the third episode of The Reign of Terror, Douglas Camfield on the third episode of The Time Meddler and Barry Letts on Terror of the Autons.

Uncredited co-directors include Mervyn Pinfield on the third episode of Planet of Giants, Douglas Camfield on the last episode of The Chase, Barry Letts who took over from Douglas Camfield on Inferno, and Graham Williams who stepped in to assist Alan Bromly in completing Nightmare of Eden. Long serving producer John Nathan-Turner also helped out as an uncredited Second Unit Director on The Five Doctors, Delta and the Bannermen and The Curse of Fenric. Pennant Roberts was the director of the cancelled Shada and was therefore the uncredited director of the Fourth Doctor segments in The Five Doctors.

In the guide below, only the main director as credited for each episode has been counted. So that a comparison can be made of how much material each director contributed to the series, all stories are counted in terms of standard approximately 25 minute episodes, including The Five Doctors, Resurrection of the Daleks and Season 22.

  Episodes Stories
Douglas Camfield 52 9
David Maloney 45 8
Christopher Barry 43 10
Michael E Briant 30 6
Derek Martinus 26 6
Peter Moffatt 26 6
Barry Letts 24 5
Ron Jones 22 6
Richard Martin 22 5
Michael Ferguson 21 4
Pennant Roberts 20 5
Chris Clough 18 5
Lennie Mayne 18 4
Paddy Russell 18 4
Fiona Cumming 16 4
Peter Grimwade 16 4
Paul Bernard 16 3
Michael Hayes 14 3
Morris Barry 13 3
Timothy Combe 13 2
Nicholas Mallett 12 3
Gerald Blake 12 2
Rodney Bennett 10 3
Mervyn Pinfield 10 3
Alan Wareing 10 3
Hugh David 10 2
Waris Hussein 10 2
John Black 8 2
Alan Bromly 8 2
Graeme Harper 8 2
Andrew Morgan 8 2
Matthew Robinson 8 2
Julia Smith 8 2
George Spenton-Foster 8 2
Norman Stewart 8 2
John Gorrie 7 2
Tristan de Vere Cole 6 1
Michael Hart 6 1
Gerry Mill 6 1
John Crockett 5 2
Henric Hirsch 5 1
Lovett Bickford 4 1
Darrol Blake 4 1
John Davies 4 1
Terence Dudley 4 1
Derrick Goodwin 4 1
Ken Grieve 4 1
Sarah Hellings 4 1
Michael Imison 4 1
Paul Joyce 4 1
Michael Kerrigan 4 1
Michael Leeston-Smith 4 1
Kenny McBain 4 1
Mary Ridge 4 1
Bill Sellars 4 1
Rex Tucker 4 1
Frank Cox 3 2
Michael Owen Morris 2 1
Tony Virgo 2 1

The Directors of Doctor Who

Christopher Barry
1963-79, 10 stories, 43 episodes
The Mutants (The Daleks) [1-2, 4-5]; The Rescue [1-2]; The Romans [1-4]; The Savages [1-4]; The Power of the Daleks [1-6]; The Daemons [1-5]; The Mutants [1-6]; Robot [1-4]; The Brain of Morbius [1-4]; The Creature from the Pit [1-4]
Morris Barry
1967-68, 3 stories, 13 episodes
The Moonbase [1-4]; The Tomb of the Cybermen [1-4]; The Dominators [1-5]
Rodney Bennett
1975-76, 3 stories, 10 episodes
The Ark in Space [1-4]; The Sontaran Experiment [1-2]; The Masque of Mandragora [1-4]
Paul Bernard
1972-3, 3 stories, 16 episodes
Day of the Daleks [1-4]; The Time Monster [1-6]; Frontier in Space [1-6]
Lovett Bickford
1980, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Leisure Hive [1-4]
John Black
1981-82, 2 stories, 8 episodes
The Keeper of Traken [1-4]; Four to Doomsday [1-4]
Darrol Blake
1978, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Stones of Blood [1-4]
Gerald Blake
1967-78, 2 stories, 12 episodes
The Abominable Snowmen [1-6]; The Invasion of Time [1-6]
Michael E Briant
1971-77, 6 stories, 30 episodes
Colony in Space [1-6]; The Sea Devils [1-6]; The Green Death [1-6]; Death to the Daleks [1-4]; Revenge of the Cybermen [1-4]; The Robots of Death [1-4]
Alan Bromly
1973-79, 2 stories, 8 episodes
The Time Warrior [1-4]; Nightmare of Eden [1-4]
Douglas Camfield
1964-76, 9 stories, 52 episodes
Planet of Giants [3]; The Crusade [1-4]; The Time Meddler [1-4]; The Daleks' Master Plan [1-12]; The Web of Fear [1-6]; The Invasion [1-8]; Inferno [1-7]; Terror of the Zygons [1-4]; The Seeds of Doom [1-6]
Chris Clough
1986-88, 5 stories, 18 episodes
The Trial of a Time Lord [9-14]; Delta and the Bannermen [1-3]; Dragonfire [1-3]; Silver Nemesis [1-3]; The Happiness Patrol [1-3]
Tristan de Vere Cole
1968, 1 story, 6 episodes
The Wheel in Space [1-6]
Timothy Combe
1970-71, 2 stories, 13 episodes
Doctor Who and the Silurians [1-7]; The Mind of Evil [1-6]
Frank Cox
1964, 2 stories, 3 episodes
Inside the Spaceship [2]; The Sensorites [5-6]
John Crockett
1964, 2 stories, 5 episodes
Marco Polo [4]; The Aztecs [1-4]
Fiona Cumming
1982-84, 4 stories, 16 episodes
Castrovalva [1-4]; Snakedance [1-4]; Enlightenment [1-4]; Planet of Fire [1-4]
Hugh David
1966-68, 2 stories, 10 episodes
The Highlanders [1-4]; Fury from the Deep [1-6]
John Davies
1967, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Macra Terror [1-4]
Terence Dudley
1980, 1 story, 4 episodes
Meglos [1-4]
Michael Ferguson
1966-71, 4 stories, 21 episodes
The War Machines [1-4]; The Seeds of Death [1-6]; The Ambassadors of Death [1-7]; The Claws of Axos [1-4]
Derrick Goodwin
1977, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Invisible Enemy [1-4]
John Gorrie
1964, 2 stories, 7 episodes
The Reign of Terror [3]; The Keys of Marinus [1-6]
Ken Grieve
1979, 1 stories, 4 episodes
Destiny of the Daleks [1-4]
Peter Grimwade
1980-82, 4 stories, 16 episodes
Full Circle [1-4]; Logopolis [1-4]; Kinda [1-4]; Earthshock [1-4]
Graeme Harper
1984-85, 2 stories, 8 episodes
The Caves of Androzani [1-4]; Revelation of the Daleks [1-4]
Michael Hart
1969, 1 story, 6 episodes
The Space Pirates [1-6]
Michael Hayes
1978-79, 3 stories, 14 episodes
The Androids of Tara [1-4]; The Armageddon Factor [1-6]; City of Death [1-4]
Sarah Hellings
1985, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Mark of the Rani [1-4]
Henric Hirsch
1964, 1 story, 5 episodes
The Reign of Terror [1-2, 4-6]
Waris Hussein
1963-64, 2 stories, 10 episodes
100,000 BC [1-4]; Marco Polo [1-3, 5-7]
Michael Imison
1966, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Ark [1-4]
Ron Jones
1982-86, 6 stories, 22 episodes
Black Orchid [1-2]; Time-Flight [1-4]; Arc of Infinity [1-4]; Frontios [1-4]; Vengeance on Varos [1-4]; The Trial of a Time Lord [5-8]
Paul Joyce
1981, 1 story, 4 episodes
Warriors' Gate [1-4]
Michael Kerrigan
1989, 1 story, 4 episodes
Battlefield [1-4]
Michael Leeston-Smith
1965, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Myth Makers [1-4]
Barry Letts
1967-75, 5 stories, 24 episodes
The Enemy of the World [1-6]; Terror of the Autons [1-4]; Carnival of Monsters [1-4]; Planet of the Spiders [1-6]; The Android Invasion [1-4]
Kenny McBain
1979-80, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Horns of Nimon [1-4]
Nicholas Mallett
1986-89, 3 stories, 12 episodes
The Trial of a Time Lord [1-4]; Paradise Towers [1-4]; The Curse of Fenric [1-4]
David Maloney
1968-77, 8 stories, 45 episodes
The Mind Robber [1-5]; The Krotons [1-4]; The War Games [1-10]; Planet of the Daleks [1-6]; Genesis of the Daleks [1-6]; Planet of Evil [1-4]; The Deadly Assassin [1-4]; The Talons of Weng-Chiang [1-6]
Richard Martin
1964-64, 5 stories, 22 episodes
The Mutants (The Daleks) [3, 6-7]; Inside the Spaceship [1]; The Dalek Invasion of Earth [1-6]; The Web Planet [1-6]; The Chase [1-6]
Derek Martinus
1965-70, 6 stories, 26 episodes
Galaxy 4 [1-4]; Mission to the Unknown [1]; The Tenth Planet [1-4]; The Evil of the Daleks [1-7]; The Ice Warriors [1-6]; Spearhead from Space [1-4]
Lennie Mayne
1972-76, 4 stories, 18 episodes
The Curse of Peladon [1-4]; The Three Doctors [1-4]; The Monster of Peladon [1-6]; The Hand of Fear [1-4]
Gerry Mill
1967, 1 story, 6 episodes
The Faceless Ones [1-6]
Peter Moffatt
1980-85, 6 stories, 26 episodes
State of Decay [1-4]; The Visitation [1-4]; Mawdryn Undead [1-4]; The Five Doctors [1-4]; The Twin Dilemma [1-4]; The Two Doctors [1-6]
Andrew Morgan
1987-88, 2 stories, 8 episodes
Time and the Rani [1-4]; Remembrance of the Daleks [1-4]
Michael Owen Morris
1984, 1 story, 2 episodes
The Awakening [1-2]
Mervyn Pinfield
1964-65, 3 stories, 10 episodes
The Sensorites [1-4]; Planet of Giants [1-2]; The Space Museum [1-4]
Mary Ridge
1983, 1 story, 4 episodes
Terminus [1-4]
Pennant Roberts
1977-85, 5 stories, 20 episodes
The Face of Evil [1-4]; The Sun Makers [1-4]; The Pirate Planet [1-4]; Warriors of the Deep [1-4]; Timelash [1-4]
Matthew Robinson
1984-85, 2 stories, 8 episodes
Resurrection of the Daleks [1-4]; Attack of the Cybermen [1-4]
Paddy Russell
1966-77, 4 stories, 18 episodes
The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve [1-4]; Invasion of the Dinosaurs [1-6]; Pyramids of Mars [1-4]; Horror of Fang Rock [1-4]
Bill Sellars
1966, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Celestial Toymaker [1-4]
Julia Smith
1966-67, 2 stories, 8 episodes
The Smugglers [1-4]; The Underwater Menace [1-4]
George Spenton-Foster
1977-78, 2 stories, 8 episodes
Image of the Fendahl [1-4]; The Ribos Operation [1-4]
Norman Stewart
1978-79, 2 stories, 8 episodes
Underworld [1-4]; The Power of Kroll [1-4]
Rex Tucker
1966, 1 story, 4 episodes
The Gunfighters [1-4]
Tony Virgo
1983, 1 story, 2 episodes
The King's Demons [1-2]
Alan Wareing
1988-89, 3 stories, 10 episodes
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy [1-4]; Ghost Light [1-3]; Survival [1-3]

This item appeared in TSV 19 (June 1990).