Bill Strutton
Encyclopedia
Bill Strutton was a prolific British
screenwriter
who worked on some of the best-remembered 1960s television shows including Ivanhoe
, The Saint
, The Avengers
, Riptide
and Doctor Who
. Born in Australia
, Bill Strutton won a state scholarship to university at 14 but dropped out after two years to go and work in an office. At the outbreak of WWII
he joined the Australian army. He was captured by the German
s in Crete
and sent to Stalag
VII, learning to swear in several languages. It was there he also began to take an interest in writing.
After the war he took up journalism as a career and in the mid-fifties he began writing military books, including A Jury of Angels in 1957. In 1958 he scripted Ivanhoe
, which starred a young Roger Moore
. He wrote for more than 15 television series in 11 years, the last of which was Strange Report
, starring Anthony Quayle
, and several episodes of Paul Temple
before retiring in 1978 following a heart attack.
His Doctor Who story was The Web Planet
in 1964. It is remembered as a unique Doctor Who serial. It was the first programme to feature a completely alien cast, including Martin Jarvis as a butterfly Menoptra, and introduced the menacing Zarbi. Bill Strutton went on to adapt the serial as the third Doctor Who book in 1965.
Bill Strutton died on 23 November 2003, the day of Doctor Whos 40th anniversary, aged 80 years.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
who worked on some of the best-remembered 1960s television shows including Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott in 1819, and set in 12th-century England. Ivanhoe is sometimes credited for increasing interest in Romanticism and Medievalism; John Henry Newman claimed Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the middle ages," while...
, The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
, The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, Riptide
Riptide (Australian TV series)
Riptide is a TV series that is often considered "very Australian", but like The Outsiders, it was mainly an endeavor brought to fruition by a foreign producer and foreign principal actors...
and Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. Born in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Bill Strutton won a state scholarship to university at 14 but dropped out after two years to go and work in an office. At the outbreak of WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he joined the Australian army. He was captured by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
s in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and sent to Stalag
Stalag
In Germany, stalag was a term used for prisoner-of-war camps. Stalag is a contraction of "Stammlager", itself short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager.- Legal definitions :...
VII, learning to swear in several languages. It was there he also began to take an interest in writing.
After the war he took up journalism as a career and in the mid-fifties he began writing military books, including A Jury of Angels in 1957. In 1958 he scripted Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott in 1819, and set in 12th-century England. Ivanhoe is sometimes credited for increasing interest in Romanticism and Medievalism; John Henry Newman claimed Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the middle ages," while...
, which starred a young Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
. He wrote for more than 15 television series in 11 years, the last of which was Strange Report
Strange Report
Strange Report is a British television drama starring Anthony Quayle as Adam Strange. It was produced by ITC Entertainment and first broadcast in 1969....
, starring Anthony Quayle
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
, and several episodes of Paul Temple
Paul Temple
Paul Temple is a fictional character created by British writer Francis Durbridge for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple in 1938. Temple is an amateur private detective and author of crime fiction...
before retiring in 1978 following a heart attack.
His Doctor Who story was The Web Planet
The Web Planet
The Web Planet is the fifth serial in the second season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 13 February 1965 to 20 March 1965...
in 1964. It is remembered as a unique Doctor Who serial. It was the first programme to feature a completely alien cast, including Martin Jarvis as a butterfly Menoptra, and introduced the menacing Zarbi. Bill Strutton went on to adapt the serial as the third Doctor Who book in 1965.
Bill Strutton died on 23 November 2003, the day of Doctor Whos 40th anniversary, aged 80 years.