Mervyn Haisman
Encyclopedia
Mervyn Haisman was a television
and film script writer
. Prior to this career he worked as an actor
and managed a theatre company as well as working in insurance.
, and together they were the authors of three 1960s Doctor Who
stories during the Patrick Troughton
years: The Abominable Snowmen
, The Web of Fear
and The Dominators
. These scripts created two enduring monsters, the Yeti
and the Quarks. The latter script was their last contribution to the programme and, after disagreements with the production office, it was cut by an episode and credited to the pseudonym Norman Ashby. Haisman and Lincoln also worked together on episodes of Emergency Ward 10
, but their writing partnership was not long lived.
Haisman also wrote for many British television shows including The Onedin Line
(on which he also worked as script editor), Howards' Way
, and Swallows and Amazons Forever!; and on the horror movie Curse of the Crimson Altar
, also known as The Crimson Cult (1968), again with Henry Lincoln.
Mervyn provided script for the popular BBC series Jane
(1982), starring Glynis Barber as the wartime comic strip pin up. He was to also write the second series Jane in the Desert (1984). The success of the TV series lead to Haisman writing for the movie Jane and the Lost City
(1987). This time featuring Kirsten Hughes in the lead role.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083432/fullcredits#cast
Although Haisman died at the end of October 2010, his death was not reported by media until 9 December. He died in Valencia, Spain.http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/dec/09/mervyn-haisman-obituary
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film script writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. Prior to this career he worked as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and managed a theatre company as well as working in insurance.
Overview
Haisman was born in 1928 in London. An early television credit was an episode of Doctor Finlay’s Casebook (1967) called The Forgotten Enemy. At about the same time he formed a writing partnership with Henry LincolnHenry Lincoln
Henry Lincoln is an English author, television presenter, scriptwriter and former Supporting actor. He co-wrote three Doctor Who multi-part serials in the 1960s, and —starting in the 1970s— authored a series of books and inspired documentaries for the British television channel BBC2,...
, and together they were the authors of three 1960s 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...
stories during the Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton
Patrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
years: The Abominable Snowmen
The Abominable Snowmen
The Abominable Snowmen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from September 30 to November 4, 1967. The story is notable for the introduction of recurring foes, the Yeti....
, The Web of Fear
The Web of Fear
The Web of Fear is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 3 February to 9 March 1968. This serial — which marks the return of the Yeti, the Great Intelligence, and Professor Travers — is the sequel to The Abominable...
and The Dominators
The Dominators
The Dominators is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in five weekly parts from 10 August to 7 September 1968.-Plot:...
. These scripts created two enduring monsters, the Yeti
Yeti (Doctor Who)
The Yeti of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, although resembling the cryptozoological creatures also called the Yeti, are in actuality alien robots. Their external appearance, that of a huge hairy biped, disguises a small spherical mechanism that provides its motive power...
and the Quarks. The latter script was their last contribution to the programme and, after disagreements with the production office, it was cut by an episode and credited to the pseudonym Norman Ashby. Haisman and Lincoln also worked together on episodes of Emergency Ward 10
Emergency Ward 10
Emergency – Ward 10 is a British television series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like The Grove Family, a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, Emergency – Ward 10 is considered to be one of British television's first major soap operas.-Overview:The series was made by the ITV...
, but their writing partnership was not long lived.
Haisman also wrote for many British television shows including The Onedin Line
The Onedin Line
The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham.The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin...
(on which he also worked as script editor), Howards' Way
Howards' Way
Howards' Way is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC One between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the yachting and business communities in the fictional town of Tarrant on the South Coast of...
, and Swallows and Amazons Forever!; and on the horror movie Curse of the Crimson Altar
Curse of the Crimson Altar
Curse of the Crimson Altar is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele and Mark Eden. The film was produced by Lewis M. Heyward for Tigon British Film Productions. The film was released as The Crimson Cult in the United States....
, also known as The Crimson Cult (1968), again with Henry Lincoln.
Mervyn provided script for the popular BBC series Jane
Jane (comic strip)
Jane was a comic strip created and drawn by Norman Pett exclusively for the British tabloid The Daily Mirror from 5 December 1932 to 10 October 1959.-Characters and story:...
(1982), starring Glynis Barber as the wartime comic strip pin up. He was to also write the second series Jane in the Desert (1984). The success of the TV series lead to Haisman writing for the movie Jane and the Lost City
Jane and the Lost City
Jane and the Lost City was a 1987 film, based on the British newspaper strip Jane by Norman Pett. An adventure comedy set during World War II, the film was directed by Terry Marcel, and stars Kirsten Hughes in the title role, Sam Jones, Maud Adams, Jasper Carrott and Robin Bailey.- Synopsis...
(1987). This time featuring Kirsten Hughes in the lead role.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083432/fullcredits#cast
Although Haisman died at the end of October 2010, his death was not reported by media until 9 December. He died in Valencia, Spain.http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/dec/09/mervyn-haisman-obituary