Mervyn Pinfield
Encyclopedia
Mervyn Pinfield was a British
Television producer and director working for the BBC
during the 1950s and 1960s. He is well known for being the associate producer on the BBC television series Doctor Who
from the first episode of An Unearthly Child
to The Romans
, during Verity Lambert
's tenure as producer.
Pinfield was a highly experienced producer and director. Before joining the BBC early in the 1950s to work on live drama at Alexandra Palace, he spent over four years in 'weekly rep' as Director/Theatre Manager at the Royalty Theatre, Morecambe. He was therefore appointed to support the less experienced Lambert, as Doctor Who was her first production as a producer. In the event, she proved so adept at the job that his assistance was rarely needed, and he performed more of an advisory role.
He also directed Episodes 1 to 4 of The Sensorites
, The Space Museum
and Episodes 1 & 2 of Planet of Giants
for the series, and worked as director on other BBC series such as Compact
(Day Of Deliverance and Fare Thee Well For I Must Leave Thee), The Monsters, and The Franchise Affair
.
Pinfield was also known as the inventor of an early type of Teleprompter
, or Autocue
, which he called the Piniprompter.
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...
Television producer and director working for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
during the 1950s and 1960s. He is well known for being the associate producer on the BBC television series 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...
from the first episode of An Unearthly Child
An Unearthly Child
The serial that became An Unearthly Child was originally commissioned from writer Anthony Coburn in June 1963, when it was intended to run as the second Doctor Who serial. At this stage, it was planned that the series would open with a serial entitled The Giants, to be written by BBC staff...
to The Romans
The Romans (Doctor Who)
The Romans is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from January 16 to February 6, 1965. The story is set during the era of the Roman Empire in the reign of Nero.-Plot:...
, during Verity Lambert
Verity Lambert
Verity Ann Lambert, OBE was an English television and film producer. She is best known as the founding producer of the science-fiction series Doctor Who, a programme which has become a part of British popular culture, and for her association with Thames Television...
's tenure as producer.
Pinfield was a highly experienced producer and director. Before joining the BBC early in the 1950s to work on live drama at Alexandra Palace, he spent over four years in 'weekly rep' as Director/Theatre Manager at the Royalty Theatre, Morecambe. He was therefore appointed to support the less experienced Lambert, as Doctor Who was her first production as a producer. In the event, she proved so adept at the job that his assistance was rarely needed, and he performed more of an advisory role.
He also directed Episodes 1 to 4 of The Sensorites
The Sensorites
The Sensorites is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from June 20 to August 1, 1964. The story is notable for its early demonstration of Susan's telepathy and references to the Doctor and her home planet.-Plot:The...
, The Space Museum
The Space Museum
-VHS, CD and DVD releases:*This story was released alongside the surviving episodes of The Crusade on VHS in 1999.*The audio soundtrack was released with narration from Maureen O'Brien on CD in 2009....
and Episodes 1 & 2 of Planet of Giants
Planet of Giants
*An early draft of this story – by C.E. Webber and entitled The Giants – was originally meant to be the first story of the first season.-Episode 4:*This story was originally four episodes in length...
for the series, and worked as director on other BBC series such as Compact
Compact (TV series)
Compact is a British television soap opera shown by the BBC between 1962 and 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, who together went on to devise Crossroads....
(Day Of Deliverance and Fare Thee Well For I Must Leave Thee), The Monsters, and The Franchise Affair
The Franchise Affair
The Franchise Affair is a 1948 mystery novel by Josephine Tey, in which a small-town lawyer is called on to defend two women accused of kidnapping and mistreating a girl named Betty Kane....
.
Pinfield was also known as the inventor of an early type of Teleprompter
Teleprompter
An autocue is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to the practice of using cue cards...
, or Autocue
Autocue
Autocue is a UK based manufacturer of teleprompter systems, owned by QTV. The company was founded in 1955 and licensed its first teleprompter, based on a patent by Jess Oppenheimer, in 1962...
, which he called the Piniprompter.