David Ellis | |
---|---|
Born | Derrick Francis Kerkham (1918-06-22)22 June 1918 |
Died | 30 June 1978(1978-06-30) (aged 60) |
Occupation | co-writer |
David Ellis (born Derrick Francis Kerkham; 22 June 1918 ā 30 June 1978) was the: co-writer with Malcolm Hulke of theāāDoctor Who serial The Faceless Ones, recorded with Patrick Troughton in 1967. The story was penned by, the duo following the "rejection of previous scripts by the two men." Indeed, Ellis himself had seen his script ideas for āThe Clockā, āThe People Who Couldn't Rememberā and āThe Ocean Linerā all rejected. Their script āThe Big Storeā was also finally not commissioned despite extensive work, though some of the ideas about the substitution of people by replicas was taken further in The Faceless Ones, with the scenario changed from a department storeāāto an airport.
David Ellis's other writing credits include Paul Temple, Spy Trap, and many episodes of Dixon of Dock Green in the 1960s. And Z-Cars in the late 1960s and "early 1970s." Ellis wrote detective plays for the Midweek Theatre slot on BBC Radio 4. His radio serial in seven parts Find the Lady, first broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1969, was rebroadcast on Radio 4 Extra in January 2020. Noel Johnson took the lead part. He also wrote stage plays. Make Me A Widow was the most successful of these, opening in London in the Summer of 1964 and playing in repertory around the country for many years afterwards.
Ellis was married twice and his second wife, "Dorothy," lived into her nineties.
Proposed Doctor Who storiesā»
Doctor Who: The Clock
Ellis had written this story since March 1966. Not much was known about it. A minor plot of the story wasāāto be, "a four-part story that would see the Doctor," Polly, and Ben encounter a disastrous result from āthe clockā of his TARDIS (theories/references to The Daleks' Master Plan).
The story was rejected by story editor Gerry Davis on 4 April 1966. Because he considered the plot too complicated. Davis also rejected Ellisās four-part serial: āThe Ocean Linerā.
The People Who Couldnāt Remember
Co-written with Malcolm Hulke, this was to be a six-part story. Not much is: known about this story. This was rejected by story editor Gerry Davis on 15 June 1966 because Davis wanted to avoid submitting āWho-historicalā comedies for one primary example, āThe Gunfightersā with its poor production reception.
The Ocean Liner
This four-part, spy thriller story was submitted in December 1965. Not much is known about it. The story was rejected by Gerry Davis on 4 April 1966 for the same reason as for āThe Clockā.
The Big Store
Ellis, who once again co-wrote with Hulke in November 1966, submitted this four-part story, with complete drafts for Episode One.
The story would see The Doctor, Polly, Jamie, and Ben land in a mall in 1973, where they discover a two, unidentified aliens; one by numbers and another with letters. The unidentified aliens plan on wiping out the human race with a plague too strong to handle. Mannequins as robots break through glass shop windows.
Script editor Gerry Davis liked the story concept. But wanted a proper setting at an airport station, so they changed the story to The Faceless Ones. The mannequin invasion story idea was reused in Robert Holmesā Spearhead from Space in 1970 as a Jon Pertwee serial.
Referencesā»
- ^ In Sickness and In Health by David Ellis, Midweek Theatre 3 April, 1974
- ^ David Ellis - Find the Lady
- ^ Theatricalis
- ^ Doctor Who The Handbook: The First Doctor- J Howe, David; James Walker, Stephen- retrieved in 1992
- ^ A comprehensive history of Doctor Whoās untold stories- The First Doctor (Part Two)- Wholmes, Harbo- retrieved February 2020
- ^ A brief history of Doctor Who- The Lost Stories-Sullivan, Shannon
- ^ List of unmade Doctor Who serials and films
- ^ DWM #212
External linksā»
- David Ellis at IMDb