Barry Letts (1925-2009)

Whilst surfing the Net this morning over my customary coffee I got a little annoyed.  I’d been looking through the online versions of the Times and Telegraph, my papers of choice (for crossword and sport rather than political reasons) and failed to find an obituary for Barry Letts. For those who don’t know, Barry Letts was the producer of Doctor Who from 1969 to 1975 and as a fan of said programme (in a semi-obsessive capacity) since primary school, I felt offended on behalf of 'Who-dom' that his passing hadn’t warranted more comment in these papers. We fans can get prickly about little things like this.

A while later whilst mid-commute it struck me as ironic that the ‘era’ of Dr Who that Mr Letts was responsible for, primarily the Jon Pertwee years, is pretty much my least favourite of the entire run.  I couldn’t really say why – I’ve no problem with Earth-bound stories, I love UNIT and Nicholas Courtnay as the Brigadier and I’ve nothing against Jon Pertwee as a performer, but there’s just something about the third Doctor and his adventures which leaves me cold.  I appear to be in the minority mind you.  In a recent poll of the first 200 Dr Who stories, from 1963 to 2009, Season 7 (Pertwee’s first in the role and Letts’ first as producer) came 3rd over all yet I’ve always found the stories from that particular year snoozeworthy in the extreme.  Different strokes for different folks I suppose but did such feelings make me just a tiny bit hypocritical when feeling so peeved at the lack of recognition of Barry Letts achievements?

It’s very likely that much of my warmth towards Barry Letts is based chiefly on the many DVD extras, commentaries and documentaries he's contributed to in recent years.  Often paired with that other Who treasure Terrence Dicks, he always came across as charming and funny whilst carrying a great affection for Doctor Who and immense pride in his work on a series now several decades in the past.

Finally my thoughts wandered onto the current series since its return in 2005 and forward to David Tennant’s finale over Christmas 2009.  My mind drifted back and forth to numerous elements of the show spanning Russell T davis’s era; Autons and Sontarans, ‘regeneration’, multi-Doctor stories, Sarah Jane Smith, The Master! All of these elements Russell T deemed worthy of inclusion in his vision of Doctor Who in the 21st century and all of these had their origins in Barry Letts time as producer of the show.  That they are still thrilling, fascinating and entertaining audiences nearly 4 decades on is a far better tribute to the man than any broadsheet obituary.  Long may his influence and memory continue.