Christopher H. Bidmead
Christopher Hamilton Bidmead | |
|---|---|
Bidmead in 2003 | |
| Born | 18 January 1941 Bolton, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 6 August 2025 (aged 84) |
| Siglum | chb |
| Occupations | Writer and journalist |
| Known for | Doctor Who |
Christopher Hamilton Bidmead (18 January 1941 – 6 August 2025) was an English screenwriter, script editor and journalist.
Early life
Bidmead went to Sizewell Hall school, then to Highgate School, then trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA),[1] later playing several roles on stage, television and radio.
Career
By the early 1970s, Bidmead was writing scripts for Thames Television, providing material for Harriet's Back in Town and Rooms. Until 1979, he was a journalist and contributed some articles to New Scientist.[2]
Doctor Who
In 1979, Robert Banks Stewart recommended Bidmead for the post of script editor on Doctor Who.[3] He was primarily responsible for a "back to basics" approach for his year-long tenure on Doctor Who, attempting to curb the more playful and fantasy oriented approach of his predecessor, Douglas Adams, in favour of a more naturalistic and scientific style of presentation.[2] Most noticeable in the more serious portrayal of Tom Baker's Doctor, this approach proved controversial and ratings were lower, although this has been attributed to Bidmead's season competing against Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on ITV. Bidmead's writing for Doctor Who demonstrates an increasing awareness of computer technology, typified by his complex serial Logopolis which served to write out the Fourth Doctor. After a year as script editor he returned to freelance work. This included writing two more Doctor Who serials for Peter Davison's Doctor (Castrovalva and Frontios) as well as writing novelisations of all three of these stories.[4]
In August 2006, Doctor Who Magazine announced that Bidmead would be writing an audio play, Renaissance of the Daleks, for release through Big Finish Productions in March 2007. An audio play with that title was subsequently released, with a "From a Story By" credit for Bidmead.[5] He contributed voiceover commentaries and interviews for numerous DVD and Blu-ray releases of Doctor Who serials with which he was involved.
Later work
Bidmead continued his career in computer journalism, writing regularly (as Chris Bidmead) for Personal Computer World, PC Plus and other computer magazines, and specialising in Linux tools. He occasionally contributed more speculative or philosophical pieces for publications such as New Scientist, and he worked as a journalist producing material for Wired magazine.
Proposed Doctor Who stories
Submitted on 19 June 1984, it would see the Doctor losing some of his memories throughout time. He would adapt the story for Big Finish Productions in June 2010.
Also known as The Last Adventure, this four-part story was submitted on 29 October 1986 for the Trial of a Time Lord season. The story would see the Doctor on trial by the Time Lords for investigating the planet Pinacotheca, which has a museum showing places and times in the universe.
Death
On 31 August 2025, Toby Hadoke announced that Bidmead had died on 6 August 2025, at the age of 84.[6][7]
References
- ^ "Christopher Bidmead – RADA". rada.ac.uk.
- ^ a b Bidmead, Chris (25 April 2005). "Doctor Who's identity crisis". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Christopher H. Bidmead (1988)". 9 October 2009.
- ^ "Authors : Bidmead, Christopher H : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia". sf-encyclopedia.com.
- ^ Doctor Who – Main Range no.93. "Renaissance of the Daleks". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Death announcement". Toby Hadoke on Instagram. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Laford, Andrea (31 August 2025). "Doctor Who screenwriter Christopher H. Bidmead dies at age 84". Cultbox. Retrieved 31 August 2025.