Biography

Dave Martin was an English author of thrillers, children's books and teleplays. A self-described 'working-class grammar school boy', he began his career late in life, having variously spent time building pylons, working in hospitals and in advertising. He was also attracted to the stage and worked for a spell as a stagehand at the Bristol Old Vic. In 1968, Martin struck up a famous friendship with the animator Bob Baker, which led to a successful screenwriting collaboration, commencing with Z Cars (1962). Their most popular contribution consisted of eight instalments of the Doctor Who (1963) franchise, including the classic "The Three Doctors" chapter, for which they created the villainous Time Lord Omega (initially named 'OHM', a reverse of 'Who', to reflect the character as an opposite of the Doctor). Nicknamed 'the Bristol Boys', by producers Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks, Baker and Martin conjured up the scripts for a total of 34 episodes, roughly spanning the Jon Pertwee - Tom Baker era, 1971 to 1979. The idea of creating the mechanical dog K-9 came to Martin after his own dog was killed by a car. He later penned four books aimed at young audiences about the exploits of a robotic hound. After the team split up at the end of the decade, Baker went on to individual fame as writer for the animated "Wallace & Gromit" adventures, while Martin authored several crime novels. He was credited as co-creator of the spin-off series K9 (2009), which was launched two years after his death.