{{short description|British writer and producer}} {{more citations needed|date=August 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}} {{Infobox person | name = Victor Pemberton | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = Victor Francis Pemberton | birth_date = {{birth date|1931|10|10|df=y}} | birth_place = Islington, London, England | death_date = {{death date and age|2017|8|13|1931|10|10|df=y}} | death_place = | occupation = Producer, writer | partner = David Spenser (1931–2013; Spenser's death)<ref name="DavidSpenserObit" /> }}
'''Victor Francis Pemberton''' (10 October 1931 – 13 August 2017) was a British writer and television producer. His scriptwriting work included BBC radio plays, and television scripts for the BBC and ITV, including ''Doctor Who'', ''The Slide'', ''Timeslip'', ''Tightrope''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cathoderaytube.co.uk/2011/03/tightrope-complete-series-dvd-review.html|title=Tightrope - The Complete Series / DVD Review|website=CathodeRayTube|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346418/|title=Tightrope (TV Series 1972– ) |work=IMDb|date=19 January 1972|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref> and ''The Adventures of Black Beauty''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba318a786|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203072423/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba318a786|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 December 2020|title=Victor Pemberton|website=BFI|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> His television production work included the British version of ''Fraggle Rock'' (second series onwards),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victorpemberton.com/television/fraggle.html|title=Fraggle Rock|last=Pemberton|first=Victor|website=Victor Pemberton - Author, Playwright and TV Producer|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818175912/http://www.victorpemberton.com/television/fraggle.html|archive-date=18 August 2017|access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref> and several independent documentaries including the 1989 International Emmy Award-winning ''Gwen: A Juliet Remembered'', about stage actress Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b797c9a43|title=Gwen : A Juliet Remembered (1988)|website=BFI|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912033318/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b797c9a43|archive-date=12 September 2017|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref>
==Early life== Pemberton grew up in Islington, London, and lived for many years in Essex. In his earlier years, Pemberton had several small screen acting roles. In addition to novelisations, he wrote many nostalgic novels set in London, prompted by the success of his autobiographical radio drama series ''Our Family''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/467e008feb3d4801a9c1faaa0a860610|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201225437/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/467e008feb3d4801a9c1faaa0a860610|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 December 2020|title=Saturday-Night Theatre|date=7 January 1989|publisher=Radio Times|pages=29|via=BBC Genome|access-date=2 February 2020|issue=3396}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/VP.HTML|title=Victor Pemberton radio drama|last=Deacon|first=Nigel|date=2008|website=www.suttonelms.org.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010111706/http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/VP.HTML|archive-date=10 October 2015|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref>
==''Doctor Who''== Pemberton first worked on the programme in 1967 as assistant script editor and was promoted to the role of script editor during the production of the story ''The Tomb of the Cybermen''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victorpemberton.com/drwho.html|title=Dr Who|last=Pemberton|first=Victor|website=Victor Pemberton - Author, Playright and TV Producer|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916214808/http://www.victorpemberton.com/drwho.html|archive-date=16 September 2017|access-date=16 September 2017}}</ref>
Pemberton wrote the 1968 Patrick Troughton story ''Fury from the Deep''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://drwhointerviews.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/victor-pemberton-writer-1992/|title=Victor Pemberton (Writer, 1992)|date=10 September 2009|website=Doctor Who Interview Archive|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920011211/https://drwhointerviews.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/victor-pemberton-writer-1992/|archive-date=20 September 2016|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> (which he subsequently novelised for Target Books).<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/Doctor_Who_-_Target_Library_110_-_Doctor_Who_-_Fury_From_the_Deep|title=Fury From the Deep|last=Pemberton|first=Victor|publisher=Target|year=1986|isbn=0-426-20259-7|location=London|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The story, now missing from the BBC archives, was based on an earlier stand-alone radio serial he had written called ''The Slide'', starring future actor Roger Delgado who would later star in Doctor Who as the Master.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/15479984.obituary-victor-pemberton-writer-who-invented-the-sonic-screwdriver-and-produced-fraggle-rock/|title=Obituary - Victor Pemberton, writer who invented the sonic screwdriver and produced Fraggle Rock|last=Hayward|first=Anthony|date=19 August 2007|work=The Herald|access-date=2 February 2020|issn=0965-9439}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=17 February 1966|title=The Slide: 2: Down Came A BlackbirdTh|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f904ff16f9e74aeea3cc89016f6f5bae|journal=Radio Times|issue=2206|pages=17|via=BBC Genome|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030184057/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f904ff16f9e74aeea3cc89016f6f5bae|archive-date=30 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The story marks the first time the Doctor uses his trademark sonic screwdriver.<ref name=":0" />
In 1976, Pemberton wrote the audio drama ''Doctor Who and the Pescatons''<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/110/1105326/doctor-who-and-the-pescatons/9781787536395.html|title=Doctor Who And The Pescatons|website=Penguin Books|date=6 June 2019 |language=en|access-date=2020-02-02}}</ref> for an experiment in ''Doctor Who'' on vinyl record and an early spin-off from the programme. The production was aimed at children and is heavily based on ideas Pemberton had used for ''Fury from the Deep''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/11_november/pescatons.shtml|title=Doctor Who and the Pescatons|last=BBC Press Office|date=25 November 2004|website=BBC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109224324/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/11_november/pescatons.shtml|archive-date=9 January 2016|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> He later novelised ''The Pescatons'',<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/Doctor_Who_-_The_Pescatons_Victor_Pemberton/mode/2up|title=Doctor Who The Pescatons|last=Pemberton|first=Victor|publisher=Target Books|year=1991|isbn=9780426203537|location=London|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> which was the final ''Doctor Who'' book published with the Target logo on the spine.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} He had previously appeared as an actor in the series, in a non-speaking role as a scientist in the 1967 story ''The Moonbase''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/moonbase/detail.shtml|title=Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - The Moonbase - Details|website=BBC|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626072110/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/moonbase/detail.shtml|archive-date=26 June 2019|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref>
==Personal life== In later life he lived in Spain,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thedoctorwhocompanion.com/2016/04/02/victor-p-interview/|title=Exclusive Interview: Victor Pemberton, Inventor of the Sonic Screwdriver!|last=Maxton|first=John|date=2 April 2016|website=The Doctor Who Companion|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814100126/http://thedoctorwhocompanion.com/2016/04/02/victor-p-interview/|archive-date=14 August 2017|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> where he continued to write novels. Pemberton was the life partner of the British actor, producer and writer David Spenser.<ref name="DavidSpenserObit">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/aug/01/david-spenser|title=David Spenser obituary|last=Tydeman|first=John|date=2013-08-01|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-02-02|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202012642/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/aug/01/david-spenser|archive-date=2 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Death== Pemberton's death was announced on 13 August 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://creators.co/@creators_lewisj/4347084|title='Doctor Who' Actor, Writer And Creator Of The Sonic Screwdriver, Victor Pemberton, Dies Aged 85|last=Jefferies|first=Lewis|date=14 August 2017|website=Creators.co|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814134501/https://creators.co/@creators_lewisj/4347084|archive-date=14 August 2017|access-date=14 August 2017}}<!--This URI is correct--></ref> He was 85.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{webarchive|title=Official website|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817041326/https://victorpemberton.com/}} *{{IMDb name|0671491}} {{s-start}} {{succession box |before= Peter Bryant |title=Doctor Who Script Editor |years=1967 |after= Derrick Sherwin| }} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pemberton, Victor}} Category:1931 births Category:2017 deaths Category:20th-century British writers Category:20th-century English male writers Category:British gay writers Category:British LGBTQ screenwriters Category:English LGBTQ writers Category:English television writers Category:English male screenwriters Category:English screenwriters Category:British expatriates in Spain Category:British television producers Category:British science fiction writers Category:British male television writers Category:People from Islington (district) Category:Writers from the London Borough of Islington