Andrew Smith

Born: 27th July 1962
Episodes Broadcast: 1980

Biography

Scotsman Andrew Smith grew up a fan of Doctor Who, and strove to write for the programme while still in his teens. He was encouraged by successive script editors: Robert Holmes, Anthony Read and Douglas Adams all recognised Smith's talent, although Read rejected a pitch called “The Secret Of Cassius” in August 1978. Finally, Smith found success with Full Circle, which was broadcast in 1980 and introduced Adric as a new companion for Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor. He also wrote its novelisation for Target Books.

Smith subsequently struggled to find further work in television. He developed several other proposals for Doctor Who, of which “The Torson Triumvirate” in 1980 and “The First Sontarans” in 1984 were commissioned as storylines, but neither was taken farther. Smith instead embarked on a successful career as a police officer. It was while working in this capacity that he was approached by Big Finish Productions, who initially wanted to adapt “The First Sontarans” for their Doctor Who: The Lost Stories range of audio dramas. This contact led to Smith writing a Companion Chronicles play called The Invasion Of E-Space, released in 2010. He subsequently contributed a number of scripts for Big Finish, both for their Doctor Who series and beyond.

Credits
Writer
Full Circle

Updated 19th May 2021