Born: 22nd June 1918 (as Derrick Francis Kerkham)
Died: 30th June 1978 (aged 60 years)
Episodes Broadcast: 1967

Derrick Kerkham was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. He was a producer and director in repertory theatre and, during the Fifties, was the general manager of the pleasure pier at Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Towards the end of the decade, Kerkham started writing for radio, and adopted the professional name “David Ellis”. His work on Tommy Trinder's radio show led to Ellis contributing to the comedian's television programme, Trinder Box, in 1959. By the mid-Sixties, he had begun writing for dramas, including United!, Emergency -- Ward 10 and the first of more than two dozen scripts for Dixon Of Dock Green.

In April 1966, two Doctor Who submissions entitled “The Clock” and “The Ocean Liner” were rejected. A month earlier, Ellis had made the acquaintance of Malcolm Hulke at an awards reception for the Writers' Guild of Britain. Hulke had also made unsuccessful attempts to write for Doctor Who, so the two men decided to collaborate on a new submission. Entitled “The People Who Couldn't Remember”, it also failed to find favour with the production team due to its comedic nature. However, story editor Gerry Davis continued to have discussions with Ellis and Hulke, and these eventually led to the development of 1967's The Faceless Ones.

Ellis subsequently began writing for Z Cars, amassing more than sixty scripts during the late Sixties and early Seventies. He also contributed to shows like Spyder's Web (for which Hulke was the script supervisor) and Paul Temple, while writing for radio and the stage. Ellis' final television credits came on Marked Personal in 1974. He died on June 30th, 1978, leaving to mourn his second wife, Dorothy.