Born: 21st March 1915
Died: 13th October 1997 (aged 82 years)
Episodes Broadcast: 1966-1967

Ian Stuart Black was born in London, but was educated in Edinburgh, Scotland before completing a degree in philosophy at Manchester University. He was an avid athlete, playing rugby and cricket, but decided against a career in sport to become a professional writer. Black joined the Donald Wolfit Theatre Company as a playwright and actor, and there met actress Anne Brooke. They married in 1942, and would have two sons and two daughters. Soon thereafter, Black served with the Royal Air Force during World War Two.

In 1946, Black was hired to write for Pinewood Studios. Over the next several years, he contributed to movies like Shadow Of The Past and Soho Incident. Black continued to write plays and, in 1953, he published In The Wake Of A Stranger, the first of nine novels. Black got involved with television in 1954, helping develop Fabian Of The Yard. His work on the small screen became prolific as the Fifties went on, with credits including William Tell and The Invisible Man. In 1960, Black played a key role in bringing Danger Man to the screen. He then served as story editor on programmes such as Sir Francis Drake and The Man In Room 17.

Black was the first writer to contribute back-to-back serials to Doctor Who

In 1966, Black became the first writer to contribute back-to-back serials to Doctor Who: The Savages and The War Machines. He returned the following year with The Macra Terror, by which time Patrick Troughton had become the Second Doctor. Other late Sixties television included Adam Adamant Lives! and The Champions. In 1970, Black was commissioned for a fourth Doctor Who serial, entitled “The Space War” and featuring Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor, but this did not proceed beyond the storyline stage.

During the Seventies, Black contributed to programmes such as Star Maidens and The Outsiders. He was a writer, script editor and associate producer on Castaway, which starred his daughter Isobel. Black's television career wound down towards the end of the decade. During the Eighties, he novelised all three of his Doctor Who serials for Target Books. Black died on October 13th, 1997.