Shaun SuttonBookmark and Share

Monday, 17 May 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Shaun Sutton, the former Head of Serials at the BBC Television Drama Group from 1966 to 1969, where he was directly responsible for oversight of the Doctor Who program, died Friday, May 14. Says his obituary in the Telegraph, Sutton was "a tireless champion of quality television whose good fortune was to preside over what is regarded as the golden age of television drama." Sutton was a great patron of Doctor Who at the BBC, although he was not a science fiction fan per se, and as such was involved in such decisions as the casting of Frazer Hines as Jamie, and advised Jon Pertwee to play the Doctor "as Jon Pertwee" -- in fact, it was Sutton who took Pertwee out to dinner several times convincing him he should do it. Sutton was the one man producer Barry Letts and writer Terrance Dicks would have a drink with in the BBC bar - unthinkable during the 1980's. He would later also be among those who oversaw the casting of Tom Baker.

Sutton later moved to the position of acting Head of Drama Group, then was formally appointed to the position in 1969. Following his retirement he published his memoirs, "The Largest Theatre in the World: 30 years of Television Drama" (published in 1982), where he admitted his fondness for the show; he later participated in interviews with various Doctor Who outlets, including appearing alongside Brian Blessed in Bill Baggs' documentary video "The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel".

Sutton had been a writer and director of children's television and, later, successful dramas such as "Z Cars." Says the obit: "At the height of his career, Sutton exercised benevolent control over a national theatre of the air which each year produced 120 single plays and hundreds of hours of series and serials (none of which could be labelled 'soap')." Outpost Gallifrey salutes the many contributions Sutton made to British television and to Doctor Who specifically; his support of the show was one of the reasons it kept going for many years as a mainstay of the small screen. (Thanks to Chuck Foster, Matthew Kilburn, Anthony Flynn, Simon Burt)




FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series