Tomb of the Cybermen production designer Martin Johnson died on October 9. A small obituary and picture can be found by clicking here.

Ben Aris, who played Lieutenant Shears in part 1 of "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," the Jon Pertwee serial, passed away on September 4; he was 66. Aris found his greatest fame in the classic BBC sitcom Hi-De-Hi! as camp ballroom dancer Julian Dalrimple-Sykes. (Thanks to Steve Stratford and the Death Comes in Time site)

Actor James Saxon, who played played Oscar Botcherby in the forthcoming DVD release The Two Doctors, died last week of a heart attack while spending the day with his family in Somerset. He has been appearing at Chichester Festival Theatre this summer in the production of "The Gondoliers" as grand inquisitor Don Alhambra del Bolero and was due to appear in other productions in the main house and studio theatre during the season. The performance of "The Gondoliers" on Friday July 4th was dedicated to James as a celebration of his life. James recently appeared on stage alongside Brenda Blethyn in Mrs Warren's Profession in the West End. he worked extensively in TV with credits including Jonathan Creek, Poldark, Murder Most Horrid, Sharpe, Lovejoy, and Soldier Soldier. He also provided the voice of Captain Pugwash in the most recent ITV incarnation. He was 48. (Thanks to David Guest)

Outpost Gallifrey notes the passing of actor Jack Pitt, who appeared in guest roles in both "The Web Planet" and "The Chase", who passed away approximately four weeks ago at his home in Penzance from complications of bronchial pneumonia. A Myth Makers interview with Pitt is recently being re-released on DVD by Reeltime. (Thanks to Richard Unwin)

Veteran UK television comedian Bernard Spear died on May 9. While he was apparently well known in the UK by face, if not by name, among his many roles he played the "Man with Carrier Bag" in the sixties' film "Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD". His obituary can be read here. (Thanks to Steve Stratford and the Death Comes in Time site)

We are sad to report the death of editor and publisher Richard Henwood, the 'grandfather' of the Target Doctor Who novelization range, who died on the morning of the 28th May, following a massive stroke on the 25th May. As David Howe tells Outpost Gallifrey: "Henwood enjoyed a prestigious career as an editor and published, specialising in children's books and it was in 1972 that he was head-hunted from Scholastic by Ralph Stokes and Brian Miles, who were setting up a children's imprint at their own publishing house, the Universal-Tandem publishing company. Henwood was pleased with the challenge and started looking for books for this new imprint, named Target. Among the books he found were the original 1960's hardbacks of three Doctor Who titles: Doctor Who in an exciting Adventure with the Daleks, The Crusaders and The Zarbi.

"æI was ushered into the boardroom of Frederick Muller in Tottenham Court Road by the rights manager,' Henwood recalled when talking about the origins of the range for a series of articles for Doctor Who Magazine, 'and arranged on the table were some twenty books. One swift glance told me that I was almost certainly wasting my time, but my eyes strayed back to a trio of tired looking hardbacks in the centre. ôDoctor Whoàö I mused aloud to myself. ôOh I donÆt know àö the fact is (IÆm ashamed to say) that back then I didnÆt. As a matter of deliberate choice we had no television at home, and I had only seen a few minutes of the odd episode of Doctor Who in someone elseÆsÆ house. However, I said, ôIÆll take an option on that trio, if I may.ö æ ôThey didnÆt sell very well into the libraries when we published them in 1964,ö said the rights manager, ôà but Armada paperbacked one as an experiment. ItÆs out of print now.ö æBack at Gloucester Road I showed my morningÆs ôcatchö to Brian Miles. Without hesitation, he exclaimed ôDoctor Who à theyÆll sell!ö'

"Miles was correct, and Henwood's decision to republish the Doctor Who novelisations resulted in an astonishing range of books which is still with us today, and which, to Richard's great delight, was entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest series of books based around a lead character. When I spoke to him for the history of Target series, I found him enthusiastic and keen to talk about his involvement in the range. He was still writing, despite having retired some years earlier, and was still having a great time doing what he loved. His death is a sad loss as he was what every writer wants: an editor who loved books and publishing with a passion."

The attached photo at right (click for a larger version) shows writer Terrance Dicks, Richard Henwood, Doctor Who Producer and writer Barry Letts and editor Elizabeth Godfray at a reunion meal in 2000. (Special thanks to David Howe for sharing his memories with us; the photo is copyright to David Howe and may not be reproduced without permission.)

Journalist Dwight Whylie passed away recently in Bermuda. He played a small part as a voice-over announcer in part four of the Doctor Who serial "The War Machines," a part for which he was selected from the BBC's announcers pool. Whylie's numerous journalistic accomplishments included a career as a radio newsreader at the CBC in Canada, major journalistic initiatives in Guyana, Jamaica and Bermuda, and as a member of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union's Hall of Fame. (Thanks to Eric Briggs)