Dennis Spooner was script editor of Doctor Who during the William Hartnell era, and wrote several stories for the show, including The Reign of Terror and The Romans. He also wrote for the Gerry Anderson series' Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and Thunderbirds, and co-created five espionage series' including Man in a Suitcase, Department S and The Adventurer. Spooner also created the cult detective series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). He died in September 1986.