Christopher Penfold (9 March 1941 – 29 July 2024) was a British scriptwriter and editor.

Life and career

Penfold was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England on 9 March 1941, to Leonard and Kathleen Penfold. His father was a local vicar, and his mother worked as a lab technician. Television shows on which he worked on included '' Pathfinders'', '' One by One'', '' All Creatures Great and Small'', ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'', ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', ''

The Brack Report The Brack Report is a British television drama series created by Christopher Penfold for Thames Television looking at Nuclear power debate, concerns about nuclear power, and exploring some Sustainable energy, alternative energy sources. It was br ...

'', the second season of

John Christopher Sam Youd (16 April 1922 – 3 February 2012) was a British writer best known for science fiction written under the name of John Christopher, including the novels '' The Death of Grass'', ''The Possessors'', and the young-adult novel series ...

's ''

The Tripods ''The Tripods'' is a series of young adult science fiction novels by John Christopher. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is enslaved by "Tripods"—gigantic three-legged walking machines piloted by an alien rac ...

'', and thirteen series of ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

''. He also wrote the film ''

Take Me High ''Take Me High'' (also known as ''Hot Property'') is a 1973 British film directed by David Askey and starring Cliff Richard (in his final film role), Deborah Watling, Hugh Griffith, George Cole and Anthony Andrews. It was written by Chris ...

''. Penfold is perhaps best known for being one of the brains behind

Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s production ...

's science fiction series '' Space: 1999''. He worked as story consultant for the original series (first 16 episodes of the 24-part series) and is credited for writing " Guardian of Piri" (based on a script by David Weir), " Alpha Child" (based on a script by Edward di Lorenzo), " The Last Sunset", " War Games", "

Space Brain '' Space: 1999'', a British science-fiction television series, ran for 48 episodes broadcast between 1975 and 1977. The first series (or season, often referred to as Year One) of 24 episodes began transmission in 1975, though production of the fi ...

" and " Dragon's Domain" for the first series and " Dorzak" as a freelance contributor for the second. Penfold was uncredited for re-writing the series' premiere " Breakaway" as well as David Weir's " Black Sun" and fellow staff member Edward di Lorenzo's " Missing Link". In 2010, Penfold contributed a foreword to the novel ''Space: 1999 Omega'' and its sequel novel ''Space: 1999 Alpha''. Both novels were written by William Latham and published by Powys Media, and were released simultaneously on 27 February 2010. Penfold is thanked in the ending credits of the

Jonathan Glazer Jonathan Glazer (born 26 March 1965) is an English filmmaker. He began his career in theatre before transitioning into film, directing the features '' Sexy Beast'' (2000), ''Birth'' (2004), '' Under the Skin'' (2013), and '' The Zone of Inter ...

2013 film '' Under the Skin''. Penfold died on 29 July 2024, at the age of 83.

References

External links

*
Profile at Space 1999
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penfold, Christopher 1941 births 2024 deaths English male television writers English science fiction writers English television editors