Donald Herbert Houghton (2 February 1930 – 2 July 1991) was a British television screenwriter and producer.

Career

Born in Paris to Scottish parents, Houghton started writing for radio in 1951 before moving into film and television in 1958. In the 1970s, he was a primary writer for

Hammer Films A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

including '' Dracula A.D. 1972'', ''

The Satanic Rites of Dracula ''The Satanic Rites of Dracula'' is a 1973 British horror film directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is the eighth film in Hammer's ''Dracula'' series, and the seventh and final one to feature Christopher Lee as Dra ...

'', '' The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires'' and '' Shatter''. Houghton lived and worked in Australia for a number of years where his credits included ''

The Astronauts ''The Astronauts'' (Polish language, Polish: ''Astronauci'') is a 1951 science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem. It was Lem's first science fiction novel published as a whole: his earlier science fiction novel ''The Man from Mars ...

'' (1960). His television work includes ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' for which he wrote the serials '' Inferno'' (1970) and '' The Mind of Evil'' (1971), the fifth '' Sapphire & Steel'' television story (known informally as ''Dr McDee Must Die'') co-written with

Anthony Read Anthony Read (21 April 1935 – 21 November 2015) was an English television producer, screenwriter, script editor and author. He was principally active in British television from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, which included a period as a script ...

, '' Emergency Ward 10'', ''

Crossroads Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet. Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...

'', '' Ace of Wands'', ''

New Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

'', '' The Professionals'' and at least one episode of '' C.A.T.S. Eyes'' (1985). Houghton created and wrote for the soap opera ''

Take the High Road ''Take the High Road'' (renamed ''High Road'' from 1994 to 2003) was a Scottish soap opera produced by Scottish Television, which started in February 1980 as an ITV (TV network), ITV daytime programme, and was broadcast until 2003. It was set in ...

'' (1980). He also wrote three novels: ''Column of Thieves'' and ''Blood Brigade'' and ''Take the High Road: Summer's Gloaming''.

Personal life

Whilst living in Australia, Houghton married British mannequin Judith Briggs on 21 March 1953 when she came out to join him, not having seen him since he left England in June 1951. They had a son, Christopher. Houghton married actress

Pik-Sen Lim Pik-Sen Lim (, 15 September 1944 – 9 June 2025) was a British actress. Of Chinese ancestry, Lim was born in British Malaya and migrated to Britain to pursue a career in acting when she was 16. According to the British Film Institute, Lim was ...

in Penang in 1968. They divorced sometime in the mid-to-late 1980s. Their daughter Sara Houghton is also an actress. Spending many years travelling between Great Britain and the United States, Houghton decided to settle in Naples, Florida. He spent his last three and a half years there, being hospitalised in his final year with leukaemia. On 21 March 1991, Houghton married for the third time to Carole Ann Jenkins. They were together for the next three months until his death at their Berkshire Village home.

Writing credits

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * (needs merging with the above) {{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, Don 1930 births 1991 deaths 20th-century British businesspeople 20th-century British male writers 20th-century British novelists 20th-century British screenwriters Writers from Paris British male screenwriters British film producers British television writers British science fiction writers British horror writers British male television writers Take the High Road