Terrance Dicks is one of those men who will never, ever, be celebrated enough. A hugely prolific writer, he’ll mostly be remembered for his many contributions to classic Doctor Who, both on screen and off (though he did a great deal more).
Notably, he was responsible for novelising a vast number of the original series. In an age before the internet, common usage of VHS recorders and even repeats, Dicks, more than anyone, kept the show alive for those of us for who didn’t know any Doctor earlier than Davison.
He saved me from the pointless kids’ drivel teachers kept pushing me to read when I was six years old. Thanks to Terrance Dicks, I roamed time and space, all without leaving the library. I encountered the Krotons, the Planet of Evil, an Auton Invasion, a Web of Fear and so many other wondrous things that I’d never have known about, save for him putting them down on paper so they’d live on after their broadcasts.
Put it this way… In a little over two months, I’ll have a novel out in the world. I’m today plugging away at edits on the sequel. Without Terrance Dicks, I can’t honestly say I’d be doing that.
