LEGENDS OF 'WHO': THE ORIGINAL 'SHOWRUNNER' - VERITY LAMBERT

Verity Lambert in the Doctor Who production office circa late 1964.

The former assistant/personal secretary to Sydney Newman during his innovative and successful time over at ABC TV during the early 1960's, it wasn't long before the articulate and savvy 27 year old Verity Lambert was soon brought over to work at BBC TV by her former boss, and soon given the challenging task of producing her first TV series, and a difficult one at that in the format of science fiction adventure for a regular Saturday afternoon family audience, originally commissioned for thirteen episodes...

An early shot of Verity Lambert at work at the BBC. Image colourization: Clayton Hickman.

The original TARDIS team with Verity, celebrating the series overseas success.

With one of her breakout stars whom she originally fought to keep in the series - the Daleks - at the London Planetarium, for a press event.

Getting a light from a Mechanoid during publicity for The Chase at Ealing Film Studios.

Beating the odds at the BBC, ignoring and fighting the male chauvinist attitudes of the snobby, elitist old school management resistance to a young woman having such a strong position in the corporation, and one hundred per cent fighting for the series in its pioneering early days, in everything from getting the series classic TARDIS (a name conceived by Lambert, according to director Waris Hussein) interior design created after lengthy delays, to holding fast in her superb casting decision of the original series cast quartet, and particularly its lead star who'd be specially courted and lured by Lambert in the gruff but series potential knowing star William Hartnell playing the mysterious explorer/space refugee of sorts known only as 'The Doctor'. As such early days of exciting production began, Lambert would go onto have a strong dynamic with her first script editor, David Whitaker, and soon knew what would and wouldn't work for the fledgling series - to say that she was producing a show that was innovative and paving new ground with regards to the the use of then current technology in design and special effects would prove an understatement, and a challenge to which she accepted head-on, continuing to stay ambitious and true to her guns with her creative vision for the show (buoyed on by talented new rising star director friends the likes of the aforementioned Waris Hussein and Douglas Camfield), of which her instincts soon proved on the nose via rapidly ascending audience figures and viewer acclaim. Lambert was also a keen publicity advocate, especially once the threat of the evil Daleks assured further ratings and merchandising success for the series by January 1964 and beyond, having fought her own boss in Sydney Newman to keep the creatures on when he tried to nix their original first appearance, concerned that they weren't right for the programme.

Verity meets the alien delegates on a press launch for Mission to the Unknown - her last episode before leaving the series. Colourised image by Mark Helvingham.

Once departing the show after two highly regarded seasons that would launch a legend, Lambert would always fondly remember and be rightly prideful of Doctor Who, but it's no surprise that such a talented and classy lady would become one of the UK's greatest film and TV producers, launching many further acclaimed hits in the years to come (like Minder, Jonathan Creek and Widows) and cement an incredible legacy with her sad passing on 22nd November, 2007.

Pioneering Doctor Who - The Early Days - BBC Website