---
name: "David Whitaker"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/david-whitaker"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "18 April 1928"
died: "4 February 1980"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T15:44:36.702211+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# David Whitaker

Writer. Born 18 April 1928 in Knebworth. Died 4 February 1980.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 18 April 1928, Knebworth
- **Died:** 4 February 1980

## Biography

David Whitaker was an English television writer and script editor. He served as the first story editor on the BBC science-fiction series *Doctor Who* (1963), supervising the writing of its initial 51 episodes from 1963 to 1964. He also wrote several serials for the programme, including *The Edge of Destruction* (1964), *The Crusade* (1965), *The Power of the Daleks* (1966), *The Evil of the Daleks* (1967), *The Enemy of the World* (1967–68) and *The Wheel in Space* (1968).

Born in Knebworth, Hertfordshire, Whitaker began his career in repertory theatre before joining the BBC Script Unit. He wrote the first *Doctor Who* novelisation, *Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks* (1964), and contributed to Dalek-related comics and a stage play. He was married to actress June Barry and died in 1980.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, bbc.co.uk.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Doctor Who* (1963), Fi1m 81, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/david-whitaker