Derek Martinus (1931 - 2014)

Doctor Who great Derek Martinus passed away on March 27 after complications arising from Alzheimer’s disease, he was 82.

Martinus was noted within the show for directing a number of classic serials produced during the 1960s, namely Galaxy 4, Mission to the Unknown, The Tenth Planet, The Evil of the Daleks, and The Ice Warriors, he also had the distinction of directing the shows first colour serial Spearhead from Space, seeing in the debut of Jon Pertwee in the title role.

Born in Ilford, Essex as Derek Buitenhuis, Martinus used his Rotterdam-born grandfather’s middle name for his professional career and after seeing service in the RAF studied at both the University of Oklahoma and Yale. After returning to England to work in repertory theatre for a variety of companies he turned his hand away from acting and into directing while with the Arena Theatre Company.

He directed some 20 plays at The Pembroke Theatre-in-the-round from 1959 until the theatre closure and between jobs did several productions at the RADA and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Martinus was a prolific and in demand director at the BBC, also directing the Blake’s 7 episodes Trial and The Keeper in 1979 alongside over 50 episodes of Z-Cars. He worked on classic serials too, What Maisie Knew, The Black Tulip, A Little Princess, and A Legacy, plus the dramatisation of a 1970s historical fiction best seller, Penmarric. For ITV he directed The Paper Lads, Spearhead, and several series of Dodger, Bonzo and the rest.

Derek Martinus is survived by his wife Eivor, their two daughters, Charlotta and Pia, and three grandchildren.