Terrance Dicks- author of Doctor Who novels- has died.

Terrance Dicks, author of several Doctor novelisations, and television screenwriter, sadly died on the 29th of August 2019 after a short illness.

Dicks worked for a long while at the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, working as a writer and script editor between 1968 to 1974. He has been described as “arguably the most prolific contributor to Doctor Who”.

Dicks also wrote many children’s books during the 1970s and 1980s including the novelisation of Doctor Who episodes for Target Books. His last contribution being ‘Quick Reads’ books Made of Steel and Revenge of the Judoon, both featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones.

Terrance Dicks outside the TARDIS.

Dicks Doctor Who novelisations began in 1974 with The Auton Invasion, and The Day of The Daleks, and ran continuously until 1987. After a short break he returned with The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2007, and a series of original novels inspired by the Doctor Who universe, including adventures with the Eighth Doctor.

Many fans all over social media and beyond have been outpouring their grief and expressing their love for the sci-fi legend, including Robert Shearman who told of the moment that changed his life when, at age 14, he met Terrance Dicks.

And the day he'd agreed to meet us I was especially bad. I could barely drag out one word after another - probably because I was overawed to be in the company of one of my heroes. 2/
— Robert Shearman (@ShearmanRobert) September 3, 2019

And I was painfully used to embarrassing people. My teachers. My friends in class. Even my parents, who loved me very much - even they didn't know how to react when I tried to force words out of my mouth and goggled like a goldfish. 4/
— Robert Shearman (@ShearmanRobert) 3 September 2019

Terrance Dicks wasn't embarrassed by my stammer. He'd smile kindly, and wait for me to get through my question - and then answer thoughtfully as if it had taken a couple of seconds for me to get there, rather than a couple of minutes. 6/
— Robert Shearman (@ShearmanRobert) 3 September 2019

And all the time - for the hours he sat with me, always that same patience. Always the kindness. 8/
— Robert Shearman (@ShearmanRobert) 3 September 2019

He called me a writer. And I did become a writer. I ended up on Doctor Who, the same series that decades before he had shaped and finessed and cared for. 10/
— Robert Shearman (@ShearmanRobert) 3 September 2019

I'm okay with that, though. He was a very humble man, and I'd seen the way he reacted when shambling adults like me told him how as a kid he'd been their inspiration. Because he'd inspired *millions* of us. 12/
— Robert Shearman (@ShearmanRobert) 3 September 2019