Barry Letts

Barry Letts

Deceased · Born: Mar 26, 1925 · Died: Oct 9, 2009

Personal Details

BornMar 26, 1925 Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK
Relatives
  • Pauline Letts (Sibling)

Biography

Barry Letts embarked on a remarkable career in the entertainment industry, initially as an actor, performing in repertory in York and simultaneously working for a local radio station in Leeds. His journey took an unexpected turn when he had a chance meeting with BBC producer/director Rex Tucker, which led to a collaboration on radio and television projects. Letts made his television debut in a 1950 production of "Gunpowder Guy," a drama about Guy Fawkes.

As his passion for storytelling grew, Letts decided to pursue a career in directing. In 1967, he attended the BBC directors' course, where he honed his skills and worked on episodes of popular shows such as "Z Cars" and "The Newcomers." His big break came in 1967 when he directed the six-part Doctor Who story "The Enemy of the World." This marked the beginning of a fruitful period in his career, during which he became the producer of Doctor Who in 1969 and remained in that role until 1974.

During his tenure as producer, Letts co-created and produced the six-part BBC science-fiction drama series "Moonbase 3," which aired in 1973. After leaving Doctor Who, he took a temporary hiatus, acting as an assistant to department head Ronnie Marsh. However, his creative itch soon resurfaced, and he returned to directing with the 1975 production of "The Android Invasion" for Doctor Who.

Letts's next project was a production of "The Prince and the Pauper" for John McCrae, but when McCrae was promoted to Head of Drama for a New Zealand TV station, Letts was asked to take over as producer of the classical serials on BBC1. He went on to produce several notable serials, including "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (1978),"The Mill of the Floss" (1979),and "The Old Curiosity Shop" (1980).

Following his stint as Doctor Who's executive producer in the early 1980s, Letts continued to work as a director, focusing primarily on classic serials. In the 1990s, he wrote and novelized two Doctor Who radio serials, "The Paradise of Death" and "Doctor Who and the Ghosts of N-Space," both starring Jon Pertwee.

Career

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2023
{"id":41723,"title":"Exodus","year":"2007","character":"Professor Marcus","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/exodus","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_41723.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_41723.jpg"},"released":1}
2007
Exodus
Exodus as Professor Marcus
{"id":153049,"title":"The Story of 'Doctor Who'","year":"2003","character":"","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/the-story-of-doctor-who-2003","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_153049.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_153049.jpg"},"released":1}
2003
{"id":156283,"title":"Where on Earth Is... Katy Manning Because She'd Really Like to Know!","year":"1998","character":"","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/where-on-earth-is-katy-manning-because-shed-really-like-to-know-1998","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_156283.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_156283.jpg"},"released":1}
1998
{"id":34676,"title":"Reach for the Sky","year":"1956","character":"Tommy","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/reach-for-the-sky","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_34676.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_34676.jpg"},"released":1}
1956
{"id":32546,"title":"The Cruel Sea","year":"1953","character":"Raikes","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/the-cruel-sea","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_32546.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_32546.jpg"},"released":1}
1953
{"id":174657,"title":"A Boy, a Girl and a Bike","year":"1949","character":"Syd","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/a-boy-a-girl-and-a-bike","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_174657.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_174657.jpg"},"released":1}
1949
{"id":68968,"title":"Scott of the Antarctic","year":"1948","character":"Apsley Cherry-Garrard","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/scott-of-the-antarctic","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_68968.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_68968.jpg"},"released":1}
1948
Scott of the Antarctic
Scott of the Antarctic as Apsley Cherry-Garrard
{"id":69728,"title":"Frieda","year":"1947","character":"Jim Merrick","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/frieda","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_69728.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_69728.jpg"},"released":1}
1947
Frieda
Frieda as Jim Merrick
{"id":70908,"title":"San Demetrio London","year":"1943","character":"Apprentice John Jones - M.V. San Demetrio","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/san-demetrio-london","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_70908.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_70908.jpg"},"released":1}
1943
San Demetrio London
San Demetrio London as Apprentice John Jones - M.V. San Demetrio
{"id":158726,"title":"Doctor Who: Thirty Years in the TARDIS","year":"1993","character":null,"permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/movie\/doctor-who-thirty-years-in-the-tardis","type":"movie","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/movie_158726.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/movie_158726.jpg"},"released":1}
1993
{"id":103834581,"title":"Nicholas Nickleby","year":"1977","job":"Creator","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/show\/nicholas-nickleby","type":"show","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/show_103834581.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/show_103834581.jpg"},"released":1}
1977
{"id":8613,"title":"Moonbase 3","year":"1973","job":"Creator","permalink":"https:\/\/streambutter.com\/us\/show\/moonbase-3","type":"show","srcset":{"1x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/90x135\/thumbs\/show_8613.jpg","2x":"https:\/\/img.streambutter.com\/img\/180x270\/thumbs\/show_8613.jpg"},"released":1}
1973
Moonbase 3
Moonbase 3 as Creator