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.