Barry Letts

Production

Barry Letts

Born — Died

1925-03-26 — 2009-10-09

Known for

Production

Credits

77 titles

Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of Doctor Who from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, films and television before retiring in his early forties and becoming a television director. He then became the producer of the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who for five years, overseeing almost the entirety of Jon Pertwee's tenure as the Third Doctor and casting Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. He produced or directed many of the BBC's Sunday Classic drama serials from 1976 to 1986, and returned to Doctor Who in 1980 to be the executive producer for it…

Known for

The Avengers poster
7.8

A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

The Avengers

1961

Z-Cars poster
7.3

Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.

Z-Cars

1962

No Hiding Place poster
4.8

No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series Murder Bag and Crime Sheet, all starring Raymond Francis as Detective Superintendent, later Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart.

No Hiding Place

1959

Maigret poster
7.1

BBC series based on the novels by Georges Simenon which starred Rupert Davies as Inspector Maigret, a French police detective who preferred to watch and listen in order to solve crimes. The series ran from 1960-63 on British television.

Maigret

1960

The Cruel Sea poster
6.9

At the start of World War II, Cmdr. Ericson is assigned to convoy escort HMS Compass Rose with inexperienced officers and men just out of training. The winter seas make life miserable enough, but the men must also harden themselves to rescuing survivors of U-Boat attacks, while seldom able to strike back. Traumatic events afloat and ashore create a warm bond between the skipper and his first officer.

The Cruel Sea

1953

Armchair Theatre poster
6.0

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968.

Armchair Theatre

1956

Film credits

2010s · 7 titles

2000s · 14 titles

The Story of Doctor Who poster
8.0

Documentary to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of this popular cult sci-fi television series.

The Story of Doctor Who

2003

Terrance Dicks: Fact & Fiction poster
8.0

With a writing career spanning 6 decades, this special documentary looks at Terrance Dicks' work for books and television, with contributions from many of his friends and colleagues. Featuring contributions from Terrance Dicks, Barry Letts, Christopher Barry, Louis Marks, Eric Saward, Paul Cornell, Peter Darvill-Evans and Brenda Gardner.

Terrance Dicks: Fact & Fiction

2005

Hello Sailor! poster
NR

Cast and crew discuss the making of The Sea Devils, from the television series Doctor Who.

Hello Sailor!

2008

Roger Delgado: The Master poster
NR

A biography of actor Roger Delgado, featuring previously unseen photographs, rare excerpts from his many BBC TV appearances and interviews with those who knew and loved him.

Roger Delgado: The Master

2009

Built for War: The Sontaran Story poster
7.0

The genesis and development of the Sontaran race through the history of the series, as told by some of the actors and production team involved. This specially produced documentary includes contributions from Terrance Dicks, Elisabeth Sladen, Anthony Read, Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Bob Baker, Eric Saward and Stuart Fell.

Built for War: The Sontaran Story

2006

The Perfect Scenario: Lost Frontiers poster
NR

In the far future, the remaining population of an oxygen-depleted planet Earth lies in enforced stasis in The Field of Dreams. Looking for ideas to help him re-connect to his captive audience, Zed, a young scenariosmith, turns to the world of Doctor Who for inspiration...

The Perfect Scenario: Lost Frontiers

2009

Terror Nation: Terry Nation and Doctor Who poster
NR

A documentary about the writer Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks.

Terror Nation: Terry Nation and Doctor Who

2007

The Worst Journey in the World poster
6.5

Drama documentary exploring Captain Scott's 1912 Antarctic expedition, which saw him and two colleagues conducting scientific experiments in harsh conditions for two years.

The Worst Journey in the World

2007

The Perfect Scenario: The End of Dreams poster
NR

Continuing his search for inspiration, Zed resumes his studies of twentieth-century television's Doctor Who. What he finds will have a profound effect...

The Perfect Scenario: The End of Dreams

2009

Exodus poster
5.8

The story of Exodus is relocated to the seaside town Margate. Moses lives in the Promised Lands with his adoptive parents, until he finds his mother in the shanty town, Dreamland, where she’s been ghettoised with other ‘undesirables’. He takes on his father, Pharaoh, and leads a radical campaign to liberate the people of Dreamland.

Exodus

2007

Musical Scales: An Era of Experimentation poster
NR

A look at an extraordinary era of musical experimentation within Doctor Who, with special emphasis on the musical scores for Doctor Who and the Silurians and The Sea Devils. Featuring producer Barry Letts, composer Mark Ayres and directors Timothy Combe, Christopher Barry and Michael Briant, with an archive appearance from Radiophonic composer Malcolm Clarke.

Musical Scales: An Era of Experimentation

2008

Are Friends Electric? poster
NR

This documentary examines Tom Baker's introduction as the Doctor and the making of his first story, Robot.

Are Friends Electric?

2007

Changing Time: Living and Leaving Doctor Who poster
8.0

A special 50-minute documentary that looks at the making of The Hand of Fear, and also examines the special relationship between the Doctor and his companion, Sarah Jane Smith.

Changing Time: Living and Leaving Doctor Who

2006

The Frighten Factor poster
7.0

What exactly is Doctor Who's 'Frighten Factor'? A diverse panel of experts try to answer the question.

The Frighten Factor

2009

1940s · 5 titles

Series credits

The Avengers poster
7.8

A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

The Avengers

1961

Z-Cars poster
7.3

Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.

Z-Cars

1962

No Hiding Place poster
4.8

No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series Murder Bag and Crime Sheet, all starring Raymond Francis as Detective Superintendent, later Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart.

No Hiding Place

1959

Maigret poster
7.1

BBC series based on the novels by Georges Simenon which starred Rupert Davies as Inspector Maigret, a French police detective who preferred to watch and listen in order to solve crimes. The series ran from 1960-63 on British television.

Maigret

1960

Armchair Theatre poster
6.0

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968.

Armchair Theatre

1956

Armchair Theatre poster
6.0

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968.

Armchair Theatre

1956

City Beneath the Sea poster
6.0

No synopsis available yet.

City Beneath the Sea

1962

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Silver Sword

1957

No artwork available
10.0

Dramatisation of Trollope's fifth novel set in the fictional county of Barsetshire.

The Small House at Allington

1960

Behind the camera

Doctor Who: The Dæmons poster
7.6

On the eve of May Day, dark elemental forces begin to disturb the village of Devil's End as the Master summons the demon Azal: unexplained murders, a stone gargoyle come to life, and a nigh-impenetrable infernal energy dome. With the Master fully prepared to destroy the Earth, the Doctor and UNIT - aided by a benevolent practitioner of witchcraft - battle the wicked rites of a secret science wielded by an alien from another world.

Doctor Who: The Dæmons

1971

Doctor Who: The Dæmons poster
7.6

On the eve of May Day, dark elemental forces begin to disturb the village of Devil's End as the Master summons the demon Azal: unexplained murders, a stone gargoyle come to life, and a nigh-impenetrable infernal energy dome. With the Master fully prepared to destroy the Earth, the Doctor and UNIT - aided by a benevolent practitioner of witchcraft - battle the wicked rites of a secret science wielded by an alien from another world.

Doctor Who: The Dæmons

1971

Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil poster
7.5

Professor Emil Keller has created a machine that can pacify even the most dangerous of criminals. But when the Doctor and Jo arrive at Stangmoor Prison for a demonstration, things start to go horribly wrong - especially when they discover that the Doctor's old enemy the Master is responsible for the machine.

Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil

1971

Doctor Who and the Silurians poster
7.3

Investigating mysterious power failures and a death at an underground research centre, The Doctor discovers a colony of Silurians - prehistoric, intelligent reptiles who went into hibernation before man evolved. But now they have woken up, and they are prepared to wipe out mankind with a killer plague to get their planet back.

Doctor Who and the Silurians

1970

Doctor Who: The Mutants poster
7.2

The Time Lords send the Doctor and Jo on a mission to deliver a sealed message pod to an unknown party aboard a Skybase orbiting the planet Solos in the 30th century. They are caught quickly in a power struggle between the cruel Marshal of Solos and the young Solonian Ky over the future of Solos - a future that hinges on the contents of the message.

Doctor Who: The Mutants

1972

Doctor Who: Robot poster
7.1

The newly-regenerated Doctor helps UNIT battle a sentient robot being manipulated by a corrupt scientific organization.

Doctor Who: Robot

1975

Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World poster
7.9

On Earth in 2018, the Doctor and his companions are enmeshed in a deadly web of intrigue thanks to his uncanny resemblance to the scientist/politician Salamander. He is hailed as the "shopkeeper of the world" for his efforts to relieve global famine, but why do his rivals keep disappearing? How can he predict so many natural disasters? The Doctor must expose Salamander's schemes before he takes over the world.

Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World

1968

Doctor Who: Terror of the Autons poster
7.8

The Master, an old adversary of the Doctor, has arrived on Earth to destroy humanity with the aid of the Nestene Consciousness and their army of Autons and killer plastic daffodils - unless the Doctor, joined by new assistant Jo Grant, can stop them.

Doctor Who: Terror of the Autons

1971

Doctor Who: Terror of the Autons poster
7.8

The Master, an old adversary of the Doctor, has arrived on Earth to destroy humanity with the aid of the Nestene Consciousness and their army of Autons and killer plastic daffodils - unless the Doctor, joined by new assistant Jo Grant, can stop them.

Doctor Who: Terror of the Autons

1971

Doctor Who: The Android Invasion poster
7.3

The Doctor and Sarah return to Earth in the present day to find a strangely deserted village and woods stalked by white-clad figures.

Doctor Who: The Android Invasion

1975

Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders poster
7.4

The blue crystal that the Doctor took from Metebelis III in a previous adventure is desperately sought by the Eight Legs, a race of mutated spiders, as the final element in their plan for universal domination. With help from an old mentor, the Doctor realises the only way to foil the plot is to make the ultimate sacrifice. The Doctor must risk death to return to the cave of the Great One and save the universe.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders

1974

Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders poster
7.4

The blue crystal that the Doctor took from Metebelis III in a previous adventure is desperately sought by the Eight Legs, a race of mutated spiders, as the final element in their plan for universal domination. With help from an old mentor, the Doctor realises the only way to foil the plot is to make the ultimate sacrifice. The Doctor must risk death to return to the cave of the Great One and save the universe.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders

1974

Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders poster
7.4

The blue crystal that the Doctor took from Metebelis III in a previous adventure is desperately sought by the Eight Legs, a race of mutated spiders, as the final element in their plan for universal domination. With help from an old mentor, the Doctor realises the only way to foil the plot is to make the ultimate sacrifice. The Doctor must risk death to return to the cave of the Great One and save the universe.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders

1974

Doctor Who: Planet of the Daleks poster
7.0

On the jungle planet Spiridon, the Doctor, Jo and a Thal group find a slumbering army of Daleks ready to awaken.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Daleks

1973

Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs poster
6.8

The Third Doctor and Sarah arrive in 1970s London to find it has been evacuated because dinosaurs have appeared mysteriously. It turns out the dinosaurs are being brought to London via a time machine to further a plan to revert London to a pre-technological level.

Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs

1974

Doctor Who: Colony in Space poster
6.6

When the Master steals the Time Lords' secret file on the Doomsday Weapon, they grant the Doctor a temporary reprieve from his exile on Earth to deal with the crisis. He and Jo arrive on the planet Uxarieus and become enmeshed in a struggle between an agrarian colony and a powerful mining corporation.

Doctor Who: Colony in Space

1971

Doctor Who: The Green Death poster
8.4

The Doctor and UNIT investigate a deadly infection lurking underneath the Welsh mining town of Llanfairfach. It's an adventure that will change Jo Grant's life forever...

Doctor Who: The Green Death

1973

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors poster
7.4

Time itself is in peril! The Time Lords and UNIT find themselves besieged by a mythic figure from the Time Lords' past hell-bent on destruction. The only way to defeat him is to break the First Law of Time and let the Doctor help himself — literally...

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors

1973

Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos poster
6.8

A group of gold-skinned aliens known as the Axons land on Earth and offer wondrous technology in exchange for fuel. The Doctor, however, isn't fooled, uncovering the Axons' true nature and once again facing his archenemy the Master...

Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos

1971

Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks poster
7.9

Guerillas time-jump back from the 22nd century to assassinate Sir Reginald Styles - a diplomat working for World Peace, The Doctor discovers they are from a future where the Daleks have invaded the Earth (Following wars precipitated by Styles's destruction at the peace conference). With the Daleks desperate to maintain their version of history, The Doctor and Jo find themselves in a totalitarian future, where they must discover who really happened and prevent it.

Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks

1972

Doctor Who: The Curse of Peladon poster
7.5

The planet Peladon has applied to join the Galactic Federation, and The Doctor is mistaken for the chairman of the committee sent to assess its application, while Jo is taken for an Earth princess, with the mythical curse of Aggedor apparently striking chancellor Torbis dead, The Doctor must discover who is desperate to stop Peladon joining, but soon he is sentenced to death and his only Allies seem to be Jo and the Ice Warrior Delegates.

Doctor Who: The Curse of Peladon

1972

Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death poster
7.2

Astronauts rescued from a mission to mars are kidnapped when they arrive back on earth. They seem to have been irradiated, and can now kill people merely by touching them. But the Doctor discovers the astronauts have been replaced with Alien ambassadors who are being forced to behave in a hostile manner. With The Doctor traveling to the alien mother ship, and Liz kidnapped, The Brigadier is left wondering who to trust.

Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death

1970

Doctor Who: Inferno poster
8.6

UNIT is providing security cover at an experimental drilling project at Eastchester, designed to penetrate the Earth's crust and release a previously untapped source of energy. Soon, however, the drill head starts to leak an oily green liquid that transforms those who touch it into vicious primeval creatures with a craving for heat. The Doctor is accidentally transported "sideways in time" by the partially repaired TARDIS control console into a parallel universe where the drilling project is at a more advanced stage. Thwarted by his friends' ruthless alter egos, he works to save both universes.

Doctor Who: Inferno

1970

Doctor Who: Frontier in Space poster
7.5

In the 26th century, the Doctor and Jo uncover a plot by the Master to provoke an interplanetary war between Earth and Draconia.

Doctor Who: Frontier in Space

1973

Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters poster
7.8

The Doctor and Jo find themselves trapped inside an alien peepshow machine which showman Vorg and his assistant Shirna have brought to amuse the populace of the planet Inter Minor. Can they escape Vorg and the ferocious Drashigs?

Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters

1973

Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters poster
7.8

The Doctor and Jo find themselves trapped inside an alien peepshow machine which showman Vorg and his assistant Shirna have brought to amuse the populace of the planet Inter Minor. Can they escape Vorg and the ferocious Drashigs?

Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters

1973

Doctor Who: The Time Monster poster
5.9

The Master, in the guise of Professor Thascalos, has constructed at the Newton Institute in Wootton a device known as TOMTIT - Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time - to gain control over Kronos, a creature from outside time. The creature is summoned but proves to be uncontrollable.

Doctor Who: The Time Monster

1972

Doctor Who: The Time Monster poster
5.9

The Master, in the guise of Professor Thascalos, has constructed at the Newton Institute in Wootton a device known as TOMTIT - Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time - to gain control over Kronos, a creature from outside time. The creature is summoned but proves to be uncontrollable.

Doctor Who: The Time Monster

1972

Doctor Who: The Time Warrior poster
7.4

When scientists start to go missing in the 20th century, the Doctor is called in by the Brigadier to investigate. His investigations lead him to deduce that they are being kidnapped through time and he sets off in pursuit, unknowingly kidnapping journalist Sarah Jane Smith in the process. Arriving in the middle ages, the Doctor and Sarah find themselves caught up in the machinations of the robber baron Irongron and his man from the stars. The alien, a Sontaran named Linx, is arming him with modern weapons in return for helping him repair his damaged ship, and it's up to the Doctor and Sarah to stop him from ruining the Earth's timeline.

Doctor Who: The Time Warrior

1974

Doctor Who: Death to the Daleks poster
6.2

An energy drain traps the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith on the planet Exxilon with its hostile natives, causing the travellers to make an uneasy alliance with a Marine Space Corps expedition and a squadron of Daleks. The key to escape for all of them lies at the heart of a powerful and mysterious lost city, but only after a series of deadly traps.

Doctor Who: Death to the Daleks

1974

Doctor Who: The Sea Devils poster
7.6

The Doctor and Jo visit the Master in his high-security prison on an island off the south coast of England. The governor, Colonel Trenchard, says ships have been disappearing mysteriously at sea. The Doctor discovers that Trenchard and the Master are in league to contact the Sea Devils, a race of reptiles in hibernation in a base beneath the sea, who have been awoken by recent work on a nearby sea fort. The Master intends to use his new allies to help him conquer the world!

Doctor Who: The Sea Devils

1972

Doctor Who: The Monster of Peladon poster
5.5

The Doctor returns to Peladon fifty years after his last visit, to find Queen Thalira, daughter of the late King Peladon, on the throne. A tense labour dispute between Pel nobility and miners is worsened when apparitions of their deity Aggedor attack and kill several miners. The Galactic Federation desperately needs trisilicate for its war against Galaxy 5 and sends in brutal Ice Warrior troopers to ensure production. The Doctor discovers a devious plot at the heart of Aggedor's appearances.

Doctor Who: The Monster of Peladon

1974

No artwork available
8.0

In this BBC 1978 adaptation, a wooden puppet comes to life and embarks on a whimsical journey to become a real boy.

Pinocchio

1978

Treasure Island poster
NR

Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map and embarks on a journey to find the treasure, but pirates led by Long John Silver have plans to take the treasure for themselves by way of mutiny.

Treasure Island

1977