Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Actor, writer, director and producer Richard Franklin – best known to genre fans as Captain Mike Yates in the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who – died on Christmas Day aged 87.

Franklin joined Doctor Who for the 1971 story Terror of the Autons and remained part of the series throughout Pertwee’s tenure, playing a critical role in the third Doctor’s final story.  He returned to the role briefly on TV, as well as for BBC Audio in the Nest Cottage series with Tom Baker. His other major roles included a time on Emmerdale Farm, and his genre work also included Blake’s 7 on TV, Rogue One; A Star Wars Story in the cinema, and Sapphire and Steel on audio and other Doctor Who roles for Big Finish.

He also penned the novel The Killing Stone which continued Mike Yates’ adventures, which was reworked as Operation H.A.T.E.