Andrew Cartmel

The architect of the Doctor's final mystery before the classic series ended.

Andrew Cartmel (born 6 April 1958) is a British script editor, author, and journalist who served as the script editor for Doctor Who during the Sylvester McCoy era between 1987 and 1989. Hired in late 1986 after being recommended by John Nathan-Turner's agent, he oversaw the final three seasons of the show's original BBC One run. Before his tenure, Cartmel worked in computer-aided design at Shape Data Ltd in Cambridge and attended BBC Television Drama Script Unit workshops. He managed to gain an agent based on two unproduced scripts before taking the helm at twenty-fourth season production.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Andrew J. Cartmel
Born: 6 April 1958
Birthplace: Woolwich, London, England
Nationality: British

Lore & Background

Cartmel's most significant contribution was the 'Cartmel Masterplan,' a backstory developed with other writers to restore the mystery of the Doctor's background. Although hints were dropped in the two final series he edited, the proposed revelations never materialised on screen because the programme was taken off the air in 1989. The Virgin New Adventures novels later utilized elements of this masterplan, particularly in Marc Platt's Lungbarrow, which served as the last Seventh Doctor novel. Cartmel also developed a script for the third series of Torchwood entitled 'The Jinx,' but it was dropped when the show's format was reworked. In 2010, he worked as script editor for Big Finish Productions' The Lost Stories line, adapting story ideas created for Doctor Who's unmade 27th series into audio dramas released in 2011.

Reader's Guide

Cartmel's career spans diverse roles including magazine editor, film studies lecturer, and novelist. He wrote three Doctor Who novels for Virgin Books' New Adventures series: Cat's Cradle: Warhead (1992), Warlock (1995), and Warchild (1996). In 2005, he published Atom Bomb Blues for BBC Books alongside Script Doctor – The Inside Story of Doctor Who 1986–89. His first original novel, The Wise, appeared in 1999 in Virgin Worlds. He also wrote Judge Dredd: Swine Fever and Strontium Dog: Day of the Dogs (both 2005), and Miss Freedom for The Prisoner universe in 2008. Common themes in his work include animal rights, animal perspectives, and extended metaphors of animal behaviour, appearing across his Virgin New Adventures novels, The Wise, Swine Fever, and the audio play Animal.

Did You Know?

Cartmel worked on computer-aided design for Shape Data Ltd in Cambridge during the mid-1980s before turning to writing.
In 2007, Cartmel was a finalist in the Nicotinell 'Lose the Smoke Keep the Fire' Stand Up Comedy Auditions.
His novel Miss Freedom, set in The Prisoner universe, was released on 15 February 2008.