Episodes Broadcast: 1993

David Roden Mansell was a stage actor and aspiring television scriptwriter -- using only his first and middle names for professional purposes, to avoid confusion with actor Mansel David -- who attended lectures given by former Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner in the early Nineties. Roden maintained contact with Nathan-Turner, who invited him to develop an idea for a short adventure to celebrate Doctor Who's thirtieth anniversary, which would air as part of the 1993 Children In Need charity appeal. Roden's initial attempt was the overly ambitious “Destination: Holocaust”, after which he and Nathan-Turner instead collaborated on Dimensions In Time. He then wrote a prequel for the Doctor Who Yearbook 1995 from Marvel Comics UK, where he was credited as “David Rodan”.

Roden subsequently worked in theatrical management before joining the BBC as a trainee script editor on Doctor Who and Torchwood in 2007. He contributed a short story to the 2008 BBC Books release The Story Of Martha, which spotlighted the Tenth Doctor's companion Martha Jones. The following year, he wrote the BBC Audio talking book The Nemonite Invasion, also featuring the Tenth Doctor. In 2009, Roden became the script editor of Casualty, which he would later produce. He directed several episodes of Doctors in 2013. However, the BBC then ceased working with Roden after being made aware of several allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Instead, he went on to work as the script editor of Coronation Street before producing the Irish crime drama Red Rock, for which he also directed several episodes.