Born: 28th February 1912 (as Reginald Mervyn Pinfield)
Died: 20th May 1966 (aged 54 years)
Episodes Broadcast: 1963-1965

Hailing from Evesham, Worcestershire, Mervyn Pinfield began his career in the theatre before moving into television in the early Fifties. He garnered a reputation for his technical proficiency, including the development of an early form of autocue to improve the visual presentation of news anchors. Pinfield's directorial credits included programmes such as Starr And Company and The Franchise Affair. In 1962, he directed a science-fiction serial called The Monsters. Pinfield's success in navigating the drama's heavy visual effects requirements suggested his suitability for a new BBC programme that was in development the following year: Doctor Who. Pinfield was appointed its associate producer, with an expectation that he would guide the producer -- ultimately, Verity Lambert -- on matters of a technical or budgetary nature.

It was Pinfield who encouraged the use of the “howl-around” method to create the show's eerie original title sequence. He was also relied upon to help direct stories involving complex special effects while remaining firmly within Doctor Who's limited budget. Pinfield was responsible for the early episodes of both The Sensorites and Planet Of Giants before handing off the concluding installments to more junior directors. His final credit as associate producer appeared on The Romans, although he had largely relinquished this role by the time The Dalek Invasion Of Earth completed its recording, almost three months earlier. Nonetheless, after directing two episodes of Compact, Pinfield was back on Doctor Who, with his technical expertise again deemed invaluable for The Space Museum.

Pinfield's technical expertise was invaluable for The Space Museum

Pinfield's next Doctor Who assignment was Galaxy 4, the premiere story of the 1965-66 season, along with the single-episode Mission To The Unknown; these five episodes were to be made as a single production. Unfortunately, as work progressed on pre-filming for Galaxy 4, Pinfield fell badly ill and was unable to continue. He was replaced by Derek Martinus.

Shortly thereafter, his poor health prompted Pinfield's retirement from television, and he passed away less than a year later, on May 20th, 1966. However, Pinfield's importance to the development of Doctor Who was not forgotten; as played by Jeff Rawle, he was given a significant role in An Adventure In Space And Time, a 2013 dramatisation of the programme's early days.