Born: 29th January 1930 (as John William Emms)
Died: May 1993 (aged 63 years)
Episodes Broadcast: 1965

William Emms left home at a young age to join the Royal Navy. He then moved to London to teach English and drama, earning additional money as an author of short stories. Emms was eventually able to leave teaching to write full-time, including for television. Amongst his credits in the early Sixties were episodes of The Indian Tales Of Rudyard Kipling and R3. Emms was then invited to write for Doctor Who, which he had watched since its debut. The result was Galaxy 4, the first story of Doctor Who's third season. A year later, illness interfered with the development of “The Imps”, an adventure for Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor.

As the Sixties progressed, Emms maintained a prolific television career, writing for programmes such as The Newcomers, Walter And Connie Reporting, Emergency -- Ward 10 and Z Cars. Another Doctor Who submission, “The Harvesters”, was unsuccessful. During the Seventies, he wrote for Ace Of Wands, Crown Court and Owen, MD. Emms also spent time as a resident dramatist with the Nottingham Playhouse. He moved to Australia in 1974, where he worked on Homicide. Returning to the UK, his final credits came on Crossroads. Two Fifth Doctor storylines, “The SCI” and “The Zeldan”, were rejected by the Doctor Who production office.

Losing interest in television, Emms focussed on publishing, while also returning to teaching. He novelised Galaxy 4 for Target Books in 1986. The same year, he recycled elements of “The Imps” for Mission To Venus, a Sixth Doctor story in Severn House's Make Your Own Adventure range. Emms died in 1993.