Born: 3rd January 1935 (as Richard Martin Thomas)
Episodes Broadcast: 1964-1965

Richard Martin broke into the television industry in the late Fifties, initially appearing as an actor in shows such as Ivanhoe and Maigret. Martin then switched gears, and was training to become a BBC director in 1963 when he was approached by producer Rex Tucker. Tucker had been appointed to an interim role overseeing a new science-fiction programme called Doctor Who. Aware that Martin was an avid fan of the genre, Tucker invited him to offer his input on the gestating series. Martin earned his first directing credits on two 1963 installments of the anthology Suspense. He was then assigned to three episodes of the seven-part Doctor Who story The Daleks and the first half of the experimental two-parter Inside The Spaceship. Having established himself as a sure hand on monster-oriented Doctor Who adventures, Martin was invited back for three such serials during the programme's second season. Two of these were Dalek stories, including his final contribution, The Chase.

Martin went on to a lengthy career as a director, spanning more than a quarter of a century. In the Sixties, he handled episodes of Compact, The Newcomers and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the Seventies, his work included Elizabeth R, Television Club and The Mallens. In the Eighties, he directed shows such as Watch All Night, The Brief and Capstick's Law. His final credits came in 1990, on four installments of All Creatures Great And Small. Martin was amongst the figures from the early days of Doctor Who who were depicted in the 2013 telefilm An Adventure In Space And Time. Here he was portrayed by Ian Hallard.