Peter J. Hammond
Encyclopedia
Peter J. Hammond is a British
television
writer
.
police dramas such as Dixon of Dock Green
and Z-Cars
, the latter of which he served as script editor
on for a year from 1969 to 1970. In 1970 he also wrote for the fantasy series Ace of Wands
, and later in the decade contributed to the soap opera
Emmerdale Farm
. He also continued to write for crime and police dramas, penning episodes of The Sweeney
. He also created the offbeat 1984 sitcom Lame Ducks
.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Hammond wrote for popular ITV police/detective shows The Gentle Touch
, The Bill
and Wycliffe, as well as for Doctor Finlay
, the new production of the 1960s BBC
series Dr. Finlay's Casebook. He returned to the science fiction genre by writing an episode of the 1998 Sky One
series Space Island One
, although his episode was ultimately one of those that went untransmitted until 2002.
Work in the 2000s included episodes of the popular murder mystery series Midsomer Murders
.
fantasy
series Sapphire & Steel
, produced by ATV and screened on the ITV
network in the UK from 1979 to 1982. Hammond, who had conceived the series after spending an evening in a supposedly haunted house, wrote five of the six serial
s that made up the programme, as well as a novelisation of the first serial.
. His story, titled Paradise Five, was liked by then-script editor Eric Saward
, but rejected by producer John Nathan-Turner
, and did not go beyond the outline stage. The script was later revived in 2009-2010 by Big Finish Productions
for a full cast audio drama starring the Sixth Doctor
, Colin Baker
, as part of the "Lost Stories" season featuring several commissioned, but never filmed, scripts.
In October 2005, it was announced by the BBC Press Office that he would be one of the writers of the new science fiction crime series Torchwood
, a spin-off
from the popular BBC One
show Doctor Who
. His episode, "Small Worlds
", was shown on 12 November 2006, directly opposite one of his Midsomer Murders scripts, "Dance with the Dead", on ITV1
. He also wrote the episode "From Out of the Rain
" for the second series of Torchwood, shown on BBC Three on 12 March 2008.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Career
He began writing for television in the 1960s, working on BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
police dramas such as Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
and Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, the latter of which he served as script editor
Script editor
A script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television programmes, usually dramas and comedies. The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, ensuring that scripts are suitable for production...
on for a year from 1969 to 1970. In 1970 he also wrote for the fantasy series Ace of Wands
Ace of Wands
Ace of Wands is a fantasy-based British children's television show broadcast on ITV between 1970 and 1972, created by Trevor Preston and Pamela Lonsdale and produced by Thames Television. The title, taken from the name of a Tarot card describes the principal character, called "Tarot" who combined...
, and later in the decade contributed to the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Emmerdale Farm
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
. He also continued to write for crime and police dramas, penning episodes of The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
. He also created the offbeat 1984 sitcom Lame Ducks
Lame Ducks (TV series)
Lame Ducks is a British television sitcom made by the BBC in 1984 and written by Peter J. Hammond.One of the more dark and surreal plotlines, it starred John Duttine as Brian Drake, a man who, when suffering a serious injury after being hit by a truck, can no longer work and decides to head off to...
.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Hammond wrote for popular ITV police/detective shows The Gentle Touch
The Gentle Touch
The Gentle Touch is a British police drama television series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of...
, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and Wycliffe, as well as for Doctor Finlay
Dr. Finlay
Dr. Finlay is a fictional character, the hero of a series of stories by Scottish author A. J. Cronin.-History:The stories were used as the basis for the long-running BBC television programme, Dr. Finlay's Casebook, screened from 1962 to 1971, and radio series . Based on Cronin's novella entitled...
, the new production of the 1960s BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Dr. Finlay's Casebook. He returned to the science fiction genre by writing an episode of the 1998 Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
series Space Island One
Space Island One
Space Island One is a British/German science fiction television series that ran for 26 episodes beginning in 1998. A co-production between the UK's Sky One channel and the German Vox channel, it starred Judy Loe as Kathryn McTiernan, the commander of the multinational crew of the space station...
, although his episode was ultimately one of those that went untransmitted until 2002.
Work in the 2000s included episodes of the popular murder mystery series Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
.
Sapphire & Steel
He is best known for the creation of the science-fictionScience fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
series Sapphire & Steel
Sapphire & Steel
Sapphire & Steel is a British television science-fiction fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond who conceived the programme under the working title The...
, produced by ATV and screened on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network in the UK from 1979 to 1982. Hammond, who had conceived the series after spending an evening in a supposedly haunted house, wrote five of the six serial
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
s that made up the programme, as well as a novelisation of the first serial.
Doctor Who and spin-offs
Hammond was approached to write for Doctor Who in the mid-1980s, during the troubled production of Season 23's The Trial of a Time LordThe Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord is a fourteen-part British science fiction serial of the long running BBC series Doctor Who. The serial, produced as the twenty-third season of the Doctor Who television series, aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986...
. His story, titled Paradise Five, was liked by then-script editor Eric Saward
Eric Saward
Eric Saward was born on 9 December 1944 and became a scriptwriter and script editor for the BBC, resigning from the latter post on the TV programme Doctor Who in 1986....
, but rejected by producer John Nathan-Turner
John Nathan-Turner
John Nathan-Turner was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, from 1980 until it was effectively cancelled in 1989...
, and did not go beyond the outline stage. The script was later revived in 2009-2010 by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
for a full cast audio drama starring the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
, Colin Baker
Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
, as part of the "Lost Stories" season featuring several commissioned, but never filmed, scripts.
In October 2005, it was announced by the BBC Press Office that he would be one of the writers of the new science fiction crime series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
from the popular BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
show Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. His episode, "Small Worlds
Small Worlds (Torchwood)
"Small Worlds" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the fifth episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 12 November 2006...
", was shown on 12 November 2006, directly opposite one of his Midsomer Murders scripts, "Dance with the Dead", on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
. He also wrote the episode "From Out of the Rain
From Out of the Rain
"From Out of the Rain" is the tenth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood. It was broadcast by BBC Three on 12 March 2008, and repeated on BBC Two one week later.- Synopsis :...
" for the second series of Torchwood, shown on BBC Three on 12 March 2008.
External links
- Peter J. Hammond at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
. - Sapphire & Steel-based interview at Anorakzone.com fansite.
- Torchwood press release at bbc.co.uk, with Hammond announced as a writer on the series.