History Creator / RobertHolmes

* CreatorThumbprint: ThoseTwoGuys, massive body counts, boundary-pushing horror, general cynicism sometimes to localised CrapsackWorld levels, aliens referring to Earth humans as "Tellurians", GettingCrapPastTheRadar fart gags, deformed grotesque villains and more than a touch of black humour.

** The Doctor gains his second heart because Holmes needed to emphasise his [[HumanAlien alien-ness]] in the new Earthbound format. He also picked up more alien physical traits [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands as the plot required them]] during Holmes' tenure as script editor.

** He made the Time Lords a DeadlyDecadentCourt of [[OmniscientCouncilOfBickering useless, self-involved old men]] because he needed to dramatically justify why the Doctor ran away. (His thoughts being that if the Time Lords really were omniscient Guardians of Time, then by definition the Doctor getting stuck in was a ''[[VillainProtagonist bad]]'' [[VillainProtagonist thing]].)

Yep, this is the guy who gave us the Autons and the Sontarans... and, as if that weren't enough, wrote the first appearances of the Master, quite a bit of Time Lord mythology[[note]] such as the idea of Gallifrey, 13 incarnations, the Eye of Harmony, and Rassilon[[/note]] and some of the best companions. His contribution to ''Doctor Who'' cannot be overstated and we're willing to bet at least one of his stories turns up on your top 10 list, probably more. Creator/StevenMoffat called him "the man who showed us how to write ''Doctor Who''", while Creator/RussellTDavies lamented how [[SciFiGhetto the BBC had no respect for him]], and compared the first episode of "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" to Dennis Potter.

Robert Colin Holmes (2 April 1926 – 24 May 1986) was a British screenwriter best known for his stint on ''Series/DoctorWho'': he wrote 18[[note]]A couple of these were effective page-one rewrites for other writers and went out under pseudonyms. The number is greater still if you count stories written by others that he heavily script edited.[[/note]] stories between 1968 and 1986, and served as script editor from 1975-1977.

* ArmedWithCanon: He spent a lot of time kicking at things from the Pertwee era that he disliked (like the Third Doctor's InvincibleHero problems and the rampant sexism present in much of the writing) and providing explanations for NecessaryWeasel tropes in the show that had been previously ignored (AliensSpeakingEnglish, WalkingDisasterArea, HeroBall). He also retconned Time Lord society into a DeadlyDecadentCourt of elderly bureaucrats because he disliked the MarySueTopia concept that the previous era used, something that is still fairly controversial. He was also the first writer to confirm that regeneration can happen across gender, though he envisioned Time Lord society as a One-Gender Race of men unlike later writers.

* ArmedWithCanon: He spent a lot of time kicking at things from the Pertwee era that he disliked (like the Third Doctor's BoringInvincibleHero problems and the rampant sexism present in much of the writing) and providing explanations for NecessaryWeasel tropes in the show that had been previously ignored (AliensSpeakingEnglish, WalkingDisasterArea, HeroBall). He also retconned Time Lord society into a DeadlyDecadentCourt of elderly bureaucrats because he disliked the MarySueTopia concept that the previous era used, something that is still fairly controversial. He was also the first writer to confirm that regeneration can happen across gender, though he envisioned Time Lord society as a One-Gender Race of men unlike later writers.

* ComicTrio: He often set up his vilains like this, then used them to tell a genuinely frightening horror story. Even when he wasn't using the entire trio, the "character who thinks he's a genius, has some legitimate talent, but actually has no idea what he's doing" was one of his favourite archetypes, and formed the backbone of the Master, the Fourth Doctor (a rare heroic example from him), and virtually all other prominent characters he created.

* WriterOnBoard: Occasionally quite obvious, though rarely detrimental to the plot. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E4TheTwoDoctors The Two Doctors]]" made the Doctor a vegetarian like Holmes (and this actually held for twenty years). "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E4TheSunMakers The Sun Makers]]" was a jab at the Revenue office (because they subjected him to a gruelling tax audit because he'd been paid as both an employee and a freelancer for the BBC during his period as script editor). "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]" is commonly seen as taking some potshots at the ridiculousness of the House Of Lords and the Oxbridge establishment, too.

* GothicHorror: His tenure even had a touch of Creator/HammerHorror about it.

!Tropes in his work include:

* ArmedWithCanon: He spent a lot of time kicking at things from the Pertwee era that he disliked (like the Third Doctor's BoringInvincibleHero problems) and providing explanations for NecessaryWeasel tropes in the show that had been previously ignored (AliensSpeakingEnglish, WalkingDisasterArea, HeroBall). He also retconned Time Lord society into a DeadlyDecadentCourt of elderly bureaucrats because he disliked the MarySueTopia concept that the previous era used, something that is still fairly controversial. He was also the first writer to confirm that regeneration can happen across gender, though he envisioned Time Lord society as a One-Gender Race of men unlike later writers.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: He ''hated'' bureaucrats. When he wasn't using them as villains, he was having the Doctor make TakeThat zingers at their expense

* BloodierAndGorier, DarkerAndEdgier: Along with producer Philip Hinchcliffe, he was responsible for Doctor Who's "gothic horror" period in the mid-Seventies, and really tested the limits of what they could get away with.

Robert Holmes (1926–1986) was a British screenwriter best known for his stint on ''Series/DoctorWho'': he wrote 18[[note]]A couple of these were effective page-one rewrites for other writers and went out under pseudonyms. The number is greater still if you count stories written by others that he heavily script edited.[[/note]] stories between 1968 and 1986, and served as script editor from 1975-1977.

Yep, this is the guy who gave us the Autons and the Sontarans... and, as if that weren't enough, wrote the first appearances of the Master, quite a bit of Time Lord mythology[[note]] such as the idea of 13 incarnations, the Eye of Harmony, and Rassilon[[/note]] and some of the best companions. His contribution to ''Doctor Who'' cannot be overstated and we're willing to bet at least one of his stories turns up on your top 10 list, probably more. Creator/StevenMoffat called him "the man who showed us how to write ''Doctor Who''", while Creator/RussellTDavies lamented how [[SciFiGhetto the BBC had no respect for him]], and compared the first episode of "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" to Dennis Potter.

* DistinguishedGentlemensPipe: He was fond of smoking one.

Series/DoctorWho wasn't the only British science fiction institution Holmes wrote for. He was offered the script editor's position on ''Series/BlakesSeven'', which he declined, recommending Creator/ChrisBoucher for the job. He eventually wrote four episodes for that series, including "Orbit," where Avon stalks Vila through a shuttle in order to [[ShootTheDog throw him overboard to save weight]].

Robert Holmes (1926–1986) was a British screenwriter best known for his stint on ''Series/DoctorWho'': he wrote 18[[note]]A couple of these were effective page-one rewrites for other writers and went out under pseudonyms[[/note]] stories between 1968 and 1986, and served as script editor from 1975-1977.

Yep, this is the guy who gave us the Autons and the Sontarans... and, as if that weren't enough, wrote the first appearances of the Master, quite a bit of Time Lord mythology[[note]] such as the idea of 13 incarnations, the Eye of Harmony, and Rassilon[[/note]] and some of the best companions. His contribution to ''Doctor Who'' cannot be overstated and we're willing to bet at least one of his stories turns up on your top 10 list, probably more. Creator/StevenMoffat called him "the man who showed us how to write ''Doctor Who''", while Creator/RussellTDavies compared thee first episode of "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" to Creator/DennisPotter.

Yep, this is the guy who gave us the Autons and the Sontarans... and, as if that weren't enough, wrote the first appearances of the Master, and some of the best companions. His contribution to ''Doctor Who'' cannot be overstated and we're willing to bet at least one of his stories turns up on your top 10 list, probably more. Creator/StevenMoffat called him "the man who showed us how to write ''Doctor Who''", while Creator/RussellTDavies compared thee first episode of "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" to Creator/DennisPotter.

Many of his plots have a formula - crippled super-villain tries to regain power - but they vary widely from that initial idea. Holmes was very fond of ThoseTwoGuys: many of his stories are advanced by a double act of supporting characters. His Holmesian Double Act in "The Talons of Weng-Chiang", showman Jago and police pathologist Litefoot, were so popular that a spinoff was briefly considered, and eventually realised in 2010 by Creator/BigFinish. He died before he could finish "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E4TheUltimateFoe The Ultimate Foe]]"; it would require others to finish that one off. It's also a shame that we never got to see "Yellow Fever and How to Cure It", a story planned for the original Season 23, which would have featured the Master teaming up with the Nestene Consciousness in Singapore.

Yep, this is the guy who gave us the Autons and the Sontarans... and, as if that weren't enough, wrote the first appearances of the Master, and some of the best companions. His contribution to ''Doctor Who'' cannot be overstated and we're willing to bet at least one of his stories turns up on your top 10 list, probably more.

Holmes joined the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in 1944, and was actually the youngest commissioned officer of the ''entire British Army'' in the Second World War, having lied about his age to join. After the war, he became a [[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers London policeman]]. His contact with court reporters led him to leave the Met and become a reporter himself, and eventually a television writer. A spec script sent to the BBC led to his first scripting job for ''Doctor Who'', Season 6's [[Recap/DoctorWhoS6E4TheKrotons The Krotons.]]

* GothicHorror: His tenure even had a touch of HammerHorror about it.

* WriterOnBoard: Occasionally quite obvious, though rarely detrimental to the plot. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E4TheTwoDoctors The Two Doctors]]" made the Doctor a vegetarian like Holmes (and this actually held for twenty years). "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E4TheSunMakers The Sun Makers]]" was a jab at the Revenue office (because they were taxing Holmes as both an employee and a freelancer for the BBC). "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]" is commonly seen as taking some potshots at the ridiculousness of the House Of Lords and the Oxbridge establishment, too.

Series/DoctorWho wasn't the only British science fiction institution Holmes wrote for. He was offered the script editor's position on ''[[Series/BlakesSeven Blake's 7]]'', which he declined, recommending Creator/ChrisBoucher for the job. He eventually wrote four episodes for that series, including "Orbit," where Avon stalks Vila through a shuttle in order to [[ShootTheDog throw him overboard to save weight]].

* CreatorThumbprint: ThoseTwoGuys, massive body counts, boundary-pushing horror, general cynicism sometimes to localised CrapsackWorld levels, aliens referring to Earth humans as "Tellurians", GettingCrapPastTheRadar fart gags and more than a touch of black humour.

* OldShame: He wasn't particularly proud of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS16E5ThePowerOfKroll The Power Of Kroll]] and didn't think the effects would work [[SpecialEffectsFailure (he was right)]], not to mention resenting the over-arching "Key To Time" arc. This is why it is generally regarded as his weakest episode.

* WriterOnBoard: Occasionally quite obvious, though rarely detrimental to the plot. [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E4TheTwoDoctors The Two Doctors]] made the Doctor a vegetarian like Holmes (and this actually held for twenty years). [[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E4TheSunMakers The Sun Makers]] was a jab at the Revenue office (because they were taxing Holmes as both an employee and a freelancer for the BBC). [[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]] is commonly seen as taking some potshots at the ridiculousness of the House Of Lords.