Johnny Byrne (writer)

Johnny Byrne
Born	John Christopher Byrne (1935-11-27)27 November 1935 Dublin,Ireland
Died	2 April 2008(2008-04-02)(aged 72) Norwich,Norfolk,England
Resting place	Heydon,Norfolk
Occupation	Television writer screenwriter script editor writer poet
Language	English
Period	1960s–2005
Genre	Science fiction,drama
Notable works	CreatedHeartbeatandNoah's Ark Wrote forSpace: 1999,All Creatures Great and Small,Tales of the UnexpectedandDoctor Who.
Spouse	Sandy Carrington-Mails ​ ​ (m.1975)​
Children	3

John Christopher Byrne(27 November 1935 – 2 April 2008)was an Irish televisionscreenwriterandscript editor.He travelled extensively in his youth as a travelling poet. During the 1960s he worked as aliterary editor,and wrote short stories that were published inScience Fantasymagazine.

Byrne's other works include the novelGroupie(1969, co-written with Jenny Fabian), the BBC "Wednesday Play"Season of the Witch(1971), and the scripts for the filmsAdolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall(1972, co-written with original authorSpike MilliganandNorman Cohen), andRosie Is My Relative(1976). He was script editor of the TV seriesAll Creatures Great and Small(1976, 1978, 1985, 1988–1990), writing 29 episodes, and also produced scripts forOne by One(1987). Byrne was the creator of the TV drama seriesHeartbeat(which was loosely based on theConstablebooks by Nicholas Rhea), writing 23 episodes for 17 series between 1992 and 2005. He also created and wrote forNoah's Ark(1997–98).

Space: 1999

Byrne was the most prolific scriptwriter for the first series ofSpace: 1999(1973–75), and was initially assigned the role ofcreative consultantfor the second season (1976–77). However, hoping to make a greater impact on the American market, the producers desired a consultant from the United States, and the job was subsequently given toFred Freiberger.

Byrne's scripts for series one ofSpace: 1999were "Matter of Life and Death"(based on a draft byArt Wallace), "Another Time, Another Place","Force of Life","Voyager's Return"(based on an idea by Joe Gannon),"End of Eternity","The Troubled Spirit","Mission of the Darians",and"The Testament of Arkadia".For series two, he wrote"The Metamorph","The Immunity Syndrome",and"The Dorcons".

Doctor Who

Byrne is also known for his contributions to the British science-fiction TV seriesDoctor Who.The first of his three scripted and screened stories wasThe Keeper of Traken(1981), which resurrected theMasterand served as the first instalment in a trilogy of stories (continuing withLogopolisandCastrovalva) involving the character. For the same story, Byrne created the character ofNyssa,who would later become acompanionto theFifth Doctor.

Byrne's second story,Arc of Infinity(1983), featured theTime LordvillainOmega,who had first appeared inThe Three Doctorsa decade earlier. His final screened story wasWarriors of the Deep(1984), which saw the return of monsters theSiluriansand theSea Devils.

In 1991, Byrne wrote the final draft script for an unmadeDoctor Whomovie calledDoctor Who: Last of the Time Lords.

Personal life

Byrne left Ireland for the United Kingdom in 1956. For a time, he worked as a teacher ofEnglish as a foreign languagein various cities in Europe.In 1975 he married Sandy Carrington-Mail, with whom he had three sons.

Death

Byrne died on 2 April 2008, aged 72.He last resided, and is buried, in the Norfolk village ofHeydon.

External links

• Johnny ByrneatIMDb
• Obituary:The Guardian
• Obituary:The Independent