BBC star and Doctor Who legend d!es in nursing home aged 64 after devastating diagnosis
The star had spent the last decade of his life battling a cruel disease.
Justin Richards has died (Image: Instagram)
Doctor Who author and editor Justin Richards has died aged 64. According to his heartbroken family, the penman spent the last decade of his life living with early-onset fronto-temporal dementia and passed away peacefully in a nursing home in Warwickshire on June 28.
Justin was among the most prolific and celebrated contributors to Doctor Who fiction and non-fiction from the early 1990s through to recent times. His extensive catalogue of Doctor Who novels across various ranges includes Theatre of War, System Shock, Dreams of Empire, Time Zero, Grave Matter, The Clockwise Man, Martha in the Mirror and Code of the Krillitanes. He additionally penned stories for the Doctor Who Annuals, the Short Trips collections, the Doctor Who Storybooks and The Doctor Who Files. His audio dramas for Big Finish encompass Whispers of Terror, Red Dawn, Time of the Daleks and The Renaissance Man, while his non-fiction output includes The Legend, Monsters and Villains and The Book of Lists.
Justin was also the creator of Irving Braxiatel, the Doctor’s elder brother, a character who made his debut in the New Adventures novel Theatre of War in 1994, and went on to feature prominently in two audio spin-off series, Bernice Summerfield and Gallifrey.
His body of work stretched across audio scripts, television, a stage production and edited anthologies of short stories. He also worked as a technical writer and both founded and edited a media journal.
Upon the show’s revival in 2005, Justin crafted original novels featuring the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, ultimately taking on the role of creative consultant for the BBC Doctor Who book range.
Author and effects designer Mike Tucker honoured the late writer, commenting: “My editor on many projects, he was a talented, funny and generous man who improved my writing enormously with his insightful changes and clever suggestions. He will be greatly missed.”
Other people who had known or been a fan of Justin commented on Instagram. One person said: “I met Justin when I was working on season 1 and he came in for a meet and greet. I remember him being and absolute gentleman and utterly charming. Sorry to hear we have lost him.”
Another added: “Very sad to hear of this. I can still remember the thrill of reading Theatre of War all those years ago. It became an instant favourite. A gifted writer.”
Justin is survived by his wife Alison, his sons Julian and Christian, and his mother and brothers.
