A regular Brighton-based event, Space regularly welcomes luminaries from the creative world to talk to its intimate group.

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Hinchcliffe was welcomed to the sound of (what else?)

Any favourites in there?

was the first question.

It was a poisoned chalice.

So little did I know I was walking into the lions den!

But for me it was fantastic, because it was a highly-rated show that went out on Saturdays.

Id done childrens shows, but Id also done a sci-fi serial.

Dont forget that Verity Lambert was 29 when she started the whole thing.

We were young in those days!.

Had he watchedDoctor Whofrom the beginning?

I wasnt a fan of the programme, Id hardly watched it.

In my case, it happened to be the two of us together.

I think Bob Holmes and I sort of gelled and we both brought something to that role.

Bob Holmes was influenced by Hammer Horror.

Bob was a lot older than me, but I said I think I know what you mean.

I believe that I was responsible.

There are things I wouldnt have shown, but it was a question of that being my producorial decision.

I think on the whole, I got it just about right.

I just think she [Mary Whitehouse] was wrong on the details more than anything.

On the Doctors character:

Hes just an old-fashioned hero really isnt he?

On Tom Baker:

He was fabulous, absolutely wonderful.

It was quite good actually!

afterwards there was a Q&A and Tom just brought the house down.

For twenty minutes he did an absolute hysterical spiel.

Hes so funny and so witty and his brain goes four times the speed of mine.

Hes brilliant, and he was like that from the first day we met.

I think his enthusiasm was the main thing.

Hed become, overnight, this celebrity.

An ambassador forDoctor Who.

I dont think in my era that you saw much use of that really.

I dont really know what it can do anyway.

That keeps you sane.

And we did it on two and sixpence!

I would go to the designers and say Can we do that?

Can we do this?

Can we do a Zygon?

Whats it going to look like?

Its so easy to build an eye, isnt it?

So I went to the designers and said Can we do this without CSO overlay?

Because in those days , it took forever.

I was watchingLord of the Rings: Return of the Kingon telly last night and its just unbelievable.

I used to love that, it was great.

Dudley was terrific and I used to love the dubs.

It was really the Professor Higgins,Pygmalionthing.

I dont think we got quite as much mileage out of that as we could have done really.

Was Leela in Vicky Nargles words an intergalactic suffragette?

I dont remember at the time getting that feminine feedback, to be honest.

Of course there wasThe Avengers, so there was something in the air that women heroines could do stuff.

Id read quite widely science fiction and dystopian fantasy.

You need a good villain, dont you?

You need a good antagonist for the Doctor.

Did you follow the show after you finished producing it?

No, not really.

I wanted to get on and do other things, so Im afraid I didnt.

On what hed have done with another series ofDoctor Who?

What do you think of the currentDoctor Who?

I watched most of Christopher Ecclestons and I thought they were fabulous.

I think Russell T Davies is a genius.

He really is, because bringing the programme back could have been a total disaster.

I think he did a fantastic job.

He put in more of an emotional tug in the relationships which we didnt do that much.

Now, I think Steven Moffat has taken on that mantle and has done a good job.

Was he approached prior to the 2005 revival by Russell T Davies or later, Steven Moffat for advice?

Theres a sort of power and energy, theres something there, hes charismatic.

Thats what Tom brought.

He had a wonderful voice which carried with it all this sort of morality and goodness.

That was his heroic strength.

I think they want to do two CDs.

Are his new audio plays are inspired by stories from his era of Doctor Who?

The first ones out in November I think.

Philip Hinchcliffe, thank you very much!

Many thanks to Wayne Imms.