Philip Michael Hinchcliffe (born 1 October 1944) is an English retired television producer, screenwriter and script editor. After graduating from Pembroke College, Cambridge, he began his career as a writer and script editor at Associated Television before joining the BBC to produce Doctor Who in one of its most popular eras from 1974 to 1977. In 2010 Hinchcliffe was chosen by Den of Geek as the best ever producer of the series. Following Doctor Who, Hinchcliffe remained with the BBC as a producer for several years, working on series such as Private Schulz, before launching a freelance career in the mid-1980s, which included making The Charmer for London Weekend Television in 1987. He finished his career as an executive producer for Scottish Television, with his final credit on Take Me in 2001. Background and early work Hinchcliffe was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire. He was educated at Slough Grammar School and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he studied English literature. After a brief period working for a travel company and then as a teacher, he joined Associated Television in 1968, writing episodes for series including the soap opera Crossroads (1970). He then served as script editor of the sitcom Alexander the Greatest (1971–72), the children's adventure series The Jensen Code (1973) and the children's drama series The Kids from 47A (1973). He also became an associate producer on General Hospital. Doctor Who Hinchcliffe's agent and contacts from his time as a script editor won him the position as the new producer of the BBC's Doctor Who. In Spring 1974, at the age of 29, he was approached by the corporation's head of serials to take his first full production job, initially trailing and then succeeding long-serving producer Barry Letts. Although he trailed Letts on Tom Baker's first story, Robot, he was first credited on The Ark in Space. Throughout his first season, he was mostly producing scripts that had been commissioned by the previous production team prior to their departure. Hinchcliffe, together with script editor Robert Holmes, ushered in a change in tone for the series, which became darker and more adult than previously, with a gothic atmosphere influenced by the horror films produced by Hammer Film Productions. This horror influence is especially evident in serials like Planet of Evil, Pyramids of Mars, The Brain of Morbius, The Hand of Fear and The Talons of Weng-Chiang, all of which have content which