Sydney Cecil (Nudulman) Newman OC (1917 - 1997)

Born 1 Apr 1917 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Husband of Elizabeth Margaret (McRea) Newman — married 1944 (to 1981) in Canada

Died 30 Oct 1997 at age 80 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

Sydney (Nudulman) Newman OC is Notable.

Canadian film and television producer

He was responsible for initiating two hugely popular television programs, the spy-fi series The Avengers and the science-fiction series Doctor Who.

Born in Toronto with the surname Nudelman, he was the son of Morris Nudelman, a Russian-Jewish immigrant father who ran a shoe shop, and Bessie Fibus.

After studying at Ogden Public School, which he left at the age of thirteen, he later enrolled in the Central Technical School, studying art and design subjects. He initially attempted to follow a career as a stills photographer and an artist, specializing in drawing film posters. However, he found it so difficult to earn enough money to make a living from this profession that instead, he switched to working in the film industry itself.

In 1938, he travelled to Hollywood, where he was offered a role with the Walt Disney Company on the strength of his graphic design work. However, he was unable to take the job due to a failure to secure a work permit. Returning to his native country, in 1941, he gained a job as a film editor at the National Film Board of Canada. He was eventually to work on over 350 films while an editor for the NFB.

Doctor Who

In 1963 he initiated the creation of the science fiction television series Doctor Who. The series has been described by the British Film Institute as having "created a phenomenon unlike any other British TV program", and by The Times newspaper as "quintessential to being British". Newman had long been a science-fiction fan: "[U]p to the age of 40, I don't think there was a science-fiction book I hadn't read. I love them because they're a marvellous way—and a safe way, I might add—of saying nasty things about our own society."

When Controller of BBC Television Donald Baverstock alerted Newman of the need for a programme to bridge the gap between the sports showcase Grandstand and pop music programme Juke Box Jury on Saturday evenings, he decided that a science-fiction drama would be the perfect vehicle for filling the gap and gaining a family audience. Although much work on the genesis of the series was done by Donald Wilson, C. E. Webber and others, it was Newman who created the idea of a time machine larger on the inside than the out and the character of the mysterious "Doctor", both of which remain at the heart of the program. He is also believed to have come up with the title Doctor Who, although actor and director Hugh David later credited this to his friend Rex Tucker, the initial "caretaker producer" of the programme.

After the series had been conceived, Newman initially approached Don Taylor and then Shaun Sutton to produce it, although both declined. He then decided on his former production assistant at ABC, Verity Lambert, who had never produced, written or directed, but she readily accepted his offer. As Lambert became the youngest—and only female—drama producer at the BBC, there were some doubts as to Newman's choice, but she became a success in the role. Even Newman clashed with her on occasion, however, particularly over the inclusion of the alien Dalek creatures on the programme. Newman had not wanted any "bug-eyed monsters" in the show, but he was placated when the creatures became a great success. Later in the show's run, in 1966 he took a more hands-on role again in the changeover between the First and Second Doctors.

In the 2007 Doctor Who episode "Human Nature", the Doctor (in human form as "John Smith") refers to his parents Sydney and Verity, a tribute to both Newman and Lambert. Verity Newman, a character in the 2010 episode The End of Time, is also named after them. A similar acknowledgement had appeared in the show's original run: in "The Powerful Enemy", the first episode of the 1965 story The Rescue, in order to hide the fact that one character is actually another character in disguise, the role is credited to the non-existent actor "Sydney Wilson", an amalgam of the names of Sydney Newman and Donald Wilson.

Sydney died on 30 October 1997 and was buried.^[1] Find A Grave: Memorial #20749

According to Geni.com he married Margaret McRae and had 3 daughters, however at the time of his death his partner was Marion McDougall.

Sources

1. ↑ Burial: "Find A Grave Index"
   citing record ID 20749, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com
   FamilySearch Record: QVV9-B7FY (accessed 24 August 2023)
   Sydney Cecil Newman burial (died on 30 Oct 1997).

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Newman#Doctor_Who
• https://www.geni.com/people/Sydney-Newman/6000000031136712799 - names of parents and wife
• Familysearch: Sydney Cecil Newman