RODNEY BENNETT 1935-2017
TRIBUTE BY TOBY HADOKE
The Ark in Space (1975) – Bennett’s first credit on Doctor Who – marked a sea change for the series. The new emphasis – which was on psychological horror and plausible, hard-edged science-fiction found an ideal home amidst the stark, clinical environment of the suspended-animation repository of Earth’s last survivors. The impressive sets, designed by Roger Murray-Leach and lit by Nigel Wright, were shot to their full potential by Bennett’s cameras. Murray- Leach remembers Bennett with affection: “My enduring memory of him was his sense of humour – he had one of the most infectious laughs. If you came up with a convincing argument to back up your ideas he was prepared to give them a go and give you free rein. He was a thoroughly nice person, an attribute all too rare in this industry.”