David Agnew

David Agnew is a pseudonym that was traditionally used on BBC television drama programmes in the 1970s where a writer's name could not be used for contractual reasons. Examples could include where a script editor had written or extensively rewritten an episode of his or her own programme, or when a writer had been displeased with a script editor's changes to their script and asked for their name to be removed from the finished programme: occasionally this name is used by film studies students.

The pseudonym was used twice by Doctor Who producer Graham Williams, in 1978 and again in 1979. The first time was for the serial The Invasion of Time at the end of season fifteen. The Invasion of Time was actually co-written by Williams and his then script editor, Anthony Read. The second use of the "Agnew" name was for the serial City of Death, which was co-written by Williams, and Read's successor as script editor, Douglas Adams. City of Death was based on a story outline called The Gamble with Time, originally submitted by David Fisher. The name was also used for episodes of the BBC cop show Target! around the same time.

Many years later, "David Agnew" was used for a Doctor Who book, the short story anthology Short Trips and Sidesteps, in homage to the pseudonym's use on the television series.

Related pseudonyms

• Walter Plinge
• Alan Smithee
• George Spelvin