Lennie Mayne

Lennie Mayne was born in Sydney, Australia, his Welsh mother and Yorkshire father having emigrated there some years earlier. Initially training as an electrician, he switched to ballet dancing and choreography; then in 1953 he immigrated to London, where he successfully auditioned as a dancer for Guys and Dolls. He later moved into directing, working on many BBC series and serials in the 1960s and 1970s, including The First Lady, The Troubleshooters,Doomwatch, Warship, The Brothers, Softly, Softly: Taskforce and The Onedin Line.

He was married to the actress Frances Pidgeon, who was cast as a lady-in-waiting in The Monster of Peladon before portraying Miss Jackson in The Hand Of Fear. His own involvement with Doctor Who came through his friendship with fellow Australian Dudley Simpson, who he knew from his days in the ballet.

He was a keen fisherman (and regularly fished with friend Bernard Cribbins), and also an excellent sailor (something which he introduced and shared with fellow director Andrew Morgan): one of his favourite shows to work on was the nautical-themed The Onedin Line.

He was unfortunately lost at sea in a boating accident and presumed drowned in 1977.