Terrance Dicks, one of the original writers on the cult BBC sci-fi program “Doctor Who,” has died. He was 84. The official “Doctor Who” Twitter account broke the news on Monday, describing Dicks as an “incredibly talented man” who would be “sorely* missed.” The British author was originally hired as an assistant script editor on “Doctor Who” in 1968, when the show — now the longest-running sci-fi series in the world — was just five years old. He was promoted in 1969 to script editor, earning his first writing credit on “The War Games,” which concluded the sixth season of the series and the tenure* of the second “Doctor,” played by Patrick Troughton. However, Dicks had been uncredited as the co-writer of the earlier serial “The Seeds of Death.” Dicks — known affectionately* as “Uncle Terrance” to “Doctor Who” fans — would form a productive working relationship with producer Barry Letts, serving as scriptwriter on all of his five seasons heading up the show from 1970 to 1974. While working on “Doctor Who,” Dicks began writing spinoff novels and stage plays, while also turning his hand to children’s fiction and non-fiction outside the “Doctor Who” universe, including “The Baker Street Irregulars,” inspired by the characters of Sherlock Holmes. In an article cerebrating Dicks’ 80th birthday in 2015, Doctor Who News described the writer as “arguably* the most prolific* contributor to ‘Doctor Who.’” (SD-Agencies) | 