Biography

March 15, 1934 · Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK

April 1, 2020 (Alzheimer's and vascular dementia)

Roger William Marshall

Often worked in cheap productions

Spy or cop shows

Used witty verbal banter to establish character relationships

He left The Avengers (1961) because of differences with head writer Brian Clemens, whom he thought didn't allow him enough freedom.

Wrote episodes for the television show Dial 999 (1958) under the pseudonyms Philip Monroe and Ian Greaves.

[on working with Brian Clemens in The Avengers (1961)] The name of the fecund and indefatigable Brian Clemens is all over the show. No exaggeration to say his influence pervades almost every scene. Lead writer, associate producer and story editor. In my book that was at least one job too many. I wrote six episodes for the first Diana Rigg series-Clemens and I wrote 50% of the series between us-only two of which... three at the most... I can view with pride and pleasure. Working on the show had started to become a chore. No longer was a writer able to write what he wanted and in the way he wanted. Wit and style were being squeezed out. It was time to say goodbye.

[on Ray Austin becoming a director for The Avengers (1961)] Would you believe that the most sophisticated show of its day had episodes directed by a stuntman?

[on Robert Holmes] In retrospect, he spent too much time tinkering around with lesser writers' work rather than getting on with his own.