Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

David Spenser

British actor, director, producer and writer

David Spenser ( De Saram; 12 March 1934 , 20 July 2013) was a British actor, director, producer and writer. Spenser played the title role in a 1948 radio production of Richmal Crompton's Just William, and also appeared in popular films and TV series including Doctor Who. His documentary about Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies won an International Emmy Award. He was the elder brother of actor Jeremy Spenser.

Aged 11 he appeared in plays on BBC radio's Children's Hour. He was cast in Just William by the author of the books, Richmal Crompton.

He played Harry in the first production of Benjamin Britten's opera Albert Herring.

Spenser was a regular on television, with appearances in episodes of Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, and The Saint. In 1967 Spenser appeared as Thonmi in the Doctor Who serial The Abominable Snowmen alongside Patrick Troughton. Spenser later worked as a radio producer for the BBC. He produced several radio plays including Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now in 1988, and Christopher Isherwood's Mr Norris Changes Trains in 1984.

Spenser wrote a historical drama about the Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaton, The City of the Horizon. It was broadcast in 1972 and 1976. Spenser subsequently produced documentaries about figures such as Benny Hill, Angus Wilson, Dodie Smith and Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies.

Spenser was the life partner of writer and producer Victor Pemberton.

01Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1954Conflict of WingsCorporal, Flying Control
1959The Stranglers of BombayGopali DasUncredited
1962Play It CoolReporter #1Uncredited
1962In Search of the CastawaysSouth American Guide
1964The Earth Dies ScreamingMel
1967Battle Beneath the EarthMaj. Chai
1967Some May LiveInspector Sung
1968Carry On... Up the KhyberBungdit Din's servant
Watch videos about David SpenserExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article David Spenser, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.