Eric Pringle facts for kids

Eric Pringle (born May 4, 1935, in Morpeth, Northumberland, England – died April 13, 2017, in Ledbury, Herefordshire) was a British writer. He wrote many stories for radio and television. He also wrote three exciting novels especially for children.

Early TV Writing

Eric Pringle started his career writing for television. He helped create the 1972 TV series Pretenders. He also wrote for the 1974 series The Carnforth Practice. These shows helped him become a well-known writer.

Adventures with Doctor Who

In 1975, Eric Pringle was asked to write for the popular show Doctor Who. He planned a two-part story called The Angurth. However, this story was never made.

Years later, in 1981, he tried again. He sent in ideas for two new four-part stories. One was called The Darkness. The other was named War Game.

In 1982, the Doctor Who team asked him to develop War Game. By 1983, this story was renamed The Awakening. It was originally planned for four episodes. But the producers decided it would work better as a two-part story.

Eric Pringle rewrote the story to fit the shorter time. However, the script editor then made many more changes. Eric Pringle felt these changes made the story confusing. The Awakening was the only Doctor Who story he wrote that made it to TV.

Radio Plays and Children's Books

Much of Eric Pringle's later work was for radio. He adapted famous books for radio. These included The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and J. B. Priestley's The Good Companions.

In 2001, his radio play Hymus Paradisi won a Sony Award. This play was about the life of a composer named Herbert Howells.

That same year, he published his first children's novel, Big George. This book was very popular. He then wrote two sequels: Big George and the Seventh Knight and Big George and the Winter King. The Big George books retell the old myth of Saint George and the Dragon. But they add a cool science fiction twist!