My ex-husband, Martin Worth, who has died aged 91, was a prolific writer for television, radio and theatre.
He was perhaps best known for his television programmes, among them the BBC’s original 1975 Poldark adaptation (it was Martin who helped to persuade the author Winston Graham to allow his novels to be adapted for television), Dr Finlay’s Casebook (1962-71), The Survivors (1975-77) and Doomwatch (1970-72), a science-based drama series with environmental themes.
His scripts for BBC2’s Microbes and Men won the 1974 Best British Documentary award from the Writers’ Guild. He wrote stage plays performed in the UK and Germany: Away Match (later called Lighting Up Time), which he wrote with Peter Yeldham, was a comedy about a man trying to give up smoking – something Martin was also trying to do. It was not until he had a heart attack in the 1980s that he finally managed to quit the habit.
He was one of the first writers on Associated-Rediffusion’s television programmes for schools – and he researched a documentary on the Dordogne on his newly acquired Lambretta. He wrote for The Archers and penned many radio plays.
Martin was born in Balham, south-west London, the son of Harold Wigglesworth, a Church of England vicar and teacher, and Muriel (nee Bousfield). They were a theatre-loving family: his mother worked with Elsie Fogerty, the founder of the Central School of Speech and Drama, and as a young boy, with the family living in Stratford-upon-Avon, Martin had spear-carrying parts in several Shakespeare plays.
He went to Clifton college during the second world war when the Bristol school was evacuated to Bude, Cornwall. He then studied English at Jesus College, Cambridge.
Martin dropped his real surname of Wigglesworth, when, as a young actor with a small part in a Sheffield repertory company play, the director thought it took up too much space on the programme. The director changed it to Worth – and Martin decided to keep it.
In the 80s, while living in Fletching, East Sussex, he became interested in the Liberal party after receiving a call from a Liberal agent asking if he could do something about Conservative popularity in a Liberal desert. He turned things around politically, and over the next few years he was elected as an East Sussex county councillor. Hearing the announcement at the election count of his victory, dethroning a long-term Conservative, was one of the great moments of his life.
He never lost his love of travelling and, even in later life, preferred to stay in youth hostels rather than smart hotels.
We married in 1955 and decided to separate 30 years later, but always remained friends.
Martin is survived by Trish, his partner of 20 years, and by our children, Chris, Catherine and Mark, and five grandchildren, Toby, Leo, Elsa, Finlay and Clara.
