DWM 172 (The Thief of Sherwood)

The 172nd issue of Doctor Who Magazine was dated to 1991. It featured an interview with Godfrey Porter, the writer of The Outlaws, about his life before and after Doctor Who.

Porter spoke about how he attended the University of Oxford to do a history degree, specifically medieval literature, which he notes would later stand him in good stead on Doctor Who. The interview also mentioned how he entered scriptwriting as a way of paying his landlord in lieu of rent as he was working on William Tell and that he recommended Porter to the producer after he finished with the programme. Thereafter, he did a few scripts for ATV for a series called Longboat about Vikings.

He stated that after his children became fans of Doctor Who after the Daleks appeared they wouldn't believe that he was a writer until he did it. Porter got in touch with David Whitaker through the Screenwriters' Guild and suggested a Robin Hood story. He also spoke of his experience working with William Hartnell whom he found to be "always charming to [him]".

Porter also stated that after Doctor Who he went on to work at Rediffusion and write a series called The Long Arm as well as doing some editing work on Compact and a couple of episodes of The Challengers with Dennis Spooner. The interview also makes note of the fact Porter submitted an idea called Doctor Who and the Sprites in the 1970s intended for Tom Baker but never finished it as the script editor at the time wasn't keen. (PROSE: The Thief of Sherwood)