John Dorney is a British writer and actor best known for stage roles at theatres including the National Theatre, the BBC Radio 4 sitcom My First Planet; and his scripts for the Big Finish Doctor Who range. His script Solitaire was rated the most popular Doctor Who Companion Chronicle of 2010 on the Timescales website and was the runner up in Unreality Sci-fi net's poll for Story of the Year 2010–11. His script Iterations of I won the Scribe Award for best spin-off audio drama of 2014 and his script “The Red Lady” won the same award in 2015. His script “Absent Friends” won a BBC Audio Drama award, and the co-authored script for ‘Stranded 1’ won an Audie.
As well as Doctor Who, he has written for Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel series and on radio co-wrote three series of BBC Radio 4's Recorded for Training Purposes. He won the BBC Show Me the Funny 'Sketch Factor' competition, was a finalist in the BBC 'Laughing Stock' competition, and has performed in Mark Watson's Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning long shows as 'The Balladeer'. On stage, he has written plays for the Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead and Soho Theatres.
He trained at LAMDA.
Writing credits Production Company/Broadcaster Notes/DatesDoctor Who: Monsters in MetropolisBig Finish ProductionsWriter, November 2021Doctor Who: Dalek UniverseBig Finish ProductionsWriter (Three Episodes) Script Editor, 2021Donna Noble Kidnapped: SpinvasionBig Finish ProductionsWriter, March 2020 Recorded for Training Purposes BBC Radio 4 Co-writer, three seriesMissy: Divorced, Beheaded, RegeneratedBig Finish ProductionsWriter, February, 2019Torchwood: See No EvilBig Finish ProductionsWriter, October 2018Doctor Who: Ravenous Big Finish ProductionsWriter (Eight Episodes) 2018 - 2019 The Diary of River Song: Five Twenty Nine Big Finish Productions Writer, Jan 2017Doctor Who: Infamy of the ZarossBig Finish ProductionsWriter 2017 Doctor Who: Original Sin Big Finish Productions Writer (based on the novel by Andy Lane), December 2016 The New Counter-Measures: Who Killed Toby Kinsella? Big Finish Productions Writer, July 2016 Doctor Who: The Trouble with Drax Big Finish Productions Writer, June 2016 Doctor Who: The Two Masters Big Finish Productions Writer, June 2016 Doctor Who: Doom Coalition 2: Scenes from Her Life Big Finish Productions Writer, March 2016 Doctor Who: Infernal Devices: Legion of the Lost Big Finish Productions Writer, February 2016 Doctor Who: You Are the Doctor and Other Stories Big Finish Productions Co-Writer, December 2015 Doctor Who: Doom Coalition: The Red Lady Big Finish Productions Writer, October 2015 Doctor Who: Waiting for Gadot Big Finish Productions Writer, September 2015 Doctor Who: Terror of the Sontarans Big Finish Productions Writer (with Dan Starkey), September 2015 Counter-Measures: Rise and Shine Big Finish Productions Writer, July 2015 Doctor Who: The Well-Mannered War Big Finish Productions Writer (based on the novel by Gareth Roberts), April 2015 Doctor Who: Requiem for the Rocket Men Big Finish Productions Writer, March 2015 Doctor Who: Dark Eyes 4 Big Finish Productions Writer (with Matt Fitton), March 2015 Doctor Who: The English Way of Death Big Finish Productions Writer (based on the novel by Gareth Roberts), Jan 2015 Doctor Who: Iterations of I Big Finish Productions Writer, August 2014 Counter-Measures: Unto the Breach Big Finish Productions Writer, July 2014 Doctor Who: Second Chances Big Finish Productions Writer, June 2014 Doctor Who: The Crooked Man Big Finish Productions Writer, March 2014 Doctor Who: The King of Sontar Big Finish Productions Writer, Jan 2014 Doctor Who: 1963: The Assassination Games Big Finish Productions Writer, November 2013 Doctor Who: The Lost Stories – Lords of the Red Planet Big Finish Productions Writer (based on the outline by Brian Hayles), November 2013 Counter-Measures: Sins of the Fathers Big Finish Productions Writer, July 2013 Doctor Who: The Justice of Jalxar Big Finish Productions Writer, March 2013 Doctor Who: The Burning Prince Big Finish Productions Writer, September 2012 Jago and Litefoot: Beautiful Things Big Finish Productions Writer, March 2012 Doctor Who: The Wrath of the Iceni Big Finish Productions Writer, March 2012 Doctor Who: The Fourth Wall Big Finish Productions Writer, February 2012 Doctor Who: The Lost Stories – The Foe from the Future Big Finish Productions Writer (based on the outline by Robert Banks Stewart), January 2012 Doctor Who: The Lost Stories – The Elite Big Finish Productions Writer (based on the outline by Barbara Clegg), October 2011 Doctor Who: The Rocket Men Big Finish Productions Writer, August 2011 Jago and Litefoot: Swan Song Big Finish Productions Writer, June 2011 Doctor Who: The Lost Stories – The Destroyers Big Finish Productions Based on a script for an unproduced pilot by Terry Nation, co-adapted with Nicholas Briggs, December 2010 Bernice Summerfield: Present Tense – The Propaganda War Big Finish Productions Writer 2010 Bernice Summerfield: Dead Man's Switch Big Finish Productions Writer with Richard Dinnick, December 2010 Doctor Who: The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories Big Finish Productions Co-writer, December 2010 Doctor Who: Echoes of Grey Big Finish Productions Writer, August 2010 Doctor Who: Solitaire Big Finish Productions Writer, June 2010 Sapphire and Steel: Remember Me Big Finish Productions Writer, 2008 Doctor Who: Lepidoptery for Beginners Big Finish Productions Writer, 2008 Cowboys Royal Court Theatre Writer, October 2000
Acting credits (selected) Production Company/Broadcaster Role Notes/Dates The Omega Factor Big Finish Productions Adam Dean 2015 Doctor Who: The Light at the End Big Finish Productions Bob Dovie 2013 My First Planet BBC Radio 4 Richard 2012 Doctor Who: The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories Big Finish Productions Janson Hart 2010 Doctor Who: Farewell, Great Macedon Big Finish Productions Alexander the Great 2010 Doctor Who: The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance Big Finish Productions Rhythm 2010 Doctor Who: A Death in the Family Big Finish Productions Henry Noone 2010 The Caretaker London Classic Theatre Mick Touring 2010 Humble Boy London Classic Theatre Felix Humble Touring 2008-2009 Peter Pan National Theatre Nibs 1998–1999 Flight National Theatre Cossack 1998 Something Beginning With... Orange Tree Harry 2000 Volpone Wilton's Music Hall Corvino2005 Beauty and the Beast Creation Theatre Company The Beast2009 Honolulu Pleasance Courtyard Milo 2004 Better Watch Out Hampstead Theatre Matt Cooper 2003
References
External links Humble Boy reviewed in The Stage Jack and the Beanstalk review
Beauty and the Beast review John Dorney profile on What's On Stage London Classic Theatre production notes BBC Radio 4's Recorded for Training Purposes