He was a key player in what Sydney Newman famously called the "Dr. Who Hassle" in a memo dated 27 June. The "hassle" was a struggle for control of facilities, equipment and design personnel for the production of Doctor Who. It erupted during Newman and Wilson's simultaneous vacations in June. In their absence, Whitaker became the voice of Wilson's office, making him virtually the most senior advocate of Doctor Who in the BBC. His furious stream of memos that June was instrumental in keeping the production of the new programme on course until the return of Wilson and Newman at the end of the month. As Newman wrote in a memo designed to cut through the production ennui, "While I may be ignorant of the some of the finer points of Corporation routine, it is apparent that Ayton Whitaker and oth