In 1971, Nigel contributed a script to the final season of BBC2’s science-fantasy anthology series Out of the Unknown: The Chopper. “It’s a long time ago,” chuckles Nigel. “I don’t really remember it very clearly.

As a writer, does Nigel prefer creative writing to the demanding task of adapting the works of others? “Obviously it’s much more interesting writing your own stuff.

Quite often these days, I’m asked about the possibility of reprinting some of my earlier articles from fanzines and long-defunct magazines… and my instinct is almost always to say ‘no’. And the main reason for this is that I, as a reader, would rather read a new piece on a given subject rather than a rehash of something that was originally written when we only had a fraction of the research materials that we do now.