journalism

Richard Carpenter taught me how to get into a scene and how to get out of it; about cutting and pace. He was my starting point.

Richard Carpenter, writer of Robin of Sherwood, gave me my first job in television. I was a not very well known children's writer when I sent in a story for the show. I had absolutely no experience, had never written for TV, and really had no inclination to be a television writer.

But Richard took me on. I was an apprentice to him really; he was my mentor. At the time Robin of Sherwood had around 12 or 13 million viewers; it was one of the biggest shows on television. So I was going from nothing and nowhere to the absolute top of the pile. It was as though an unknown writer was given six episodes of Downton Abbey. But Richard, who was known as Kip, just said: "Go for it!" He believed in me. It was an amazing turn of fortune. I wrote five episodes for the series. I think Richard did the other seven.

Working with Kip on Robin of Sherwood was the high point of my career in terms of the fun and sheer energy. I'd deliver a script on Monday, and they would start shooting it on Friday. I had the greatest time of my life working on the show.

Richard and his producer Paul Knight guided me as to what I should do and what they needed from me. If I went to pitch a story to them, they would embrace it and move it on in a better direction. Kip's notes weren't confrontational, they were always helpful and inspirational. He taught me how to get into a scene and how to get out of it; about cutting and pace. He was my starting point – I listened to him.

I wasn't really aware of Richard before I worked for him. He'd written Catweazle – a children's programme starring Geoffrey Bayldon as an 11th- century time-travelling magician – which I watched as a teenager, and his work always had his own stamp on it, but unless you are Paul Abbott or Steven Moffat, the writer is not the person the viewer notices.

I never worked with Kip after Robin of Sherwood; there was never another show that needed us both as writers at the same time. I haven't been in touch with him for many years. But he was such a bundle of energy that even though he must be getting on for 80 now, I doubt there's much question of him retiring from writing.