 Hudson first worked on Doctor Who in 1978, and (after being briefly reallocated to Blake's 7 later that year) became "de facto" principal costume designer on the series in 1979, a position which was formalized in 1980.Her opulent costumes for her first two productions, The Ribos Operation (1978) and The Creature from the Pit (1979) won praise from the producer, Graham Williams, who requested Hudson's allocation for at least two further productions in the 1979-80 recording block.In 1980, on the strength of her success at producing lavish effects on a limited budget, incoming producer (and former production unit manager) John Nathan-Turner asked Hudson to be sole costume designer for the show's eighteenth season.