Roy Clarke
| Roy Clarke OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born |
28 January 1930[1] Austerfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Scriptwriter |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1968–present |
| Genre | Television |
| Subject | Sitcom, comedy |
| Notable works |
The Misfit (1970–71) Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010) The Growing Pains of PC Penrose (1975) Open All Hours (1973, 1976–85) Rosie (1977–81) Potter (1979–83) The Magnificent Evans (1984) Mann's Best Friends (1985) First of the Summer Wine (1988–89) Keeping Up Appearances (1990–95) The Wanderer (1994) Ain't Misbehavin' (1994–95) Still Open All Hours (2013–present) Young Hyacinth (2016) |
Roy Clarke OBE (born 28 January 1930) is an English comedy writer best known for creating the sitcoms Last of the Summer Wine, Keeping Up Appearances, Open All Hours and its sequel series, Still Open All Hours.
Early life
Clarke was born in Austerfield, West Riding of Yorkshire. His jobs before becoming a writer included teacher, policeman, taxi driver, salesman and also soldier in the Royal Corps of Signals of the British Army.[2]
Career
Clarke was the sole writer of Last of the Summer Wine, which at its peak had over 18 million viewers. During its long run it featured Bill Owen, Peter Sallis, Brian Wilde, Kathy Staff and Dame Thora Hird in leading roles. Clarke was not involved in casting the actors, but he wrote the character named Clegg with Sallis specifically in mind.[3]
He also wrote a prequel, First of the Summer Wine, as well as The Misfit, starring Ronald Fraser; Open All Hours, starring Ronnie Barker and David Jason; Keeping Up Appearances, starring Patricia Routledge; and Ain't Misbehavin.
He created and wrote the short-lived fantasy drama, The Wanderer starring Bryan Brown, for Sky One. He also created the sitcom Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt! in 1974, writing the pilot episode, though Alan Plater wrote the eventual series. Clarke has also worked in film penning the screenplay to Hawks (1988)[4] and he wrote the acclaimed drama A Foreign Field (1993).[5]
In 2003, Clarke adapted his Last of the Summer Wine chronicle The Moonbather for a world premiere performance at the Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club.[6]
He received an OBE for his contribution to British comedy. In 1994, Clarke was granted the Freedom of the Borough of Doncaster; the highest honour the Council can bestow. He was awarded the lifetime achievement award at the 2010 British Comedy Awards.
In 2013, he resurrected Open All Hours for a sequel series, Still Open All Hours starring David Jason. So far two series have been broadcast, with a third currently in the works.[7][8]
In 2016, he created a prequel to Keeping Up Appearances titled Young Hyacinth. The one-off episode premiered on 2 September 2016 on BBC One.[9]
Personal life
He currently resides in rural Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire.[1] For some years he owned Horton Rounds in Northamptonshire, a Grade II listed house designed by Northamptonshire architect Arthur AJ Marshman.
See also
References
- 1 2 Researcha
- ↑ Roy Clark at screenonline. Retrieved 25 January 2015
- ↑ Roy Clarke Interview at Mirror News. Retrieved 26 January 2015
- ↑ Radio Times guide to film 2016. London: Radio Times. 2015. p. 552. ISBN 9780992936426.
- ↑ "Roy Clarke (1930-)". BFI Screenline. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ↑ "Little Theatre Club Chronology". Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
- ↑ "Still Open All Hours commissioned for full series". BBC News. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ↑ "BBC commissions full series of Still Open All Hours". The Guardian. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ↑ "Young Hyacinth". BBC Media Centre. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.