Harry Driver
Harry Driver | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 1931 Blackley, Manchester, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 25 November 1973 (aged 42) Guildford, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Scriptwriter, Executive producer |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1960-1973 |
| Genre | Television |
Harry Driver[1] (13 May 1931 – 25 November 1973) was a British television scriptwriter and executive producer, best known for his partership with Vince Powell on many popular television shows, they were two of Britain's greatest comedy writing teams of the 1960s and 1970s. Some of their projects included: Coronation Street, Adam Adamant Lives!, Never Mind The Quality Feel The Width, Love Thy Neighbour, Bless This House and Nearest and Dearest.
Biography
According to the BFI Screenonline, "in December 1955 Driver was struck down with polio. He would spend the next 18 months in hospital (12 of them in an iron lung), and, unable to move his arms and legs, the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Despite, or indeed because of, his illness, Driver began to write stories and scripts, initially when in the iron lung (via dictation) and then on a typewriter, apparently with a knitting needle clenched between his teeth.
Submitting scripts to Manchester-based Granada Television, he eventually had one accepted, receiving his first television credit not for a comedy, but for the 24 March 1960 episode of Skyport (ITV, 1959-60), an airport-set drama series. Powell, meanwhile, had also turned his hand to writing and had begun to collaborate with Driver during the evenings (he was a tailor by trade during the day)." [2] creating his first major success with "Here's Harry", mainly collaborated with also Frank Roscoe.
Personal life
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1969 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews. He died aged just 42 on 25 November, 1973.
References
- ^ John Oliver "Driver, Harry (1931-1973) and Powell, Vince (1928-2009)", BFI Screenonline, 2010
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Driver, Harry (1931-1973) and Powell, Vince (1928-2009) Biography". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
External links
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