John Elliot (author)
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John Elliot | |
---|---|
Born | Castle Hill, England | 4 July 1918
Died | 14 August 1997 Clifton, England | (aged 79)
Occupation | Screenwriter and television producer. |
Period | 1954–1993 |
Genre | Drama, adventure, science fiction |
Spouse | Elizabeth Haynes (m. 1945) |
Children | two daughters, and one son (deceased) |
John Herbert Elliot (4 July 1918 – 14 August 1997) was a British novelist, screenwriter, director, and television producer[1] active from 1954 to 1993. Between 1954 and 1960, he scripted a succession of one-off television plays including War in the Air and A Man from the Sun.[2][3] A Man from the Sun was a pioneering work aimed at a West Indian audience.[4] In 1961, he collaborated with astronomer Fred Hoyle to write the groundbreaking TV science fiction serial, A For Andromeda. The success of A For Andromeda prompted a sequel, The Andromeda Breakthrough, in 1962.[5]
Following Andromeda, Elliot wrote more one-off plays for the BBC. He resigned from the corporation in 1963, though he would later work with them again, producing a concept for the 1965 drama series Mogul (renamed. The Troubleshooters from the second series) and later being credited as a writer on various episodes of the show.[6]
His other works include programs such as Fall of Eagles and Survival, as well as novels, namely Duel and Blood Upon the Snow. He additionally worked with Fred Hoyle to produce novelisations of A For Andromeda and "The Andromeda Breakthrough".[7]
Writing credits
[edit]Production | Notes | Broadcaster |
---|---|---|
War in the Air |
|
BBC1 |
A Man from the Sun |
|
BBC1 |
Television Playwright |
|
BBC1 |
Who Pays the Piper? |
|
BBC1 |
BBC Sunday-Night Play |
|
BBC1 |
They Met in a City |
|
BBC1 |
A for Andromeda |
|
BBC1 |
The Andromeda Breakthrough |
|
BBC1 |
Maigret |
|
BBC1 |
First Night |
|
BBC1 |
Love Story |
|
ITV |
Z-Cars |
|
BBC1 |
Mogul |
|
BBC1 |
Rainbow City |
|
BBC1 |
A Stranger on the Hills |
|
BBC1 |
BBC Play of the Month |
|
BBC1 |
Brett |
|
BBC1 |
Play for Today |
|
BBC1 |
The Shadow of the Tower |
|
BBC2 |
Shelley |
|
BBC2 |
The Fox |
|
BBC2 |
Fall of Eagles |
|
BBC1 |
The Double Dealers |
|
BBC2 |
The Madness |
|
BBC2 |
According to Hoyle |
|
BBC2 |
A Life at Stake |
|
BBC |
Spy! |
|
BBC1 |
Escape |
|
BBC2 |
The Brack Report |
|
ITV |
Natural World |
|
BBC |
Flying for Fun: An Affair with an Aeroplane |
|
BBC1 |
A Chance to Dance |
|
ITV |
A for Andromeda |
|
BBC |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Year | Award | Work | Category | Result | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Society of Film and Television Arts Awards | Television | Special | Won | |
1971 | British Academy Television Awards | The Troubleshooters | Shell International Award | Won |
Books by John Elliot
[edit]- A for Andromeda (with Fred Hoyle), 1962, Souvenir Press, ISBN 978-0-285-63588-3
- Andromeda Breakthrough (with Fred Hoyle), 1964, Souvenir Press; 1966, Corgi Books
- MOGUL: The Making of a Myth, 1970, Barrie & Jenkins
Further reading
[edit]- MacKenzie, S. (2006), "War in the Air : Churchill, the Air Ministry and the BBC response to Victory at Sea", Contemporary British History
References
[edit]- ^ "John Elliot". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
- ^ "The Fated Sky, War in the Air". BBC.
- ^ "Obituary: John Elliot". Independent.co.uk. 22 August 1997.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Man From The Sun, A (1956)". screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: A For Andromeda (1961)". screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Mogul/Troubleshooters, The (1965-72)". screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ NA, NA (5 March 2016). Writers Directory. Springer. ISBN 9781349036509 – via Google Books.
External links
[edit]- John Elliot at IMDb
- Obituary: John Elliot in The Independent
- "The British Entertainment History Project | John Elliot |". historyproject.org.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2022.