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{{Short description|English comedy writer (born 1930)}}
{{other people}}
{{other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date= January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date= January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox writer
{{Infobox person
| name = Royston Clarke
| name = Roy Clarke
|honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|country=GBR|OBE}}
| image =
| residence = [[Goole]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| image =
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name = Royston Clarke
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1930|1|28|90
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1930|1|28}}<ref name="researcha">
}}<ref name="researcha">
[http://web.researcha.com/iccquery/detail/?did=6285914&c=uk Researcha]{{Full citation needed|date=August 2012}}</ref>
[http://web.researcha.com/iccquery/detail/?did=6285914&c=uk Researcha]{{Full citation needed|date=August 2012}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Austerfield]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| birth_place = [[Austerfield]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| nationality = British
| occupation = [[Screenwriter|Scriptwriter]]
| period = 1968–present
| occupation = TV screenwriter
| genre = Television
| years_active = 1968–present
| notable_works = {{nowrap|''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' (1973–2010)<br>''[[Open All Hours]]'' (1976–1985)<br>''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'' (1990–1995)<br>''[[Still Open All Hours]]'' (2013–2019)}}
| subject = [[Sitcom]], comedy
| spouse = Enid Kitching
| notableworks = {{nowrap|''[[The Misfit (TV series)|The Misfit]]'' (1970–71)<br>''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' (1973–2010)<br>''[[Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt]]'' (1974)<br>''[[Rosie (TV series)|The Growing Pains of PC Penrose]]'' (1975)<br>''[[Open All Hours]]'' (1973, 1976–85)<br>''[[Rosie (TV series)|Rosie]]'' (1977–81)<br>''[[Potter (TV series)|Potter]]'' (1979–83)<br>''[[The Magnificent Evans]]'' (1984) <br> ''[[The Clairvoyant (TV series)|The Clairvoyant]]'' (1986) <br>''[[Pulaski (TV series)|Pulaski]]'' (1987)<br>''[[First of the Summer Wine]]'' (1988–89)<br>''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'' (1990–95)<br>''[[The Wanderer (1994 TV series)|The Wanderer]]'' (1994)<br>''[[Ain't Misbehavin' (TV series)|Ain't Misbehavin']]'' (1994–95)<br>''[[Still Open All Hours]]'' (2013–present)}}<br>''[[Young Hyacinth]]'' (2016)
}}
}}


'''Royston Clarke''' [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (born 28 January 1930), usually known as '''Roy Clarke''', is an English comedy writer best known for creating the [[sitcom]]s ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'', ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'', ''[[Open All Hours]]'' and its sequel series, ''[[Still Open All Hours]]''.
'''Royston Clarke''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 28 January 1930) is an English comedy writer best known for creating the [[sitcom]]s ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'', ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'', ''[[Open All Hours]]'' and its sequel series, ''[[Still Open All Hours]]''.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Clarke was born in [[Austerfield]] in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]]. His jobs before becoming a writer included teacher, policeman, taxi driver, salesman and he was a soldier in the [[Royal Corps of Signals]] of the [[British Army]].<ref name=screen>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1368813/index.html Roy Clark at screenonline]. Retrieved 25 January 2015</ref>
Clarke was born in [[Austerfield]], then in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]]. He was, in the words of his ''[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]]'' entry, educated "badly during World War II".<ref>{{Who's Who | title = CLARKE, Roy | id = U11119 | volume = 2024 | edition = online}}</ref> His jobs before becoming a writer included a teacher, a policeman, a taxi driver and a salesman, in addition to being a soldier in the [[Royal Corps of Signals]] of the [[British Army]].<ref name=screen>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1368813/index.html Roy Clark at screenonline]. Retrieved 25 January 2015</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
In the late 1960s Clarke wrote thrillers for BBC Radio. The first in January 1968, ''The 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb'', featured [[Peter Coke]], [[Ben Kingsley]], [[Bob Grant (actor)|Bob Grant]] and [[Anne Stallybrass]]. A couple of months later. ''The Events at Black Tor'' was a police thriller which also featured Bob Grant along with [[James Beck]].
In the late 1960s, Clarke wrote thrillers for BBC Radio. The first in January 1968, ''The 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb'', featured [[Peter Coke]], [[Ben Kingsley]], [[Bob Grant (actor)|Bob Grant]] and [[Anne Stallybrass]]. A couple of months later, Clarke wrote ''The Events at Black Tor'', which was a police thriller which also featured Bob Grant, along with [[James Beck]].


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 (actor)|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.<ref name=mirror>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/last-of-the-summer-wine-creator-roy-244156 Roy Clarke Interview at Mirror News]. Retrieved 26 January 2015</ref>
Clarke was the sole writer of the long-running ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'', which at its peak had an audience of over 18 million viewers. It featured [[Bill Owen (actor)|Bill Owen]], [[Peter Sallis]], [[Brian Wilde]], [[Kathy Staff]] and Dame [[Thora Hird]] in leading roles. While Clarke was not involved in casting, he wrote the character named Clegg with Sallis specifically in mind.<ref name=mirror>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/last-of-the-summer-wine-creator-roy-244156 Roy Clarke Interview at Mirror News]. Retrieved 26 January 2015</ref>
Clarke also wrote a prequel to the series, ''[[First of the Summer Wine]]''.


He also wrote a prequel, ''[[First of the Summer Wine]]'', ''[[The Misfit (TV series)|The Misfit]]'', starring [[Ronald Fraser (actor)|Ronald Fraser]]; ''[[Open All Hours]]'', starring [[Ronnie Barker]] and [[David Jason]]; ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'', starring [[Patricia Routledge]]; and ''[[Ain't Misbehavin' (TV series)|Ain't Misbehavin']]''.
Other credits are: ''[[The Misfit (TV series)|The Misfit]]'', starring [[Ronald Fraser (actor)|Ronald Fraser]]; ''[[Open All Hours]]'', starring [[Ronnie Barker]] and [[David Jason]]; ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'', starring [[Patricia Routledge]]; ''[[Ain't Misbehavin' (TV series)|Ain't Misbehavin']].'' He created and wrote the short-lived fantasy drama, ''[[The Wanderer (1994 TV series)|''The Wanderer'']]'' starring [[Bryan Brown]], for [[Sky One]].
In 1974, he created the sitcom ''[[Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt]]'' from an idea by its star [[Bill Maynard]].<ref name="Stand Up">{{cite book |last1=Maynard |first1=Bill |last2=Sheard |first2=John |title=Stand Up... And Be Counted |date=1997 |publisher=Breedon Books |isbn=1-85983-080-3 |edition=1st |url= https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1160797.Stand_Up_And_Be_Counted |access-date=4 March 2023}}</ref> He wrote the pilot episode, but left to be replaced by [[Alan Plater]] when the programme went to series.<ref name="Stand Up"/> [[Rosie (TV series)|''Rosie'']] with [[Paul Greenwood]] was broadcast from 1977 to 1981.


He created and wrote the short-lived fantasy drama, [[The Wanderer (1994 TV series)|''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 worked in film penning the screenplay to Hawks (1988)<ref>{{cite book|title=Radio Times guide to film 2016|date=2015|publisher=Radio Times|location=London|isbn=9780992936426|page=552}}</ref> and he wrote the acclaimed drama ''[[A Foreign Field]]'' (1993).<ref>{{cite web|title=Roy Clarke (1930-)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1368813/index.html|website=BFI Screenline|accessdate=5 June 2016}}</ref>
Clarke has worked in film, penning the screenplay to ''[[Hawks (film)|Hawks]]'' (1988).<ref>{{cite book|title=Radio Times guide to film 2016|date=2015|publisher=Radio Times|location=London|isbn=9780992936426|page=552}}</ref> He also wrote the well-received drama ''[[A Foreign Field]]'' (1993).<ref>{{cite web|title=Roy Clarke (1930-)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1368813/index.html|website=BFI Screenline|access-date=5 June 2016}}</ref>


In 1994, Clarke was granted the Freedom of the Borough of Doncaster; the highest honour the Council can bestow.
⚫
In 2003, Clarke adapted his ''Last of the Summer Wine'' chronicle ''The Moonbather'' for a world premiere performance at the Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club.<ref>{{cite web | title= Little Theatre Club Chronology | publisher= Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club | url= http://www.littletheatreclub.com/code/ltchistory.htm | accessdate= 23 July 2007}}</ref>
In 2002, he received an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] for his contribution to British comedy.


⚫
In 2003, Clarke adapted his ''Last of the Summer Wine'' chronicle ''The Moonbather'' for a world premiere performance at the Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club.<ref>{{cite web | title= Little Theatre Club Chronology | publisher= Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club | url= http://www.littletheatreclub.com/code/ltchistory.htm | access-date= 23 July 2007}}</ref>
In 2002, he received an [[Order of the British Empire|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]].


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 six series have been broadcast.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25963719|title=Still Open All Hours commissioned for full series|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=30 January 2014|accessdate=31 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jan/30/bbc-still-open-all-hours-david-jason|title=BBC commissions full series of Still Open All Hours|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=30 January 2014|accessdate=31 January 2014}}</ref>


⚫
In 2013, he resurrected ''Open All Hours'' for a sequel series, ''[[Still Open All Hours]]'' starring [[David Jason]]. Six series were broadcast.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25963719|title=Still Open All Hours commissioned for full series|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=30 January 2014|access-date=31 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jan/30/bbc-still-open-all-hours-david-jason|title=BBC commissions full series of Still Open All Hours|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=30 January 2014|access-date=31 January 2014}}</ref>
⚫
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/sitcomseason/young-hyacinth|title=Young Hyacinth|date=17 August 2016|publisher=BBC Media Centre|accessdate=22 August 2016}}</ref>

⚫
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/sitcomseason/young-hyacinth|title=Young Hyacinth|date=17 August 2016|publisher=BBC Media Centre|access-date=22 August 2016}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
[[Image:HortonRounds.jpg|right|thumb|Horton Rounds - the house on a circle]]
[[Image:HortonRounds.jpg|right|thumb|Horton Rounds - the house on a circle]]
Clarke resides in rural [[Goole]] in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]] with his wife, Enid Kitching.<ref name="researcha" /> For some years he owned [[Horton Rounds]] in Northamptonshire, a Grade II listed house designed by the Northamptonshire architect [[Arthur A. J. Marshman]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1407987|desc=Horton Rounds and associated steps, walls and lamp posts|accessdate=10 November 2019}}</ref>
Clarke resided in rural [[Goole]] in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]] with his wife, Enid Kitching.<ref name="researcha" /> For some years he owned [[Horton Rounds]] in Northamptonshire, a [[Grade II listed]] house designed by the Northamptonshire architect [[Arthur A. J. Marshman]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1407987|desc=Horton Rounds and associated steps, walls and lamp posts|access-date=10 November 2019}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
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==External links==
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0164983|name=Roy Clarke}}
*{{IMDb name|0164983}}


{{Roy Clarke}}
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[[Category:People from the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster]]
[[Category:English male television writers]]
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[[Category:English television writers]]
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[[Category:Royal Corps of Signals soldiers]]

Latest revision as of 18:04, 20 July 2024

For other people named Roy Clarke, see Roy Clarke (disambiguation).

Roy Clarke
OBE
Born
Royston Clarke

(1930-01-28) 28 January 1930 (age 94)[1]
Austerfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationTV screenwriter
Years active1968–present
Notable workLast of the Summer Wine (1973–2010)
Open All Hours (1976–1985)
Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995)
Still Open All Hours (2013–2019)
SpouseEnid Kitching

Royston 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

[edit]

Clarke was born in Austerfield, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was, in the words of his Who's Who entry, educated "badly during World War II".[2] His jobs before becoming a writer included a teacher, a policeman, a taxi driver and a salesman, in addition to being a soldier in the Royal Corps of Signals of the British Army.[3]

Career

[edit]

In the late 1960s, Clarke wrote thrillers for BBC Radio. The first in January 1968, The 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb, featured Peter Coke, Ben Kingsley, Bob Grant and Anne Stallybrass. A couple of months later, Clarke wrote The Events at Black Tor, which was a police thriller which also featured Bob Grant, along with James Beck.

Clarke was the sole writer of the long-running Last of the Summer Wine, which at its peak had an audience of over 18 million viewers. It featured Bill Owen, Peter Sallis, Brian Wilde, Kathy Staff and Dame Thora Hird in leading roles. While Clarke was not involved in casting, he wrote the character named Clegg with Sallis specifically in mind.[4] Clarke also wrote a prequel to the series, First of the Summer Wine.

Other credits are: The Misfit, starring Ronald Fraser; Open All Hours, starring Ronnie Barker and David Jason; Keeping Up Appearances, starring Patricia Routledge; Ain't Misbehavin'. He created and wrote the short-lived fantasy drama, The Wanderer starring Bryan Brown, for Sky One. In 1974, he created the sitcom Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt from an idea by its star Bill Maynard.[5] He wrote the pilot episode, but left to be replaced by Alan Plater when the programme went to series.[5] Rosie with Paul Greenwood was broadcast from 1977 to 1981.

Clarke has worked in film, penning the screenplay to Hawks (1988).[6] He also wrote the well-received drama A Foreign Field (1993).[7]

In 1994, Clarke was granted the Freedom of the Borough of Doncaster; the highest honour the Council can bestow. In 2002, he received an OBE for his contribution to British comedy.

In 2003, Clarke adapted his Last of the Summer Wine chronicle The Moonbather for a world premiere performance at the Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club.[8]

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. Six series were broadcast.[9][10]

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.[11]

Personal life

[edit]
Horton Rounds - the house on a circle

Clarke resided in rural Goole in the East Riding of Yorkshire with his wife, Enid Kitching.[1] For some years he owned Horton Rounds in Northamptonshire, a Grade II listed house designed by the Northamptonshire architect Arthur A. J. Marshman.[12]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Researcha[full citation needed]
  2. ^ "CLARKE, Roy". Who's Who. Vol. 2024 (online ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ Roy Clark at screenonline. Retrieved 25 January 2015
  4. ^ Roy Clarke Interview at Mirror News. Retrieved 26 January 2015
  5. ^ a b Maynard, Bill; Sheard, John (1997). Stand Up... And Be Counted (1st ed.). Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-080-3. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  6. ^ Radio Times guide to film 2016. London: Radio Times. 2015. p. 552. ISBN 9780992936426.
  7. ^ "Roy Clarke (1930-)". BFI Screenline. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Little Theatre Club Chronology". Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  9. ^ "Still Open All Hours commissioned for full series". BBC News. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  10. ^ "BBC commissions full series of Still Open All Hours". The Guardian. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Young Hyacinth". BBC Media Centre. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  12. ^ Historic England. "Horton Rounds and associated steps, walls and lamp posts (1407987)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
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