Harry Driver | |
---|---|
Born | Blackley, Manchester, England, United Kingdom | 13 May 1931
Died | 25 November 1973 Guildford, Surrey, England, United Kingdom | (aged 42)
Occupation | Scriptwriter, executive producer |
Period | 1960–1973 |
Genre | Television |
Harry Driver[1] (13 May 1931 – 25 November 1973) was a British television scriptwriter and executive producer. He is best remembered for his partnership with Vince Powell on comedy television programmes including Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width, Nearest and Dearest, Bless This House and Love Thy Neighbour.
Biography
[edit]Driver formed an amateur comedy act with Vince Powell known as Hammond and Powell, which performed in the Northern club circuit by night, whilst working as a trainee manager with Marks and Spencer department stores by day. Driver developed polio in December 1955. According to the BFI Screenonline, he spent "the next 18 months in hospital (12 of them in an iron lung), and, unable to move his arms and legs, he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair." Ironically it was this which spurred him into his successful writing career. 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."[1]
Driver began sending scripts to Granada Television, one of his submissions was eventually accepted. He received his first television credit for an episode of Skyport (1959–60), a drama set in an airport broadcast on 24 March 1960. His former performing partner, Vince Powell, meanwhile, had also turned his hand to writing and had begun to collaborate with Driver.[1] Their first major success was Here's Harry, written with Frank Roscoe followed by a spell contributing material for comedian Harry Worth, before providing scripts and storylines for Coronation Street. and together the pair became one of Britain's greatest comedy teams of the 1960s, writing television sitcoms such as Nearest and Dearest, George and the Dragon and For the Love of Ada.
Personal life
[edit]He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1969 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews. He died aged 42 on 25 November 1973.[1]
Writing credits
[edit]Production | Notes | Broadcaster/Distributor |
---|---|---|
Skyport |
|
ITV |
Here's Harry |
|
BBC 1 |
Coronation Street |
|
ITV |
De Laatste Trein |
|
VARA |
Bulldog Breed |
|
ITV |
De Rally |
|
VARA |
Bootsie and Snudge |
|
ITV |
The Odd Man |
|
ITV |
Comedy Playhouse |
|
BBC One |
The Villains |
|
ITV |
Taxi! |
|
BBC One |
Pardon the Expression |
|
ITV |
Adam Adamant Lives! |
|
BBC 1 |
George and the Dragon |
|
ITV |
That's Show Business |
|
ITV |
Armchair Theatre |
|
ITV |
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width |
|
ABC Television/Thames Television ITV |
Best of Enemies |
|
ITV |
Nearest and Dearest |
|
ITV |
Two in Clover |
|
ITV |
For the Love of Ada |
|
ITV |
Bless This House |
|
ITV |
Mike and Bernie |
|
ITV |
Love Thy Neighbour |
|
ITV |
Spring & Autumn |
|
ITV |
All Star Comedy Carnival |
|
ITV |
For the Love of Ada |
|
Tigon British Film Productions |
Cheap at Half the Price |
|
ITV |
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width |
|
|
Love Thy Neighbour |
|
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Oliver, John. "Driver, Harry (1931–1973) and Powell, Vince (1928–2009)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
External links
[edit]- Harry Driver at IMDb
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