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Playwright and screenwriter Alan Plater has died from cancer at the age of 75.
Plater, whose credits include 'Z Cars', was born in Jarrow on Tyneside, and grew up and spent his adult life in Hull, qualifying as an architect before turning to writing.
His breakthrough came with 'Z Cars', and he went on to write more than 200 scripts and plays, his original work ranging from the Bill Maynard comedy vehicle 'Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggit!' to 'The Beiderbecke Trilogy', which foregrounded Plater’s love of jazz music, and Last Of The Blonde Bombshells', which saw Judi Dench recapturing her wartime youth as a Big Band saxophonist.
A gifted adapter of other people’s work, Plater produced memorable scripts for 'The Barchester Chronicles', 'The Good Companions', 'Fortunes Of War' and 'A Very British Coup'.
A new production for ITV1, 'Joe Maddison’s War', will be broadcast later this year.
He was instrumental in bringing the well-received 'Flambards' to television and latterly contributed to 'Dalziel and Pascoe', and Inspector Morse spin-off, 'Lewis'.
A theatre play, 'Peggy For You', based on the life of his former agent Peggy Ramsay, was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 2001.
President of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain from 1991-95, he received a CBE for services to drama in 2004.
Posted: 6/25/10 at 9:52am
Playwright and screenwriter Alan Plater has died from cancer at the age of 75.
Plater, whose credits include 'Z Cars', was born in Jarrow on Tyneside, and grew up and spent his adult life in Hull, qualifying as an architect before turning to writing.
His breakthrough came with 'Z Cars', and he went on to write more than 200 scripts and plays, his original work ranging from the Bill Maynard comedy vehicle 'Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggit!' to 'The Beiderbecke Trilogy', which foregrounded Plater’s love of jazz music, and Last Of The Blonde Bombshells', which saw Judi Dench recapturing her wartime youth as a Big Band saxophonist.
A gifted adapter of other people’s work, Plater produced memorable scripts for 'The Barchester Chronicles', 'The Good Companions', 'Fortunes Of War' and 'A Very British Coup'.
A new production for ITV1, 'Joe Maddison’s War', will be broadcast later this year.
He was instrumental in bringing the well-received 'Flambards' to television and latterly contributed to 'Dalziel and Pascoe', and Inspector Morse spin-off, 'Lewis'.
A theatre play, 'Peggy For You', based on the life of his former agent Peggy Ramsay, was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 2001.
President of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain from 1991-95, he received a CBE for services to drama in 2004.
