Denis Ian Goodwin (19 July 1929 – 26 February 1975) was a radio and television comedy

scriptwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

and actor, best known for his writing partnership with

Bob Monkhouse Robert Alan Monkhouse (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was an English comedian, writer and actor. He was the host of television game shows including ''The Golden Shot'', '' Celebrity Squares'', '' Family Fortunes'' and '' ''Wipeout'. Ear ...

, with whom he also compèred the ''Smash Hits'' programme on

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

. Goodwin was born in London and attended

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school for Single-sex education, boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a Public school (United Kingdom), public school, it began as the Col ...

at the same time as Monkhouse, although there is no evidence that the two met at school. In 1944, his father Laurence Goodwin was killed by a

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...

("doodlebug") while waiting at a bus stop in South London. In 1948, while working at a department store, Goodwin approached Monkhouse and they formed a writing and comedy partnership that lasted for fourteen years. Goodwin and Monkhouse wrote scripts for comedians such as

Derek Roy Derek Leonard Roy (born May 4, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators and the Edmont ...

, Ted Ray and

Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey, (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation ...

. Eventually they were given their own television series, ''Fast and Loose'' (1954), which they co-wrote and in which they both appeared. However, Goodwin lacked Monkhouse's talent for improvisation and was less assured as a performer. His creative partnership with Monkhouse gradually disintegrated and finally came to an end in 1962 when he was offered work in the US on

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

's gag writing team. However, Goodwin was unable to cope with the fast-paced life in America and returned to England. After returning to the UK he was the scriptwriter for ''

Bright's Boffins ''Bright's Boffins'' was a British children's television comedy about a team of eccentric inventors working for the British Government. It starred Alexander Doré as Group Captain Bertram Bright (referred to as "The Groupie" by his colleagues), " ...

'' (1970) and in 1974 wrote shows for

Max Bygraves Walter William Bygraves (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012), best known by the stage name Max Bygraves (adopted in honour of Max Miller), was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, s ...

and David Frost. He was married twice: his first marriage was to Barbara (1956) with whom he had two children — Jeremy (1958) and Suki (1960). They

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

d in 1967 and in 1971 he married Jane Cappleman. In 1968, he was convicted of

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

from a West End shop and fined £70.'I'm Flabbergasted Says Fined Goodwin'. Daily Mail, November 6th 1968 In 1975, Goodwin committed suicide by means of an overdose of sleeping tablets, aged 45.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Denis 1929 births 1975 suicides English television writers English comedy writers People educated at Dulwich College Drug-related suicides in England 20th-century English male actors British male television writers 20th-century English screenwriters