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Francis Essex (24 March 1929 – 5 March 2009) was a
British television and stage producer,
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
and
composer. Essex's career spanned several decades during which he worked for several TV production companies. His jobs included: Light Entertainment Producer for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
channel in the UK from 1954 to 1960; Senior Producer for the ATV (
Associated Television
Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and ...
) Network from 1960 to 1965; Controller of Programmes at
Scottish Television
Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is th ...
from 1965 to 1969; Network Production Controller at ATV from 1969 to 1976; Member of the ATV Board of Directors from 1974; Director of Production at ATV from 1976 to 1981 and Chairman of the
ITV Children's Network Committee from 1976 to 1981.
Essex's numerous works for the theatre include ''Bells of St Martins'' at the
St Martin's Theatre in 1953, which he wrote and presented. He also devised and directed ''Six of One'' at the
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
in 1964, and was the author of ''
Jolson The Musical'' at the
Victoria Palace Theatre
The Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station. The structure is categorised as a Grade II* listed building.
History Origins
The theatre began life as a small conc ...
in 1995. Essex's scripts include; ''The Gentle Flame'' (for
Julie Andrews), ''The Shillingbury Blowers'' (for
Trevor Howard
Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...
), ''Quincy's Quest'' (for
Tommy Steele
Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.
After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...
), ''The Shillingbury Tales'' (series), the ''Cuffry'' series (for
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over seven decades.
During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Groun ...
) and "The Silent Scream
IMDb - The Silent Screamin the series ''
Hammer House of Horror
''Hammer House of Horror'' is a British television series made in 1980. An anthology series created by Hammer Films in association with Cinema Arts International and ITC Entertainment, it consists of 13 hour-long episodes, originally broadca ...
''. His numerous musical scores include ''Luke's Kingdom'', ''The Seas Must Live'' and ''The Lightning Tree''. Essex was also the author of the ''
Shillingbury Tales''
imdb.com (1983), ''Skerrymor Bay'' (1984) and the children's film ''
Gabrielle and the Doodleman''.
His awards and accreditations include: Fellow,
Royal Television Society;
BAFTA Light Entertainment Award, 1964; Leonard Brett Award, 1964 and 1981; and the
Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical 1996 for ''Jolson The Musical''.
Essex married Jeanne Shires in 1956; the couple had two sons, Martin and Stephen (deceased). Three grandchildren Martine Gillies & two grandsons
Selected filmography
Music
* ''
My Wife's Lodger
''My Wife's Lodger'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Dominic Roche, Olive Sloane and Leslie Dwyer. The screenplay concerns a who soldier returns home after the Second World War only to find a spiv lodger has e ...
'' (1952)
References
Producer, Director and Writer A Personal Anthology
External links
*
Obituary in ''The Times''Obituary in ''The Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essex, Francis
1929 births
2009 deaths
English composers
English male screenwriters
English television producers
Laurence Olivier Award winners
People from Brentwood, Essex
20th-century English screenwriters