Geoffrey John Atherden , credited also as Geoff Atherden, is an Australian television

screenwriter 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. ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, especially of comedy. He is best known for creating the sitcom ''

Mother and Son ''Mother and Son'' is an Australian television sitcom that was broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) from 16 January 1984 until 21 March 1994. The show stars Ruth Cracknell, Garry McDonald, Henri Szeps and Judy Morris. It ...

''.

Early life and education

Atherden attended the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in the 1960s. He trained as an architect.

Architectural career

Atherden practised as an architect until he was in his mid-thirties. He worked for the architectural firm of McConnel Smith & Johnson, and was responsible for designing the Law Courts building in

Queen's Square, Sydney Queen's Square is a public square in central Sydney, Australia. The square is located at the junction of King Street with Phillip Street and Macquarie Street. It is bounded on the south by St James Road and Prince Albert Road. Description A ...

Writing career

In 1969, the founders of

Producers Authors Composers and Talent The PACT Centre for Emerging Artists (short for "Producers Artists Curators Technicians Centre for Emerging Artists"), formerly Producers Authors Composers and Talent and PACT Youth Theatre, is an Australian performing arts organisation and theat ...

(now PACT Centre for Emerging Artists) attended a Sydney University Architecture Revue, with sets by Atherden and

Grahame Bond Grahame John Bond AM (born 21 November 1943) is an Australian actor, writer, director, musician and composer, known primarily for his role as Aunty Jack. Early career Bond began his career in entertainment at University of Sydney in the 1960s ...

, and invited Bond, Atherden,

Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born August 21, 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He's known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), ''Gallipoli'' (1981), ''Witness ...

and his friend, composer Peter Best, a chance to do a show at the

National Art School The National Art School (NAS) is a tertiary level art school, located in , an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school is an independent accredited higher education provider offering specialised study in studio arts p ...

's Cellblock Theatre. Sir

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE ( Helpman, 9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet ( ...

saw the show and took it to the

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

, and soon afterwards Weir and Best were commissioned to write a Christmas special TV show for

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

, called ''Man on a Green Bike''. Atherden was later a contributor to ''

The Aunty Jack Show ''The Aunty Jack Show'' was a Logie Award-winning Australian television comedy series that ran from 1972 to 1973. Produced by and broadcast on ABC-TV, the series attained an instant cult status that persists to the present day. The lead chara ...

'', which starred Bond. He was script editor on a four-part sketch series, ''Jokes'', which ran on ABC-TV in early 1979. In the middle of the same year he scripted a seven-part comedy, ''One-Day Miller''. In 1981 he was writer on the series ''Ratbags'' (1981) and the soap opera ''Sons and Daughters'' the following year. In 1976, Atherden designed sets for the rock opera ''Hero'', produced by Bond. Atherden has written a number of plays. Prior to working in television he wrote ''Balloon Dubloon'' – the revue in 1965 and theatre show in 1970. He then concentrated on screenwriting, but continuing in writing for theatre again from 1994 onwards, including ''Hotspur'' (1994) and ''Black Cockatoo'' (2020). He is perhaps best known for creating and writing the sitcom ''

'', which ran for over 10 years (January 1984 to March 1994). Other work includes the comedy-drama ''

Grass Roots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

'' and the

mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...

'' BabaKiueria''.

Other roles

Atherden served as the president of

Australian Writers' Guild The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) is the professional association for Australian performance writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962. The AWG is a member of the Australian Council of ...

and

Australian Writers' Foundation Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

. In 2016, Atherden joined the Screenrights Board, which licenses secondary users of broadcast content, along with other secondary functions. He has also served two terms on the board of

Screen NSW ---> Screen NSW, formerly known as the New South Wales Film and Television Office, or FTO, and before that the New South Wales Film Corporation, is a brand name that is part of Create NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales that is ...

Recognition and awards

Atherden was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

on 26 January 2009, "For service to the television industry as a scriptwriter, and to the advancement of writers for performance through executive roles with professional organisations.". ''Mother and Son'' won several awards.

Television scripts

Selected theatre

References

External links

*
Geoffrey Atherden
at Australian Screen {{DEFAULTSORT:Atherden, Geoffrey Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian television writers Australian comedy writers Members of the Order of Australia Australian dramatists and playwrights Australian male television writers