John Arthur Antrobus (born 2 July 1933) is an English playwright and screenwriter. He has written extensively for stage, screen, TV and radio, including the epic World War II play, ''Crete and Sergeant Pepper'' at the Royal Court. He authored the children's book series ''Ronnie'', which includes ''Help! I am a Prisoner in a Toothpaste Factory''.
Early life
John Arthur Antrobus was born at
Woolwich,
London.
[Contemporary Dramatists, ed. Kate Berney, St James Press, 1993, p. 19] His father was a
regimental sergeant-major in the
Royal Horse Artillery, and the family was stationed at the School of Artillery in Larkhill, on the edge of Salisbury Plain. After attending
Bishop Wordsworth's School
Bishop Wordsworth's School is a Church of England boys' grammar school in Salisbury, Wiltshire for boys aged 11 to 18. The school is regularly amongst the top-performing schools in England, and in 2010 was the school with the best results in the ...
in
Salisbury,
Wiltshire,
Selhurst Grammar School,
Croydon, and King Edward VII Nautical College, London, where he was an apprentice deck officer in the Merchant Navy from 1950 to 1952,
Antrobus attended the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...
, serving with the
East Surrey Regiment
The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ...
from 1952 to 1955,
[Contemporary Dramatists, ed. James Vinson, St James Press, 1973, p. 36] but rebelled and dropped out of the Army.
[Herbert (1981) page 21 also mentions Sandhurst]
Career
After leaving the Army, spending time also working as a supply teacher and waiter,
Antrobus pursued a future writing comedy, and went to
Associated London Scripts (ALS), the writers' co-operative set up by
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...
and
Eric Sykes.
[McCann (2006) p. 156] Antrobus states "I met Spike in 1954 or 55. I had sent a sample script to Galton and Simpson and they took me on at Associated London Scripts". Antrobus and Milligan "wrote a couple of ''
Goon Shows'' together. I wish I had done more of them with him but I wanted to be a playwright. I didn't realise they were golden times and how they gave life".
[ p. 68] The two shows were ''The Spon Plague'', and ''The Great Statue Debate'', both broadcast in March 1958.
[McCann (2006) pp367-368][Antrobus (2002) pp. 16, 32]
At ALS, Antrobus also worked with
Johnny Speight on ''
The Frankie Howerd Show'' in 1956,
After contributing material to the first
''Carry On'' film, ''
Carry On Sergeant'' (1958), he wrote his first movie screenplay: for ''
Idol on Parade'' (1959), starring
Anthony Newley.
[Antrobus (2002) pp.44] During 1960 he worked with Milligan and Sykes in the second series of ''
Sykes and A...'' (August- September 1960).
He was also a contributing writer to the television series ''
The Army Game'', in the 1958 and 1961 shows, along with
Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire, and Lew Schwarz in 1958, and Brad Ashton,
Barry Took,
Marty Feldman and Wilshire in 1961.
[McCann (2006) pp. 350, 351. This article previously referred to him contributing to the spin-off show ''Bootsie and Snudge''. However, McCann lists Antrobus amongst the writers for ''The Army Game'', but not ''Bootsie and Snudge''.] During the 1960s and 1970s, he provided scripts for television series as diverse as ''
That Was the Week That Was'',
[ ''Television Playhouse'' and Spike Milligan's ''Milligan in...'' Antrobus wrote for Milligan's last radio series, '' The Milligan Papers'', a BBC Radio Collection released in 2002.][Milligan, Spike, & Antrobus, John (1973) ''The Bedsitting Room''. Tandem: London. First published in Great Britain by Margaret & Jack Hobbs, 1970. Published by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, 1972.] A film version was released in 1969 and a sequel from 1983. His other plays include ''Cane of Honour'' (1965), ''Captain Oates' Left Sock'' (1969), ''An Apple A Day'' (1970) and ''City Delights'' (1978). In October 2005, Antrobus and Ray Galton (with whom he had collaborated on the 1986 sitcom ''Room at the Bottom'' and ''Get Well Soon'' from 1997) unveiled their play '' Steptoe and Son – Murder at Oil Drum Lane'' at the Theatre Royal, York. In 2010, Antrobus and Ray Galton's production of ''Not Tonight Caligula'', originally written for Frankie Howerd, was recorded as a live radio play at The Leicester Square Theatre by The Wireless Theatre Company directed by Antrobus and starring Clive Greenwood in Howerd's role. Although largely retired, Antrobus still writes and is involved in fringe productions and talent scouting.
Personal life
In 1958, John Antrobus married Margaret McCormick. They had two sons and a daughter.
Writing credits
Awards and nominations
Notes
Publications
* First produced Edinburgh, 1964.
* First produced Royal Court Theatre, London, 1968. Televised 1971.
* First produced, Almost Free, London, 1968
* First published in Great Britain by Margaret & Jack Hobbs, 1970. Published by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, 1972. 1970 Spike Milligan and John Antrobus.
* First produced Royal Court Theatre, 1969
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* First produced Gate Theatre, Notting Hill, London, 1980
* First produced Gate Theatre, Notting Hill, London, 1980
* First produced Gate Theatre, Notting Hill, London, 1980
* First produced, Mold, Clwyd, 1986.
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Antrobus, John
1933 births
British television writers
British radio writers
Living people
Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Writers from Aldershot
English comedy writers
British surrealist writers