Peter Eton
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Peter Eton
OR:
Peter Eton on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Peter Randolph Eton (28 May 1917 – December 1979) was a producer for BBC radio and television. He was invalided out of the navy after being wounded during the
Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...
and joined the BBC. He worked at the Variety Department of the BBC from 1951 onwards and oversaw a number of radio series, notably ''
The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 19 ...
''. He died in December 1979, at the age of 62.


Biography

Eton studied art before working as an artist and film art director; he joined the Royal Navy at the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, but was invalided out after he was injured by shrapnel during the
Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...
. Eton joined 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. ...
...
in 1941 in the London Transcription Service—a wartime propaganda unit within the BBC—as a producer. After spending time as a features and drama producer, he moved to the Variety Department in 1951. In 1951 Eton worked with Spike Milligan on ''Bumblethorpe''; Milligan wrote the series with
Larry Stephens Lawrence Geoffrey Stephens (16 July 1923p.14926 January 1959) was a BBC radio scriptwriter, best remembered for co-writing ''The Goon Show'' with Spike Milligan. Stephens was a regular writer of the show for the first two years, and then return ...
and
Peter Ling Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
, and the cast included Milligan himself,
Robert Moreton Robert Moreton (born Henry Moreton; 25 June 1922 – 22 July 1957) was an English comedian and actor. Biography Born in Teddington, Middlesex, he initially had a successful straight acting career with the Old Vic Theatre, before becoming a s ...
,
Kenneth Connor Kenneth Connor, (6 June 1918 – 28 November 1993) was a British stage, film and broadcasting actor, who rose to national prominence with his appearances in the ''Carry On'' films. Early life Connor was born in Highbury, Islington, London, ...
,
Graham Stark Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director. Early life The son of a purser on transatlantic liners,
,
Valentine Dyall Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908 – 24 June 1985) was an English character actor. He worked regularly as a voice actor, and was known for many years as "The Man in Black", the narrator of the BBC Radio horror series '' Appointment with Fear'' ...
,
Alfred Marks Alfred Edward Marks OBE (born Alfred Edward Touchinsky; 28 January 19211 July 1996) was a British actor and comedian. In his 60-year career, he played dramatic and comedy roles in numerous television programmes, stage shows and films. His self- ...
,
Bernard Miles Bernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE (27 September 190714 June 1991) was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1959, the first new theatre that opened in the City of London since the 17th ce ...
,
Eric Barker Eric Leslie Barker (12 February 1912 – 1 June 1990) was an English comedy actor. He is most remembered for his roles in the popular British ''Carry On'' films, although he only appeared in the early films in the series, apart from returning f ...
,
Jack Train Jack Train (28 November 1902 – 19 December 1966) was a British comic actor best known for his appearances as a variety of eccentric characters in the BBC radio series ''It's That Man Again'' (''ITMA''). Life and career Train was born in ...
and
Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series ''Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...
. In the summer of 1952 Eton had pushed within the BBC for a series for
Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series ''Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...
, with the premise of Hancock playing an "estate-agent-cum-bachelor-town-councillor"; a pilot script was commissioned, but the series never materialised. Hancock's biographer John Fisher suggests that Eton was the first person in British broadcasting to use the term "
situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
", in a memo dated 31 March 1953, suggesting the format as the ideal vehicle for Hancock's comedic style. In 1952 Eton took over as producer of ''
The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 19 ...
'', a position he held until 1956. He insisted that the Goons rehearsed properly and pushed for better facilities for the show; Spike Milligan noted that "Peter Eton was the one guy that used to beat the shit out of the sound-effects boys to get the right atmosphere." Towards the end of the sixth series of the Goons, Eton left the show to move to television production and his role was taken by
Pat Dixon Patrick Kenneth Macneile Dixon (15 June 1904 – 8 October 1958) was an English radio producer for BBC Radio. Biography Dixon was born on 15 June 1904; his parents were Professor William Macneile Dixon (1891–1946) and Edith (née Wal ...
, although he returned to produce the first two shows of Series 7 after friction between Dixon and Milligan. In 1954 he then produced the BBC radio series ''The Starlings''. Eton was married to Squirrel. He died at his home in Sussex in December 1979, aged 62.


Selected credits

* ''Picture Parade'' (Radio, 1946–48) * ''This BBC'' (Radio, 11 November 1947—Special programme to mark the BBC silver jubilee) * ''Bumblethorpe'' (Radio, 1951) * ''Meet the Huggetts'' (Radio, 1953-1957) * ''
The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 19 ...
'' (Radio, 1952–1956) * ''The Starlings'' (Radio, 1954) * ''My Wildest Dream'' (Radio, 1955) * ''
The Army Game ''The Army Game'' is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the very first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional group ...
'' (TV, 1960) * ''
Bootsie and Snudge ''Bootsie and Snudge'' is a British sitcom that aired on ITV for three series from 1960 to 1963, with a fourth in 1974. The show is a spin-off of '' The Army Game'', a sitcom about soldiers undertaking national service, and follows two of the m ...
'' (TV, 1960–63) * ''
Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...
'' (TV, 1964) * ''Colonel Trumper's Private War'' (TV, 1961) * ''Comedy Four'' (TV, 1963) * '' A Little Big Business'' (TV, 1963–65) * ''Mr. Aitch'' (TV, 1967) * ''
Carry On Christmas Specials The ''Carry On Christmas Specials'' were four one-off specials produced for Thames Television made in 1969, 1970, 1972 and 1973. They brought most of the cast and the formula of the ''Carry On'' films to a television production. Barbara Windsor w ...
'' (TV, 1969 & 1970) * ''Quest for Love'' (Film, 1971) * ''Le Petomane'' (TV, 1979)


References


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eton, Peter 1917 births 1979 deaths British radio producers BBC radio producers The Goon Show British film producers Royal Navy personnel of World War II