Raymond Edward Menmuir (10 September 1930 – 26 March 2016) was a British-Australian director and producer. His career included producing 44 episodes of ''

The Professionals A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession. Professional or professionals may also refer to: * Professional sports Music *The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979 * ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...

'' and directing 12 episodes of ''

Upstairs, Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to: Television *Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975 *Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...

''. He also produced an Australian version of ''The Professionals'' called '' Special Squad'' for the

Ten Network Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

in 1984.

Early life

Menmuir was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, as the eldest of four children to Edward Menmuir and his wife Dorothy (née Williams). His father ensured Menmuir had a good education, at Wesley College.

Work

His first employment was as a reporter at the Perth Daily News, but he then transferred to the Australian Broadcasting Commission as a radio producer. He was deeply impressed by European culture, by seeing various films at the 1953 Festival of the Arts in Perth, and then took artistic inspiration from various films including

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...

's ''Cesar'',

Vittorio de Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...

's '' Bicycle Thieves'', and Mikhail Kalatozov's ''

The Cranes are Flying ''The Cranes Are Flying'' (russian: Летят журавли, translit. ''Letyat zhuravli'') is a 1957 Soviet film about the Second World War. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage done to the Soviet psyche as a result of war, which ...

''. This came out when he was soon directing dramas at the ABC's television drama department in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. He directed the second play to be televised,

J.B. Priestly John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

's '' The Rose and Crown'' written specifically for television, and the first play from the new (1958)

Gore Hill Gore Hill is an urban locality on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Gore Hill is located within the southern part of the suburb of Artarmon, and the north-west of the suburb of St Leonards. History It takes its na ...

complex, Barbara Vernon's '' The Multi-Coloured Umbrella''.

Annette Andre Annette Andre (born 24 June 1939) is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Early life and early career The daughter of an upholsterer, Annette Andre was born in Drummoyne, Australia, ...

recalled him as "a good director, he knew what he was doing." He originally directed all sorts of programs for the ABC but in October 1959 was assigned to drama full time. Probably his greatest achievement in these years was the 5 October 1960 live production in prime time of the two-hour epic

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

play, ''

The Life and Death of King Richard II ''The Life and Death of King Richard II'' was a 1960 Australian live TV production of the play by William Shakespeare directed by Raymond Menmuir. It aired on 5 October 1960 and was one of the most elaborate productions made for Australian TV at th ...

'', using all three studios at Gore Hill. In 1961, Menmuir and his then wife Heidi moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Menmuir directed for stage

Alan Seymour Alan Seymour (6 June 192723 March 2015) was an Australian playwright and author. He is best known for the play ''The One Day of the Year'' (1958). His international reputation rests not only on this early play, but also on his many screenplays, ...

's play, '' The One Day of the Year'' at

Theatre Royal Stratford East The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with director Joan Littlewood, whose ...

, which started his association with many production venues. His productions included: ''

Z Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...

'', ''

The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

'', '' No Hiding Place'', '' Corridors of Power'', and ''

The Duchess of Duke Street ''The Duchess of Duke Street'' is a BBC television drama series set in London between the late 1800s and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. It starred Gemma Jo ...

''. In 1974 he directed the adaptation of the '' Lord Peter Wimsey'' story ''

The Nine Tailors ''The Nine Tailors'' is a 1934 mystery novel by the British writer Dorothy L. Sayers, her ninth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. The story is set in the Lincolnshire Fens, and revolves around a group of bell-ringers at the local parish church. The b ...

'' for the

BBC #REDIRECT 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 ex ...

. In 1978, he was offered full freedom of control as producer for London Weekend Television's show, ''

''. During several returns to Australia, he was responsible for ''

Ballad for One Gun ''Ballad for One Gun'' is a 1963 Australian television film about Ned Kelly broadcast on ABC. It was originally aired 17 July 1963 in Sydney and shown at later dates in other parts of Australia. It was written by Phillip Grenville Mann. The di ...

'' (1963) (about Ned Kelly), and '' Special Squad'' and the movie ''

Fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

'' for Crawford Productions.

Personal life

In the UK, Menmuir lived in rural

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. In his later years, Menmuir settled in Australia at Mirrabooka on the western side of

Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent ...

Menmuir was married twice, to Heidi (née Isenmann) and they had a daughter Anna, and to Jennifer (née Cooper) (d. 2010) with whom he had a daughter Fiona and son Iain. He then had a partner,

Wendy Blacklock Wendy Blacklock AM (born 20 January 1932) is an Australian-born retired theatre actress and theatrical entrepreneur, radio and television actress, comedienne, producer, writer, singer, dancer and choreographer who has appeared in numerous perfo ...

.Obituary: Ray Menmuir 1930-2016 - ABC television pioneer who went on to direct Upstairs Downstairs and The Avengers
Storey Walton and Tom Jeffrey,

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

, 8 June 2016

Select Credits

*'' Shadow of Doubt'' (1957) - TV play *'' The Rose and Crown'' (1957) - TV play *'' The Multi-Coloured Umbrella'' (1958) - TV play *'' Citizen of Westminster'' (1958) - TV play *'' Blue Murder'' (1959) - TV play *''

One Bright Day ''One Bright Day'' is the fourth album by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, released in 1989. It won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was ...

'' (1959) - TV play *''

Bodgie Bodgies and widgies refer to a youth subculture that existed in Australia and New Zealand in the 1950s, similar to the rocker culture in the UK or Greaser culture in the United States. Most bodgies rode motorbikes but some had cars, many of ...

'' (1959) - TV play *''

The Strong Are Lonely ''The Strong Are Lonely'' is a 1959 Australian television play produced by Ray Menmuir and starring John Alden. It was one of several plays set in South America. Plot The struggle by Spanish Jesuits to establish themselves in Paraguay. At a Jesui ...

'' (1959) - TV play *''

'' (1960) - TV play *''

Close to the Roof ''Close to the Roof'' is a 1960 Australian live television play which aired on ABC. Broadcast 14 December 1960 in Sydney, it was kinescoped ("telerecorded") and shown in Melbourne on 25 January 1961 (it is not known it was also shown on ABC's stat ...

'' (1960) - TV play *''

The Dock Brief ''The Dock Brief'' (US title ''Trial and Error'') is a 1962 black-and-white British legal satire directed by James Hill, starring Peter Sellers and Richard Attenborough, and based on the play of the same name written by John Mortimer (creator o ...

'' (1960) - TV play *'' The Square Ring'' (1960) - TV play *''

Swamp Creatures ''Swamp Creatures'' is a play by the Australian author Alan Seymour. He wrote it for radio, stage and TV. It was Seymour's first produced play. Plot Two sisters live together in the Australian bush, the dominant Constance and the frail Amy. Amy's ...

'' (1960) - TV play *'' Turning Point'' (1960) - TV play *''

The Sergeant from Burralee ''The Sergeant from Burralee'' is an Australian television play written by Phillip Grenville Mann. The play was also broadcast by the BBC and screened for West German television. It was turned into a radio play in 1970. Mann then adapted it into ...

'' (1961) - TV play *'' The Right Thing'' (1963) - TV play *''

'' (1963) - TV play *'' Thirty-One Backyards'' (1965) - TV play *''Headmaster'' (1977) (TV series) *''

'' (1978–83) - TV series *''

Who Dares Wins ''Who Dares Wins'' (Latin: ''Qui audet adipiscitur''; el, Ο Τολμών Νικά, ''O tolmón niká''; french: Qui ose gagne; it, Chi osa vince; Portuguese: ''Quem ousa vence''; German: ''Wer wagt, gewinnt'') is a motto made popular in the E ...

'' (1982) *'' Special Squad'' (1984) (TV series) *''

'' (1985) *''

C.A.T.S. Eyes ''C.A.T.S. Eyes'' is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987. The series was a spin-off from ''The Gentle Touch'', and saw Jill Gascoine reprise her role as Maggie Forbes, portrayed as having left the police forc ...

'' (1986–87) (TV Series) *'' Gentlemen and Players'' (1988–89) (TV Series)

References

External links

*
NFSA - Search Results
''Raymond Menmuir] at

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

Obituary
at ''Sydney Morning Herald''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menmuir, Raymond 1930 births 2016 deaths Australian television directors Australian television producers British television directors British television producers