Tony McHale (born Anthony John Wright,
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
,
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
) is a British
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
,
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
,
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
and producer, who is known for starring in ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'' and also known as a "stooge" to
Jeremy Beadle
Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE (12 April 1948 – 30 January 2008) was an English television presenter, radio presenter, writer and producer. During the 1980s he was a regular face on British television, and in two years appeared ...
on ''
Game For A Laugh
''Game for a Laugh'' was a British light entertainment programme which ran for 56 editions and four specials between 26 September 1981 and 23 November 1985, made by LWT for the ITV network.
Description
The show revolved around a variety o ...
'' and later ''
Beadle's About
''Beadle's About'' is a British television programme hosted by Jeremy Beadle, where members of the public became victims of practical jokes behind hidden cameras. It was produced by LWT for ITV, and ran on Saturday nights from 22 November 1986 ...
''. He trained at the
Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipli ...
. He also enjoyed a long stint as a writer/story consultant/director on the top rated BBC1
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' from its conception to the mid 1990s. He co-created BBC medical drama ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
'', and served as its
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
and
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
from 2007 to 2010.
Tony also served as a core writer on numerous other TV dramas.
Early life
Tony McHale was born Anthony John Wright in Wibsey a suburb of Bradford in West Yorkshire. His father Gordon Wright was a police officer and road safety specialist who was awarded an MBE for his work. His mother Madeline Wright was a school teacher. He attended St Paul's Church Primary School,
Buttershaw
Buttershaw is a residential area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded by Horton Bank Top to the north, Wibsey to the east, Woodside to the south and Shelf to the west.
Buttershaw consists mostly of 1940s council housing with ...
, where he passed his eleven plus and went on to
Hanson Grammar School. His introduction to drama was through his mother's love of theatre, although they went infrequently, and reading plays from the school library. He started performing in the annual school play, initially playing female roles as was expected from the boys in the lower school, before going on to play the title role in Ben Jonson's ''Volpone'' in the sixth form. At the age of fifteen he joined the West Riding Youth Theatre.
During his time with the Youth Theatre he played such roles as Danforth in
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...
's ''
The Crucible
''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as a ...
'', Oedipus in
Sophocles
Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or co ...
' ''
Oedipus Rex
''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...
'', and Bagley in
Peter Terson
Peter Terson (born Peter Patterson; 16 February 1932 – 8 April 2021) was a British playwright whose plays have been produced for stage, television and radio. Most of his theatre work was first produced at the Victoria Theatre in Stoke-on-Tren ...
's ''The Apprentices''. It was this experience that spurred him on to apply for drama schools. In 1969 he went on to study at the
Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama
Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipli ...
in
Sidcup
Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the ...
, Kent.
Early career
On leaving Rose Bruford's in 1972, McHale's first professional acting job was on a TV commercial for Guinness. He then joined the Q20 Theatre Company that was based in his home town of Bradford. Primarily a children's theatre company that toured and performed in schools (he actually performed at his old primary school Buttershaw St Paul's where his mother was still a teacher), the company also did adult plays that they toured round Yorkshire. Whilst working for Q20 he landed a minor role in the cult film ''
That'll Be The Day
"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison. It was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes in 1956 and was re-recorded in 1957 by Holly and his new band, the Crickets. The 1957 recording achieved widespr ...
'' which was filmed on the Isle of Wight. There was never any serious thought at this time of becoming a writer, but McHale did both write and direct various productions for the Q20 company. He then went onto become a member of the Chesterfield Civic Theatre (now The Pomegranate Theatre) where he played numerous roles in straight dramas, musicals, Shakespeare, pantomimes and Old Time Musical Halls. Here he also directed a number of productions, wrote some one act plays as well as the company's pantomime one Christmas – this was the first time he was actually paid for his writing. He returned once more to the Isle of Wight to play in the summer repertory season, playing lead roles in ''Doctor In The House, The Whole Truth'' and the farce ''Bed, Board and Romance.'' There then followed acting roles at a number of different theatres throughout the UK, including Harrogate, Birmingham, Coventry, Chester, Windsor, Malvern. In 1976 through his then acting agents Richard Stone, he was cast as part of what became known as Attenborough's Army in the war movie ''
A Bridge Too Far'' which was filmed in Holland. Throughout this period McHale was also performing in guest roles in various TV shows – ''
Terry and June
''Terry and June'' is a BBC television sitcom, which was broadcast on BBC1 from 1979 to 1987. The show was largely a reworking of '' Happy Ever After'', and starred Terry Scott and June Whitfield as a middle-aged, middle-class suburban couple, Te ...
,
The Les Dawson Show
''The Les Dawson Show'' was a variety show that aired on BBC1 intermittently from 1978 through 1989. The show starred comedian Les Dawson (1931–1993), who had previously starred in the ITV sketch comedy programme ''Sez Les'' (1969–76), fo ...
,
The New Avengers,
Play for Today
''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...
, The Cost of Loving'' and ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
,'' where he was notoriously involved in the murder of one of the show's most popular characters –
Ernie Bishop. The 'resting' periods he had as an actor were filled by a variety of jobs from calling bingo to fitting carpets, from loading lorries to selling hamburgers.
In the late 70s and early 80s McHale acted in literally dozens of television commercials for such brands as Argos, Tesco, British Airways, Fray Bentos, Midland Bank, McVities, Worthington 'E', Tetley's beer, Valspar paints, Ford cars as well as more Guinness commercials. He also worked on numerous corporate films as well as directing at various drama schools.
In 1982 he was asked to appear in a hidden camera sketch for the very popular Saturday night show
''Game For A Laugh''. He worked on a number of hidden camera stunts before the show morphed into ''
Beadles About'' in 1986. He continued to work on that show until its end in 1996. In the late 80s McHale made weekly appearances on the satellite magazine programme ''Sky By Day'', mainly as their DIY expert (he freely admits he knows nothing about DIY) and occasional presenter alongside
Jenny Hanley
Jenny Hanley (born 15 August 1947) is an English actress. She remains best known for being one of the presenters of the ITV children's magazine programme ''Magpie''.
Early life and education
Hanley is the daughter of actors Dinah Sheridan and ...
and
Tony Blackburn
Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC L ...
.
Writing and TV career
In the 70s McHale started writing TV dramas on spec. In 1978 he was commissioned by the BBC to write an original three part thriller – ''Dog In The Dark.'' Like so many commissioned scripts this was never produced, but it enabled him to get an introduction to the Cecily Ware Literary Agents, who are still his agents today. Various other TV dramas were developed, but none with any great success. Then because of something he heard on Capital Radio's late night phone-in show, ''Anna And The Doc'', he decided to write a radio play, again on spec, called ''Get It Off Your Chest.'' This was immediately commissioned by the BBC for Radio 4's Afternoon Play and was the start of a number of other radio plays throughout the earlier 80s – ''No Get Out Clause, Son From Soho'' and ''Still Life.'' It was these plays that brought his writing to the attention of
Julia Smith and
Tony Holland
Anthony John Holland (18 January 1940 – 28 November 2007) was a British screenwriter, best known as a writer and co-creator (with Julia Smith) of the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''.
Early life
Holland was the oldest of three children born to ...
who were in the process of developing a long term drama (i.e. a soap) for the BBC. When McHale was first introduced to the project, mid 1984, it was called ''East 8'' and no cast was attached. McHale became a regular writer on the show that was eventually transmitted in February 1985 with the title – ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
.'' During his time with ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' he went on to storyline, story consult and also direct the programme as well as being the first writer to write 100 episodes. Other commissions soon followed. He did a number of episodes of
Michael Elphick
Michael John Elphick (19 September 1946 – 7 September 2002) was an English film and television actor. He played the eponymous private investigator in the ITV series ''Boon'' and Harry Slater in BBC's ''EastEnders''. He was nominated for ...
's crime drama
''Boon,'' ITV's ''
Perfect Scoundrels
''Perfect Scoundrels'' is an early-1990s British television comedy-drama following two con-men's travels while conning various people. Produced by TVS Television for the ITV network, it ran for three series between 22 April 1990 and 30 May 19 ...
'', the long running police drama ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused on ...
,'' the action adventure series
''Saracens'', the comedy ''
All Change
''All Change'' is an English children's television show on ITV in two series. Originally broadcast in 1989 and 1991, it starred Frankie Howerd, Peggy Mount, Maggie Steed, Tony Haygarth and Pam Ferris. The series was devised by Morwenna Banks a ...
'',
Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh; 15 March 1943) is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the ''Prime Suspect'' television crime series.
Early life
Lynda La Plante was born Lynda Titchmarsh on ...
's ''Lifeboat'',
''Casualty'' (for which he periodically both wrote and directed for over twenty years), ''Out Of Hours,
Dangerfield.''
From 1992 he became one of the original writers on the ill-fated
''Eldorado'', eventually writing the last episode of the series. In 1994 he was commissioned to write an eight part thriller originally entitled Brighton Boy. During the course of the production, McHale took over as director and the serial was transmitted the following year under the title
''Resort To Murder'' winning an award at the Cologne Film Festival. He then went on to write on a number of films for both ITV and the BBC – ''
Silent Witness
''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McC ...
'' (''An Academic Exercise, The World Cruise, The Fall Out, Closed Ranks, Running On Empty, Ghosts, Hippocratic Oath'') ''
Waking The Dead,
Dalziel And Pascoe
Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill.
Characterisation and style
Dalziel is ...
,
Second Sight
Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke Universit ...
,
Trial And Retribution
''Trial & Retribution'' is a feature-length ITV police procedural television drama series that first aired on 19 October 1997. Written and devised by Lynda La Plante as a follow-on from her successful television series ''Prime Suspect'', each ep ...
,'' also
''Murphy's Law'' starring
James Nesbitt
William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland.
From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994) ...
and the six part spin off from The Bill ''
Beech Is Back
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...
.''
In 1998 McHale, along with the then head of drama series for the BBC,
Mal Young
Mal Young (born 26 January 1957) is a British television producer, screenwriter and executive producer.
Career
Mersey TV
Young began his career in graphic design. At age 27 he began working in television, on the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brooks ...
, created ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
,'' a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
.'' McHale wrote the very first episode and continued to work as lead writer on the show for the first two series. He returned in 2006 as the show's story consultant, then took over as Executive Producer and Show Runner in 2007. The show went on to win a BAFTA for best continuing drama in 2008. McHale resigned in 2010 after saying, "I only intended to do it for a year." Shortly after the launch of ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
,'' McHale formed his own production company Sanctuary Films. The company was commissioned by Channel 5 to produce McHale's late night hour/thriller Headless. McHale wrote and directed all ten episodes. Sanctuary Films has since gone on to produce stage shows, Internet dramas and TV commercials.
Over the last decade McHale has been involved in the development and production of dramas in India, Dubia, New Zealand and South Africa, whilst still developing ideas for British TV. He has also lectured at many institutions on TV writing, directing and producing. Recently he was script executive on the highly original drama/reality show ''
Murder Island'', produced by
STV for
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
.
Theatre and novels
Although his original aim was the theatre, his theatre credits are nowhere as plentiful as his screen credits. His radio play ''Still Life'' was adapted for the theatre in 1988 and enjoyed a short run at Hampstead. For his next theatre venture wasn't until 2007 when he directed his own musical ''Bloodbath The Musical.'' This rock musical with music by David Young and Jules Maguire, had featured in a totally different form in the TV show Headless. The show went onto have a run at the
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
. Since the McHale directed All Or Nothing, a musical by
Carol Harrison
Carol Harrison (born 8 February 1955) is an English actress and writer. She is known mostly for her work on British television, in particular her role as Louise Raymond in BBC's '' EastEnders''.
Career
Harrison made her acting debut in 1976, in ...
about the 60s mod band The Small Faces. The show toured successfully before having a short run in the West End.
McHale's first novel, a thriller entitled ''Beck le Street'' was published in 2019. His second novel, ''Edge of Civilisation,'' is scheduled to be published later this year.
Personal life
In his second year at The Rose Bruford College McHale reunited with his once girlfriend Janet Logan, also from Bradford. They married quickly and eighteen months later had their first child Mathew Anthony, who was born on the same day that McHale was giving his first performance for the Q20 Theatre Company. Most of the early years of their marriage were spent touring from theatre town to theatre town. In 1976 they had their second child Sally Jane and the family moved into Tooting, South London, intending to establish themselves in the capital. However this lasted just over a year before they moved to Hazlemere and then Penn in Buckinghamshire, which is where they live today. Jan McHale is also a director and producer for Sanctuary Films. Mathew, having graduated from Bournemouth Film School, works in television as a producer/production manager and 1st AD. Sally, with a degree in English from Derby University, worked for a few years as a production co-ordinator in both film and television, before having children and then joining her husband working in their own insurance company.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McHale, Tony
Living people
British television directors
British television producers
British soap opera writers
Alumni of Rose Bruford College
Year of birth missing (living people)