Arthur Watkins (1907–1965) was a British
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, pla ...
and
public official
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their s ...
who served as Secretary of the
British Board of Film Censors
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of fi ...
from 1948 to 1956, succeeding Joseph Brooke Wilkinson in the post, having previously worked at the
Home Office. Writing under the name Arthur Watkyn he was also a successful
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...
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 ...
. A number of his works have been adapted for film and television including his
West End
West End most commonly refers to:
* West End of London, an area of central London, England
* West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England
West End may also refer to:
Pl ...
hit comedy ''
For Better, for Worse'' and his 1952 costume play ''
The Moonraker
''The Moonraker'' is a British swashbuckler film made in 1957 and released in 1958 and set in the English Civil War. It was directed by David MacDonald and starred George Baker, Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Gary Raymond, Peter Arne, John Le M ...
'' set during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of Kingdom of England, England's governanc ...
. He also enjoyed success with his 1958 comedy ''
Not in the Book''. His play ''
Out of Bounds
In sports, out of bounds (or out-of-bounds) refers to being outside the playing boundaries of the field. Due to the chaotic nature of play, it is normal in many sports for players and/or the ball to go out of bounds frequently during a game. T ...
'' ran for 31 weeks at
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archite ...
in 1962 before being adapted into the West German film ''
A Mission for Mr. Dodd
''A Mission for Mr. Dodd'' (german: Vorsicht Mister Dodd) is a 1964 West German comedy film directed by and starring Heinz Rühmann, Maria Sebaldt and Robert Graf.Bock & Bergfelder p.5 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's set ...
'' in 1964.
As a censor he was known for his more liberal treatment of film scripts than his predecessor, and introduced the
X certificate in 1951 to allow films of a more adult nature to be screened. He left his post as censor in 1956 to take over as Vice President of the
British Film Producers' Association.
[Harper & Porter p.231-32]
References
Bibliography
* Harper, Sue & Porter, Vincent. ''British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference''. Oxford University Press, 2007.
* Lachman, Marvin. ''The Villainous Stage: Crime Plays on Broadway and in the West End''. McFarland, 2014.
* Mackillop, Ian & Sinyard, Neil. ''British Cinema of the 1950s: A Celebration''. Manchester University Press, 2018.
* Wearing, J.P. ''The London Stage 1950–1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
External links
*
1907 births
1965 deaths
People from Aberystwyth
British writers
Film censorship in the United Kingdom
{{UK-film-bio-stub