Charles Julian Humphrey Mitchell,

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

(born 1 May 1935) is an English playwright, screenwriter and occasional novelist. He is best known as the writer of the play and film '' Another Country'', and as a screenwriter for TV, producing many original plays and series episodes, including ten episodes of ''

Inspector Morse Endeavour Morse, GM, is the namesake character of the series of "Morse" detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, a Detective Chief Inspector in the Thames Valley Police in Oxford, England. On television he was portrayed by John ...

''. Mitchell was born in Epping,

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, and educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

, where he won the English Verse and Duncan Reading Prizes.Winchester College Register 1992 He did his national service in submarines 1953-55 as a Sub Lt RNVR. He then went to

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...

and received a BA with first class honours in 1958. This was followed by a period as a Harkness Fellow in the USA (1959–61). He earned an M.A. in 1962 at St. Antony's College, Oxford. Since 1962 he has been a freelance writer. In the late 1960s, Mitchell co-wrote the

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...

'' Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)'' with

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

. It was never produced, though it gave rise to the band's

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

. He recently recalled the aborted project: "''Arthur'' had a most unhappy history. It was originally meant to be a ... sort of rock opera, and we got as far as casting (excellent director and actors) and finding locations and were about to go when the producer went to a production meeting without a proper budget, tried to flannel his way through it, was immediately sussed and the production pulled. I have never been able to forgive the man." Mitchell has written nine produced plays, including '' Another Country'', which won the SWET (now Olivier) Award for best play of the year (1981), and '' After Aida'' (1985), a play-with-music about composer

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

. Mitchell has screenplay credits for five feature films. The earliest was '' Arabesque'' (1966), which was directed by

Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 70th Academy Awards, 1998, and the Golden Lion#Golden Lion – Honorary Award, Career Golden Lion ...

. '' Another Country'' (1984) is based on Mitchell's own play, and directed by Marek Kanievska. '' Vincent & Theo'' (1990) is a biographical film about the famed painter

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

and his brother Theo, and was directed by

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

. '' August'' (1996) was directed and starred

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

, and was adapted from

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

's classic play '' Uncle Vanya''. '' Wilde'' (1997) is based on the life of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, and was directed by Brian Gilbert. In 2007 he wrote the BBC4 drama '' Consenting Adults'' about Sir John Wolfenden and his celebrated 1957 report.

Novels

*''Imaginary Toys'' (1961) *''A Disturbing Influence'' (1962) *''As Far as You Can Go'' (1963) *''The White Father'' (1964) (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award) *''A Circle of Friends'' (1966) *''The Undiscovered Country'' (1968)

Selected Plays

* ''Another Country'' (1981) * ''Francis'' (1984) * ''After Aida'' (1985) * ''Falling Over England'' (1994) * ''August'' (1994) an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's '' Uncle Vanya'' (1897)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Julian 1935 births Living people Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford English dramatists and playwrights English television writers English screenwriters English male screenwriters John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winners Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Winchester College Writers from Epping Harkness Fellows English male dramatists and playwrights English male television writers