Edward Henry Willis, Baron Willis (13 January 1914 – 22 December 1992) was an English

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

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 other ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party. He created several television series, including the long-running police drama ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

''.

Early life and War service

Ted Willis was born at 55 Stanley Road

Harringay Harringay (pronounced ) is a district of north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the New River, where it crosses Green Lanes by Finsbury Park, and Duckett's ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, third child and second son of Alfred John Henry Willis (1882-1957), a bus washer who later became a bus driver, and Maria Harriet, née Meek. He recalled that when leaving school aged fourteen: "I had a two-second 'career interview' with my Headmaster. He asked me what I wished to do for the future and I told him that I intended to become a writer. His response was a cackle followed by the remark: 'You will never make a writer in a hundred years. You haven't got the imagination for it or the intelligence. Go away and learn a good trade.'" Willis was elected Chairman of the Labour League of Youth as the candidate of the left in 1937. In 1939, along with much of the League of Youth leadership, he joined the

Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name ''YCL of ountry' originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YCLs includ ...

, the youth branch of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

. In 1941 he became the General Secretary of the Young Communist League. He was drama critic for the ''

Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in Chicago founded by communists, socialists, union members, and other activists. Publication began in 1924. It generally reflected the prevailing views of members of the Communist Party USA (CPU ...

''. Willis enlisted in the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many war ...

in 1939, subsequently serving in the Army Kinematograph Service. He often spoke at meetings during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in favour of opening a second front, in order to help the Red Army, which was bearing the brunt of the Nazi onslaught.

Writing career

His passion for drama first manifested in plays he wrote for the Unity Theatre, based in a former chapel near St Pancras, during the war. He was best known for writing the television series ''

'', based on the stories of Gordon Snashall, a local

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater ...

policeman with whom he was great friends; the series ran for more than twenty years. He was Chairman of the

Writers' Guild of Great Britain The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG). History The u ...

from 1958 to 1964. Willis created several British television series such as ''

Virgin of the Secret Service ''Virgin of the Secret Service'' is a British television series which ran for one season in 1968, produced by the ITV (TV network), ITV franchise, Associated Television. The series was created by Ted Willis. The show was a tongue-in-cheek adven ...

'', '' The Adventures of Black Beauty'', ''

Sergeant Cork ''Sergeant Cork'' is a British detective television series which aired between 1963 and 1968 on ITV. It was a police procedural show that followed the efforts of two police officers and their battle against crime in Victorian London. In all 66 ...

'' and '' Mrs Thursday''. Along with Berkely Mather, Willis was responsible for a huge proportion of scriptwriting for British television drama in the 1950s.Mike Ripley. ''Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: The Boom in British Thrillers from Casino Royale to The Eagle Has Landed'' (2017), p. 397 He was listed in the ''

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

'' as the world's most prolific writer for television; he also wrote 34 stage plays and a number of feature films. In the 1970s he turned to novels, including a spy story, ''The Left-Handed Sleeper'', and a wartime thriller ''The Lions of Judah''. Willis was active in the campaign for the Public Lending Right, alongside

Brigid Brophy Brigid Antonia Brophy (married name Brigid Levey, later Lady Levey; 12 June 19297 August 1995), was an English author, literary critic and polemicist. She was an influential campaigner who agitated for many types of social reform, including ...

and

Maureen Duffy Maureen Patricia Duffy (born 21 October 1933) is an English poet, playwright, novelist and non-fiction author. Long an activist covering such issues as gay rights and animal rights, she campaigns especially on behalf of authors. She has receive ...

Honours and awards

Announced on 23 December 1963 he was awarded a

life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

, which was created on 21 January 1964 with the title Baron Willis, of

in the

County of Kent Kent is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Greater London to the north-west. ...

, on a Labour Party nomination. Willis was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1959 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

in the club at the BBC's

Lime Grove Studios Lime Grove Studios was a film, and later television, studio complex in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The complex was built by the Gaumont Film Company in 1915. It was situated in Lime Grove, a residential street in Shepherd's Bush, and ...

, in London's Shepherd's Bush.

Personal life

Willis married the London-based actress Audrey Hale in 1944 and they had a son and a daughter. He was an Honorary Associate of the

Rationalist Press Association The Rationalist Association was a charity in the United Kingdom which published '' New Humanist'' magazine between 1885 and 2025. Since 2025, the Rationalist Press has been the publishing imprint of Humanists UK. The original Rationalist Press ...

, President of the Humanist Housing Association, and a member of the Humanist Parliamentary Group. On his death, ''New Humanist'' magazine wrote:

Willis was a true humanist immersed in many areas of life. He described himself (''Evening All'') as a "first-rate second rate author”— a modest self-appraisal. His friendliness, good humour and forthrightness made him a first-class person.

He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at his home in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

in December 1992 aged 78, and was buried at

Tottenham Cemetery Tottenham Cemetery is a large burial ground in Tottenham in the London Borough of Haringey, in north London, England. It was opened in 1858 by the Tottenham Burial Board to replace the churchyard of All Hallows' Church, Tottenham which had cl ...

Credits

Selected plays

*''Buster'' (1943) * ''Doctor in the House'' (1957, from the novel by Richard Gordon) *'' Hot Summer Night'' (1958) *'' The Scent of Fear'' (1959) * ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1964)

Films

*''

Holiday Camp A holiday camp is a type of holiday accommodation, primarily in the United Kingdom, that encourages holidaymakers to stay within the site boundary, and provides entertainment and facilities for them throughout the day. Since the 1970s, the term ...

'' (1947) *''

Good-Time Girl ''Good-Time Girl'' is a 1948 British film noir-crime drama film directed by David MacDonald and starring Jean Kent, Dennis Price and Herbert Lom. A homeless girl is asked to explain her bad behaviour in the juvenile court, and says she's run a ...

'' (1948) *'' A Boy, a Girl and a Bike'' (1949) *'' The Huggetts Abroad'' (1949) *''

The Blue Lamp ''The Blue Lamp'' is a 1950 British police procedural film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Warner as PC Dixon, Jimmy Hanley as newcomer PC Mitchell, and Dirk Bogarde as criminal Tom Riley. The title refers to the blue lamps that ...

'' (original treatment, 1950) *''The Undefeated'' (1951, documentary about disabled war veterans) *''A Story of Achievement'' (1951, documentary about the development of

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a Spread (food), spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The ...

) *'' The Wallet'' (US ''Blueprint for Danger'', 1952) *'' Top of the Form'' (1953) *'' Trouble in Store'' (1953) *''

The Large Rope ''The Large Rope'' (also known as ''The Long Rope'') is a 1953 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Donald Houston, Susan Shaw and Robert Brown. It was written by Ted Willis. Plot Tom Penney returns to ...

'' (US: ''The Long Rope'', 1953) *'' Burnt Evidence'' (1954) *'' Up to His Neck'' (1954) *'' One Good Turn'' (1955) *'' It's Great to Be Young'' (1956) *'' Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957) *'' The Young and the Guilty'' (1958) *'' No Trees in the Street'' (1959) *''

Flame in the Streets ''Flame in the Streets'' is a 1961 British film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring John Mills and Sylvia Syms. The screenplay was by Ted Willis based on his 1958 play '' Hot Summer Night'' and was novelised by John Burke for Four Square ...

'' (1961) *'' The Horsemasters'' (1961) *'' Bitter Harvest'' (1963) *'' Our Miss Fred'' (1972)

Selected TV

*'' The Pattern of Marriage'' (1953) *''

'' (1955–1976) *'' Hot Summer Night (

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Ca ...

)'' (1959) *'' Tell It to the Marines'' (1959–1960) *''

Taxi! ''Taxi!'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring James Cagney and Loretta Young. The film includes a famous, and often misquoted, line with Cagney speaking to his brother's killer through a locked closet door: ...

'' (1963–1964) * ''

The Sullavan Brothers ''The Sullavan Brothers'' is a British television drama series created by Ted Willis, Baron Willis, Ted Willis which originally aired 1964–1965 on ITV (TV network), ITV in 26 episodes. The series chronicles the adventures of four lawyer brothe ...

'' (1964–1965) *''

'' (1963–1969) *'' Mrs Thursday'' (1966–1967) *'' The Adventures of Black Beauty'' (1972–1974)

Novels

* ''Whatever Happened to Tom Mix?'' (1970) * ''Death May Surprise Us'' (1974) * ''Westminster One'' (1975) * ''The Churchill Commando'' (1977) * ''The Left-Handed Sleeper'' (1977) * ''The Naked Sun'' (1980) * ''The Buckingham Palace Connection'' (1980) * ''The Lions of Judah'' (1981) * ''The Most Beautiful Girl In The World'' (1982) * ''Spring at the Winged Horse'' (1985) * ''Problem for Mother Christmas'' (1986) * ''The Green Leaves of Summer'' (1989) * ''The Bells of Autumn'' (1991) * ''Plume of Feathers'' (1993)

References

External links

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Ted 1914 births 1992 deaths 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English screenwriters British Army personnel of World War II British male television writers Communist Party of Great Britain members English male screenwriters English television writers Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peers created by Elizabeth II Military personnel from the London Borough of Haringey People from Tottenham Royal Fusiliers soldiers British television show creators Young Communist League of Britain members English humanists People from Harringay