Brian Cooke
Brian Cooke (born 1937, in Liverpool, Lancashire - now Merseyside) is a British comedy writer who, along with co-writer Johnnie Mortimer, wrote scripts for and devised many of the top television sitcoms during the 1970s, including Man About the House, George and Mildred, and Robin's Nest.
Brian Cooke | |
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Born | Brian Cooke 1937 (age 83–84) Liverpool, Lancashire England |
Occupation | Scriptwriter |
Nationality | British |
Period | 1968–1990 |
Genre | Television sitcom |
Notable works | Father, Dear Father (1968–1973) Alcock and Gander (1972) Man About the House (1973–1976) George and Mildred (1976–1979) Robin's Nest (1977–1981) Keep It in the Family (1980-1983) Let There Be Love (1982–1983) Tom, Dick and Harriet (1982–1983) Tripper's Day (1984) Full House (1985–1986) Slinger's Day (1986–1987) Close to Home (1989–1990) |
Cooke also wrote and created the 1980s TV sitcom Keep It in the Family, starring Robert Gillespie and the late-1960s/early-1970s sitcom Father, Dear Father starring Patrick Cargill.[1] Man About the House, George and Mildred, Robin's Nest, and Keep It in the Family were remade for American television as Three's Company, The Ropers, Three's a Crowd and Too Close for Comfort.
Early career
Starting off as a cartoonist during his term of national service, he soon began to sell strips to magazines and newspapers. He met Johnnie Mortimer at a cartoonists convention. They also wrote the screenplays for the film version of the play No Sex Please, We're British, and the movie versions of their series Man About the House and Father Dear Father.[2]
Scriptwriter
Earlier in his career Cooke was a writer for the last series of the 1960s radio series Round the Horne and its short-lived successor Stop Messing About. He had much success in 2003-5 when he revived the format for a theatre tribute show, Round the Horne ... Revisited, which ran in the West End for 15 months and spawned three national tours. In 2004 it was made into a television film, with the original London cast, by BBC Four.[3] Stop Messing About was also turned into a stage play in 2009.
References
- Lewisohn, Mark. "BBC Guide To Comedy - Brian Cooke". BBC. Archived from the original on 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- "Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer". PFD. Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- Lewisohn, Mark. "BBC Guide To Comedy - Round The Horne Revisited". BBC. Archived from the original on 2006-02-15. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
External links
- Brian Cooke at IMDb
- Brian Cooke at British Comedy Guide
- "List of shows written by Brian Cooke". Archived from the original on 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2007-11-09.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (source: BBC)
- BBC Four interview with Brian Cooke