Charlotte Bingham
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Mary Thérèse Bingham (born 29 June 1942) is an English
novel
ist who has written over 30 mainly historical novels and has also written for many television programmes including Upstairs, Downstairs
, Play for Today
and Robin's Nest
. In her television work, she often worked with her husband, Terence Brady.
, Sussex
in 1942. Her father, John Bingham, 7th Baron Clanmorris
, wrote detective stories and was a secret member of MI5
. Her mother, Madeleine, was a playwright
. Bingham first attended a school in London
, but from the age of seven to 16, she went to a school in Haywards Heath. After she left school, Bingham went to stay in Paris
with some French
aristocrats
with the intention of learning French
. She had written since she was 10 years old and her first piece of work was a thriller called Death's Ticket. Bingham wrote her humorous autobiography
, called Coronet Among the Weeds, when she was 19, and not long before her twentieth birthday a literary agent discovered her celebrating at the Ritz
. He was a friend of her parents and he took off the finished manuscript of her autobiography. In 1963, this was published by Heinemanns and was a best seller.
. Bingham and her husband wrote three early episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs
together, Board Wages, I Dies from Love
and Out of the Everywhere. They later wrote an accompanying book called Rose's Story. In the 1970s Charlotte Bingham wrote episodes for the TV series Play for Today
, Three Comedies of Marriage, Yes, Honestly
and Robin's Nest
. During the 1980s and 1990s she continuted to write for the occasional TV series, and in 1993 adapted Jilly Cooper's
novel Riders for the small screen.
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist who has written over 30 mainly historical novels and has also written for many television programmes including Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
, Play for Today
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 plays and novels, were transmitted...
and Robin's Nest
Robin's Nest
Robin's Nest is a British sitcom starring Richard O'Sullivan as Robin Tripp, one of the lead characters in the sitcom Man About the House, which had ended in 1976. Robin's Nest aired for six series from 1977 to 1981, and co-starred Tessa Wyatt as Robin's girlfriend and later wife and Tony Britton...
. In her television work, she often worked with her husband, Terence Brady.
Early life
The Honourable Charlotte Bingham was born in Haywards HeathHaywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in 1942. Her father, John Bingham, 7th Baron Clanmorris
John Bingham, 7th Baron Clanmorris
John Michael Ward Bingham, 7th Baron Clanmorris was an English novelist who published 17 thrillers, detective novels and spy novels...
, wrote detective stories and was a secret member of MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
. Her mother, Madeleine, was a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. Bingham first attended a school in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but from the age of seven to 16, she went to a school in Haywards Heath. After she left school, Bingham went to stay in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with some French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
aristocrats
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
with the intention of learning French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. She had written since she was 10 years old and her first piece of work was a thriller called Death's Ticket. Bingham wrote her humorous autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, called Coronet Among the Weeds, when she was 19, and not long before her twentieth birthday a literary agent discovered her celebrating at the Ritz
Hôtel Ritz Paris
The Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
. He was a friend of her parents and he took off the finished manuscript of her autobiography. In 1963, this was published by Heinemanns and was a best seller.
TV work
In 1966, Charlotte Bingham's first novel, called Lucinda, was published. This was later adapted into a TV screenplay. In 1972, Coronet Among the Grass, her second autobiography, was published. This talked about the first ten years of her marriage to fellow writer Terence Brady. They couple, who have two children, later adapted Coronet Among the Grass and Coronet Among the Weeds, into the TV sitcom No, HonestlyNo, Honestly
No, Honestly is a British sitcom that was originally produced in 1974. No, Honestly featured the real-life married couple of Pauline Collins and John Alderton respectively as Clara and Charles Danby , a newlywed couple living in London....
. Bingham and her husband wrote three early episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
together, Board Wages, I Dies from Love
I Dies from Love
I Dies from Love was the seventh episode of the first series of the British television series, Upstairs, Downstairs. The episode is set in the summer of 1907.-Cast:Guest cast*Aimée Delamain *Yolande Turner...
and Out of the Everywhere. They later wrote an accompanying book called Rose's Story. In the 1970s Charlotte Bingham wrote episodes for the TV series Play for Today
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 plays and novels, were transmitted...
, Three Comedies of Marriage, Yes, Honestly
Yes, Honestly
Yes, Honestly is a British sitcom that was originally produced in 1976. It starred Donal Donnelly as Matthew Browne, and Liza Goddard as Lily Pond Browne....
and Robin's Nest
Robin's Nest
Robin's Nest is a British sitcom starring Richard O'Sullivan as Robin Tripp, one of the lead characters in the sitcom Man About the House, which had ended in 1976. Robin's Nest aired for six series from 1977 to 1981, and co-starred Tessa Wyatt as Robin's girlfriend and later wife and Tony Britton...
. During the 1980s and 1990s she continuted to write for the occasional TV series, and in 1993 adapted Jilly Cooper's
Jilly Cooper
Jilly Cooper OBE is an English author. She started her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. She is most famous for writing the Rutshire Chronicles.-Early life:Jilly Sallitt was born in Hornchurch,...
novel Riders for the small screen.
Later work
Since the 1980s Bingham has become a romance novelist, writing novels including To Hear a Nightingale, The Business and In Sunshine or in Shadow. Most of her books are set in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1996 she won the Best Romantic Novel Award from the Romantic Novelists' AssociationRomantic Novelists' Association
The Romantic Novelists' Association is a writers' association in the UK. Founded in 1960, mainly through the efforts of Denise Robins , Barbara Cartland , Vivian Stuart , and other authors like Elizabeth Goudge, Netta Muskett, Catherine Cookson, Rosamunde Pilcher and Lucilla Andrews.The RNA runs...
.