Edward Taylor (scriptwriter)
Encyclopedia
Edward Taylor, is a British
dramatist
and radio producer best known for the BBC
Radio
Comedy
series The Men from the Ministry
.
Originally intending to seek a career in acting, Taylor applied to join Cambridge University, appearing in the 1955 Cambridge Footlights revue and becoming a scriptwriter after being noticed by a BBC talent scout and hired for a one year contract. Taylor’s career with the BBC subsequently lasted for 36 years, during which he wrote a total of 2,300 programmes.
Taylor came up with the idea for The Men from the Ministry after a lunch with actor friend Richard Murdoch
in the early 1960s, during which Murdoch asked Taylor to write a comedy for him to appear in.
The Men from the Ministry ran for 144 episodes and versions were also produced in South Africa
, Sweden
and Finland
, Taylor continuing to write additional episodes for the Finnish version right up to 2008.
In 1992, Taylor wrote the stage thriller Murder by Misadventure that appeared at the Vaudeville Theatre
and then the Whitehall Theatre
in London's West End
. The play starred Gerald Harper
as Harold and William Gaunt
as Riggs as a pair of television crime writers, one of whom wishes to end the partnership.
Taylor currently lives in London
with his wife Sue. They have a daughter, Imogen.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
dramatist
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...
and radio producer best known for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
Comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
series The Men from the Ministry
The Men from the Ministry
The Men from the Ministry was a British radio comedy series broadcast by the BBC between 1962 and 1977, starring Wilfrid Hyde-White, Richard Murdoch and, from 1966, when he replaced Hyde-White, Deryck Guyler...
.
Originally intending to seek a career in acting, Taylor applied to join Cambridge University, appearing in the 1955 Cambridge Footlights revue and becoming a scriptwriter after being noticed by a BBC talent scout and hired for a one year contract. Taylor’s career with the BBC subsequently lasted for 36 years, during which he wrote a total of 2,300 programmes.
Taylor came up with the idea for The Men from the Ministry after a lunch with actor friend Richard Murdoch
Richard Murdoch
Richard Bernard Murdoch was a British comedic radio, film and television performer.Richard Bernard Murdoch attended Charterhouse School. He then appeared in Footlights whilst a student at Pembroke College, Cambridge...
in the early 1960s, during which Murdoch asked Taylor to write a comedy for him to appear in.
The Men from the Ministry ran for 144 episodes and versions were also produced in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Taylor continuing to write additional episodes for the Finnish version right up to 2008.
In 1992, Taylor wrote the stage thriller Murder by Misadventure that appeared at the Vaudeville Theatre
Vaudeville Theatre
The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on The Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each new building retained elements of the previous...
and then the Whitehall Theatre
Trafalgar Studios
Trafalgar Studios, formerly The Whitehall Theatre until 2004, is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London....
in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
. The play starred Gerald Harper
Gerald Harper
Gerald Harper is an actor, best known for his work on television, having played the title roles in Adam Adamant Lives! and Hadleigh ....
as Harold and William Gaunt
William Gaunt
William Charles Anthony Gaunt is an English actor, sometimes credited as Bill Gaunt.-Early life:...
as Riggs as a pair of television crime writers, one of whom wishes to end the partnership.
Taylor currently lives 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...
with his wife Sue. They have a daughter, Imogen.