John Wells (satirist)
Encyclopedia
John Wells was an English actor, writer and satirist
, educated at Eastbourne College
and St Edmund Hall, Oxford
. The son of a clergyman, he was born in Ashford, Kent
and died in Sussex
.
Wells started in cabaret at Oxford and began his television career as a writer on That Was The Week That Was
, the 1960s weekly satire show that launched the careers of David Frost
and Millicent Martin
, among others, and also appeared in the television programme Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life
, as well as in The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
. Besides making cameo appearances in films such as Casino Royale
(1967), television dramas like Casanova (1987), and comedy shows like Yes Minister
, he also wrote television scripts and screenplays, notably Princess Caraboo
(1994).
In 1971, with John Fortune
, he published the comedy classic A Melon for Ecstasy
, about a man who consummates his love affair with a tree. Wells played the headmaster of the boys' school in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979).
Wells was one of the original contributors to the satirical magazine Private Eye
and especially to Mrs Wilson's Diary, the long-running spoof journal of the wife of Prime Minister Harold Wilson
. From 1979 he repeated that success with Dear Bill
, a series of letters (co-written with Richard Ingrams
) supposedly sent by Denis Thatcher
, husband of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
, to Bill Deedes
. Wells developed the feature into a stage farce, Anyone for Denis?, first performed in 1981, in which he played Denis Thatcher. Co-starring Angela Thorne
as Mrs. Thatcher, the play was a major West End hit, toured the UK and was adapted for television. Wells also played Denis Thatcher in the Bond movie For Your Eyes Only
in 1981. In 1991, he and Thorne again played the Thatchers in Dunrulin, a one-off TV sitcom-like satirical look at the couple in retirement. He also voiced several characters in the children's TV series Charlie Chalk
.
In 1988, Leonard Bernstein
started working on a new version of his much-revised operetta
Candide
. The author of the original book, Hugh Wheeler
, had died, and John Wells was asked to help revise the text. The first production of this "final version", by Scottish Opera
, was followed by a "final revised version" in 1989, performances of which have been released on CD and DVD. An insert in the DVD ("Bernstein and Voltaire"), written by Wells, explained what Bernstein had wanted in this final revised version.
In 1997 Wells appeared in the BBC situation comedy Chalk
as ineffectual headmaster Richard Nixon. His fellow cast members do not recall him being ill on set, but he was too unwell to participate in the second series.
His last book House of Lords, a best-seller was published a year before his death in 1998. The book is a historical and humorous study of the British Peerage System.
From 1982, Wells was the second husband of Teresa Chancellor (daughter of Sir Christopher
and sister of Alexander
). His daughter, Dolly
, is an actress. Wells died of cancer at the age of 61.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, educated at Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, situated on the south coast of England, included in the Tatler list of top public schools. The College's current headmaster is Simon Davies. The College was founded by the Duke of Devonshire...
and St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
. The son of a clergyman, he was born in Ashford, Kent
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
and died in 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...
.
Wells started in cabaret at Oxford and began his television career as a writer on That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, is a satirical television comedy programme that was shown on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin and presented by David Frost...
, the 1960s weekly satire show that launched the careers of David Frost
David Frost (broadcaster)
Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE is a British journalist, comedian, writer, media personality and daytime TV game show host best known for his two decades as host of Through the Keyhole and serious interviews with various political figures, the most notable being Richard Nixon...
and Millicent Martin
Millicent Martin
Millicent Mary Lillian Martin is an English actress, singer and comedienne.Martin was born in Romford, England. She made her Broadway debut opposite Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend in 1954...
, among others, and also appeared in the television programme Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life
Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life
Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life is a BBC-TV satire programme produced by Ned Sherrin, which aired during the winter of 1964-1965, in an attempt to continue and improve on the successful formula of his That Was The Week That Was , which had been taken off by the BBC because of the coming...
, as well as in The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was the fourth of the benefit shows staged by the British Section of Amnesty International to raise funds for its research and campaign work in the human rights field...
. Besides making cameo appearances in films such as Casino Royale
Casino Royale (1967 film)
Casino Royale is a 1967 comedy spy film originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre, and is loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.The film stars David Niven as the...
(1967), television dramas like Casanova (1987), and comedy shows like Yes Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
, he also wrote television scripts and screenplays, notably Princess Caraboo
Princess Caraboo
Mary Baker was a noted impostor who went by the name Princess Caraboo. She pretended to be from a faraway island and fooled a British town for some months.-Biography:...
(1994).
In 1971, with John Fortune
John Fortune
John Fortune is a British satirist, comedian writer and actor, best known for his work with John Bird and Rory Bremner on the TV series Bremner, Bird and Fortune. He was educated at Bristol Cathedral School and King's College, Cambridge, where he was to meet and form a lasting friendship with John...
, he published the comedy classic A Melon for Ecstasy
A Melon for Ecstasy
A Melon for Ecstasy is a 1971 novel written by John Fortune and John Wells. The title is derived from a fictional Turkish proverb, "A woman for duty / A boy for pleasure / But a melon for ecstasy."-Plot summary:...
, about a man who consummates his love affair with a tree. Wells played the headmaster of the boys' school in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979).
Wells was one of the original contributors to the satirical magazine Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
and especially to Mrs Wilson's Diary, the long-running spoof journal of the wife of Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
. From 1979 he repeated that success with Dear Bill
Dear Bill
The "Dear Bill" letters were a regular feature in the British satirical magazine Private Eye, purporting to be the private correspondence of Denis Thatcher, husband of the then-Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher...
, a series of letters (co-written with Richard Ingrams
Richard Ingrams
Richard Ingrams is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical magazine Private Eye, and now editor of The Oldie magazine.-Career:...
) supposedly sent by Denis Thatcher
Denis Thatcher
Major Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet, MBE, TD was a British businessman, and the husband of the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. He was born in Lewisham, London, the elder child of a New Zealand-born British businessman, Thomas Herbert Thatcher, and his wife Kathleen, née Bird...
, husband of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, to Bill Deedes
Bill Deedes
William Francis Deedes, Baron Deedes, KBE, MC, PC, DL was a British Conservative Party politician, army officer and journalist; he is to date the only person in Britain to have been both a member of the Cabinet and the editor of a major daily newspaper, The Daily Telegraph.-Early life and...
. Wells developed the feature into a stage farce, Anyone for Denis?, first performed in 1981, in which he played Denis Thatcher. Co-starring Angela Thorne
Angela Thorne
Angela Thorne is an English actress who is best known for her roles in To the Manor Born and Anyone for Denis?-Early life:Angela Thorne was born in Karachi, British India, , in 1939...
as Mrs. Thatcher, the play was a major West End hit, toured the UK and was adapted for television. Wells also played Denis Thatcher in the Bond movie For Your Eyes Only
For Your Eyes Only (film)
For Your Eyes Only is the twelfth spy film in the James Bond series and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It marked the directorial debut of John Glen, who had worked as editor and second unit director in three other Bond films. The screenplay by Richard Maibaum...
in 1981. In 1991, he and Thorne again played the Thatchers in Dunrulin, a one-off TV sitcom-like satirical look at the couple in retirement. He also voiced several characters in the children's TV series Charlie Chalk
Charlie Chalk
Charlie Chalk was a short-lived stop motion animation series produced in 1987 in the UK by Woodland Animations, from the creators of Postman Pat and the two other children's television programmes that are Gran and Bertha.-Synopsis:...
.
In 1988, Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
started working on a new version of his much-revised operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
Candide
Candide (operetta)
Candide is an operetta with music composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the novella of the same name by Voltaire. The operetta was first performed in 1956 with a libretto by Lillian Hellman; but since 1974 it has been generally performed with a book by Hugh Wheeler which is more faithful to...
. The author of the original book, Hugh Wheeler
Hugh Wheeler
Hugh Callingham Wheeler was an English-born playwright, screenwriter, librettist, poet, and translator. He resided in the United States from 1934 until his death and became a naturalized citizen in 1942. He had attended London University.Under the noms de plume Patrick Quentin, Q...
, had died, and John Wells was asked to help revise the text. The first production of this "final version", by Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies funded by the Scottish Government...
, was followed by a "final revised version" in 1989, performances of which have been released on CD and DVD. An insert in the DVD ("Bernstein and Voltaire"), written by Wells, explained what Bernstein had wanted in this final revised version.
In 1997 Wells appeared in the BBC situation comedy Chalk
Chalk (TV series)
Chalk is a British television sitcom set in a comprehensive school named Galfast High. Two series, both written by Steven Moffat, were broadcast on BBC1 in 1997...
as ineffectual headmaster Richard Nixon. His fellow cast members do not recall him being ill on set, but he was too unwell to participate in the second series.
His last book House of Lords, a best-seller was published a year before his death in 1998. The book is a historical and humorous study of the British Peerage System.
From 1982, Wells was the second husband of Teresa Chancellor (daughter of Sir Christopher
Christopher Chancellor
Sir Christopher Chancellor , a British journalist and administrator, was general manager of the news agency Reuters from 1944 to 1959...
and sister of Alexander
Alexander Chancellor
Alexander Chancellor is a British journalist. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He was the editor of the conservative Spectator magazine from 1975 to 1984, and now contributes a weekly column in The Guardian, published in the "Weekend" supplement each Saturday...
). His daughter, Dolly
Dolly Wells
Dolly Wells is a British comedy actor, best known for playing several characters in the Channel 4 Show Star Stories alongside Kevin Bishop and for being the Head of the Marmite Love Party Fay Freely, the Marmite commercials during 2006...
, is an actress. Wells died of cancer at the age of 61.
Selected filmography
- Anyone for Denis? (1982, TV adaptation)