Leon Griffiths
Encyclopedia
Leon Griffiths was a British writer for TV and film. Griffiths is best known for being the creator of the ITV
comedy-drama
Minder
. The inspiration for the show came from the stories he heard while frequenting North London drinking clubs.
Griffiths was born in Sheffield
, but grew up in Glasgow
. During his National service
he worked for the British Forces Network
alongside Cliff Michelmore
. After completing his service he took up a writing post with the communist newspaper, the Daily Worker
.
He later went on to write for TV shows The Adventures of Robin Hood
, The Four Just Men and Play for Today
. His film credits include The Grissom Gang
, The Hellfire Club
, The Squeeze
and The Treasure of Monte Cristo
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
. The inspiration for the show came from the stories he heard while frequenting North London drinking clubs.
Griffiths was born in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, but grew up in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. During his National service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
he worked for the British Forces Network
British Forces Broadcasting Service
The British Forces Broadcasting Service provides radio and television programmes for HM Forces, and their dependents, in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Tristan da Cunha as well as a live satellite...
alongside Cliff Michelmore
Cliff Michelmore
Arthur Clifford "Cliff" Michelmore CBE is a British television presenter and producer. He is best known for the BBC television programme Tonight, which he presented from 1957 to 1965....
. After completing his service he took up a writing post with the communist newspaper, the Daily Worker
The Morning Star
The Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
.
He later went on to write for TV shows The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a popular British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show aired weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV in London in the...
, The Four Just Men and 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...
. His film credits include The Grissom Gang
The Grissom Gang
The Grissom Gang is a 1971 American period gangster film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich. The screenplay was by Leon Griffiths, based on the novel No Orchids for Miss Blandish by James Hadley Chase. The cinematographer was Joseph Biroc...
, The Hellfire Club
The Hellfire Club (film)
The Hellfire Club is a 1961 film which tells a story based upon 'The Hellfire Club'. Sir Francis Dashwood's infamous 'Gentlemans' society of the 18th century. It starred Peter Cushing....
, The Squeeze
The Squeeze
For other films called "The Squeeze" see The Squeeze )The Squeeze is a 1977 British gangster thriller, directed by Michael Apted, based on a novel by Bill James...
and The Treasure of Monte Cristo
The Treasure of Monte Cristo
The Treasure of Monte Cristo is a British movie released in 1961. It features Rory Calhoun as a military captain who goes off in search of the treasure of the legendary Count of Monte Cristo. It was directed by Monty Berman and also featured Patricia Bredin and John Gregson....