Paul Mendelson
Encyclopedia
Paul Mendelson is a television, film and radio scriptwriter.
s and then became an advertising copywriter for Ogilvy and Mather. Whilst working as creative director for a major London advertising agency, he began writing his first television series.
, which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC One
and was nominated for BAFTA best comedy. It starred Anton Rodgers
as a widower solicitor in love with a much younger woman. He then created and wrote the BBC series So Haunt Me
about a family home haunted by the ghost of a Jewish mother, played by Miriam Karlin
. The show was produced by Cinema Verity
for the BBC and originally aired from 1992 to 1994. Mendelson's most recent television situation comedy series in the UK is My Hero
which ran for six seasons on BBC One from February 2000 to September 2006. Based on his own experiences with testicular cancer he wrote the acclaimed ITV play Losing It, starring Martin Clunes
, for which he was nominated Televisual Awards Best Writer 2007. Having also survived prostate cancer
, Mendelson is actively involved in cancer awareness charities and events.
/Fox forthcoming series 'Neighbors from Hell
'. He writes original plays for BBC radio and adapts Joyce Porter
's Chief Inspector Dover novels for BBC Radio 4
. Mendelson is currently developing his BBC radio play 'A Meeting in Seville' as a movie (Whistlingthorn Films)
Early life and career
He studied Law at Cambridge University, where he gained a first class honours degree, after attending Newcastle Royal Grammar School, Glasgow High School and Harrow County Grammar. For a short time he ran the family law department of a small firm of city solicitorSolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s and then became an advertising copywriter for Ogilvy and Mather. Whilst working as creative director for a major London advertising agency, he began writing his first television series.
Writing career
Paul Mendelson's first hit television series was the BBC Comedy May to DecemberMay to December
May to December was a British sitcom which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC1. The series was written by Paul Mendelson and produced by Cinema Verity....
, which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and was nominated for BAFTA best comedy. It starred Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film and in television dramas and sitcoms.-Life and career:...
as a widower solicitor in love with a much younger woman. He then created and wrote the BBC series So Haunt Me
So Haunt Me
So Haunt Me is a British television sitcom about a family that moves into a home occupied by the ghost of its previous resident, a middle-aged Jewish mother. The show was produced by Cinema Verity for the BBC and originally aired from 1992 to 1994....
about a family home haunted by the ghost of a Jewish mother, played by Miriam Karlin
Miriam Karlin
Miriam Karlin, OBE was a British actress who worked on screen for over 60 years. She was best known for her role as Paddy in The Rag Trade, a 1960s BBC and 1970s LWT sitcom , especially for her catchphrase "Everybody out!"...
. The show was produced by Cinema Verity
Cinema Verity
Cinema Verity was a British independent television and film production company, founded in 1985 by Verity Lambert, the television producer, who named the company after herself and as a pun on the expression 'cinéma vérité'....
for the BBC and originally aired from 1992 to 1994. Mendelson's most recent television situation comedy series in the UK is My Hero
My Hero
My Hero was a BBC sitcom created by Paul Mendelson. The programme ran for six series, initially airing in February 2000, and concluding in September 2006. The series follows the antics of dim-witted superhero "Thermoman", portrayed by Ardal O'Hanlon in series one through five and James Dreyfus in...
which ran for six seasons on BBC One from February 2000 to September 2006. Based on his own experiences with testicular cancer he wrote the acclaimed ITV play Losing It, starring Martin Clunes
Martin Clunes
Alexander Martin Clunes is an English actor and comedian. Clunes is perhaps best known for his roles as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly, Doctor Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin and the title character in Reggie Perrin....
, for which he was nominated Televisual Awards Best Writer 2007. Having also survived prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
, Mendelson is actively involved in cancer awareness charities and events.
Current projects
Paul Mendelson created the original idea and is creative consultant on the Dreamworks AnimationDreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
/Fox forthcoming series 'Neighbors from Hell
Neighbors from Hell
Neighbours from Hell is a strategy video game for Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox. In Europe, it was released for Windows on June 20, 2003, and the GameCube and Xbox on March 4, 2005...
'. He writes original plays for BBC radio and adapts Joyce Porter
Joyce Porter
Joyce Porter is an English crime fiction author.Porter created the characters of Eddie Brown, Constance Ethel Morrison Burke, and Wilfred Dover....
's Chief Inspector Dover novels for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. Mendelson is currently developing his BBC radio play 'A Meeting in Seville' as a movie (Whistlingthorn Films)