Early years

Peter Ambrose Cyprian Luke was born in St Albans

St Albans

St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...

. He had wanted to be a painter, and went to art school for 2 years before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 occurred. He was awarded the Military Cross

Military Cross

The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....

 for his efforts. Some time after, he worked under producer Sydney Newman

Sydney Newman

Sydney Cecil Newman, OC was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s...

 on the British television drama anthology Armchair Theatre

Armchair Theatre

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968....

, as a story editor. In 1959, he adapted Frederick Rolfe

Frederick Rolfe

Frederick William Rolfe, better known as Baron Corvo, and also calling himself 'Frederick William Serafino Austin Lewis Mary Rolfe', , was an English writer, artist, photographer and eccentric...

's novel Hadrian the Seventh

Hadrian the Seventh

Hadrian the Seventh is a 1904 novel by the English novelist Frederick Rolfe, who wrote under the pseudonym "Baron Corvo"....

.

Timeline of events

1946-47 - Sub-editor, Reuters News Desk
1947-57 - Wine trader
1958-62 - Story editor, ABC TV
1962-63 - Editor, The Bookman (New York)

The Bookman (New York)

The Bookman was a literary journal established in 1895 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It drew its name from the phrase, "I am a Bookman," by James Russell Lowell; the phrase regularly appeared on the cover and title page of the bound edition. It was purchased in 1918 by the George H. Doran Company. In...

 (ABC TV)
1963-64 - Editor, Tempo (ABC TV)
1963-67 - Drama producer, BBC TV
1977-80 - Director, Edwards-Mac Liammoir Dublin Gate Theatre Company

He was married to Carola Peyton-Jones (deceased), then Lettice Crawshaw (one daughter, one son deceased; marriage dissolved), and finally June Tobin (two sons, three daughters).

He died in Cadiz

Cádiz

Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....

 January 23, 1995.

List of works

• 1967 - Hadrian the Seventh
  Hadrian the Seventh
  Hadrian the Seventh is a 1904 novel by the English novelist Frederick Rolfe, who wrote under the pseudonym "Baron Corvo"....
  
  
• 1974 - Bloomsbury
  Bloomsbury
  -Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
  
  
• 1977 - Rings For A Spanish Lady
• 1978 - Proxopera
• 1985 - Married Love: The Apotheosis Of Marie Stopes
• 1987 - Yerma
  Yerma
  Yerma is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. It was written in 1934, and first performed that same year. Lorca describes the play as "a tragic poem."-Plot:...