Dorothea Brooking
Encyclopedia
Dorothea Brooking was a British television producer and director of children's television programmes for the BBC. She also adapted some works for the small screen which she worked on in her other capacities.
Before the Second World War she had been an actress for the Old Vic company, where she met her husband John Brooking, who had the stage name of John Franklyn (they divorced in 1951). During the war her husband worked in Shanghai
, and Brooking herself was on the staff of a radio station in the city in the two years before the Japanese invaded.
After returning to London, she worked for the BBCs Overseas Service as a continuity announcer before being appointed as a producer in 1950 for the BBCs Children's Department at Alexandra Palace
. Over the next quarter of a century she was responsible for numerous adaptions of children's classics such as The Secret Garden
(1952, 1960 and 1975) and The Railway Children
(1951 and 1957). She also undertook adaptions of contemporary works including Tom's Midnight Garden
in 1974.
Leaving the BBC in the mid-1960s, after a period in schools' broadcasting, she went freelance. When Monica Sims
was appointed to head the Children's Department in 1968, Brooking resumed working for the BBC. Her last directing responsibility was Haunting of Cassie Palmer
in 1982.
Before the Second World War she had been an actress for the Old Vic company, where she met her husband John Brooking, who had the stage name of John Franklyn (they divorced in 1951). During the war her husband worked in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, and Brooking herself was on the staff of a radio station in the city in the two years before the Japanese invaded.
After returning to London, she worked for the BBCs Overseas Service as a continuity announcer before being appointed as a producer in 1950 for the BBCs Children's Department at Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
. Over the next quarter of a century she was responsible for numerous adaptions of children's classics such as The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's...
(1952, 1960 and 1975) and The Railway Children
The Railway Children
The Railway Children is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in The London Magazine during 1905 and first published in book form in 1906...
(1951 and 1957). She also undertook adaptions of contemporary works including Tom's Midnight Garden
Tom's Midnight Garden
Tom's Midnight Garden is a children's novel by Philippa Pearce. It won the Carnegie Medal in 1958, the year of its publication. It has been adapted for radio, television, the cinema, and the stage.-Plot summary:...
in 1974.
Leaving the BBC in the mid-1960s, after a period in schools' broadcasting, she went freelance. When Monica Sims
Monica Sims
Monica Sims OBE is a British BBC Radio producer who became Head of Children's Programmes, BBC Television then Controller of BBC Radio 4. She has also been a Vice President of the British Board of Film Classification, and Director of the Children's Film Foundation.- BBC career :She spent three...
was appointed to head the Children's Department in 1968, Brooking resumed working for the BBC. Her last directing responsibility was Haunting of Cassie Palmer
Haunting of Cassie Palmer
The Haunting of Cassie Palmer is a British television drama for children produced in 1981 by TVS and first broadcast on 26 February 1982. The series was based on a novel by Vivien Alcock...
in 1982.
External links
- Obituary in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
by Edward Barnes, May 3, 1999 - Obituary in The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
by June Averill, April 6, 1999 - Screenonline profile