Geoffrey Lancashire
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Lancashire was a British television scriptwriter. He is best remembered for writing television comedy series such as The Lovers
and The Cuckoo Waltz
.
, Lancashire
in 1933 and was educated at Oldham Municipal High School for Boys.
newspaper before joining Granada Television
as a scriptwriter. He went on to write over 200 episodes of Coronation Street
, working alongside Tony Warren
and Jack Rosenthal
. Lancashire also wrote other television series including Inheritance
(1967), The Lovers
(1970), Shabby Tiger (1973), The Cuckoo Waltz
(1975) and Foxy Lady
(1982).
became an actress. In the mid 1980s, he suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered and died in 2004.
The Lovers (TV series)
The Lovers is a British television sitcom by Jack Rosenthal, starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox as a courting couple, Geoffrey and Beryl. It was made between 1970 and 1971 by Granada Television for the ITV network. The hook for the show was the mismatch between the two, particularly in...
and The Cuckoo Waltz
The Cuckoo Waltz
The Cuckoo Waltz was a British television sitcom made by Granada Television for the ITV network between 1975 and 1977 and in 1980.The series which was set in 1970s and Manchester, written by Geoffrey Lancashire, produced and directed by Bill Gilmour, dealt with the comic complications that ensue...
.
Early life
Geoffrey Lancashire was born in OldhamOldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in 1933 and was educated at Oldham Municipal High School for Boys.
Career
Lancashire began his career as a journalist with the Oldham Evening ChronicleOldham Evening Chronicle
The Oldham Evening Chronicle is a daily newspaper published each weekday evening. It is a local newspaper which serves the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England...
newspaper before joining Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
as a scriptwriter. He went on to write over 200 episodes of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, working alongside Tony Warren
Tony Warren
Anthony McVay Simpson MBE , better known by his stage name Tony Warren, is an award-winning English television scriptwriter, best known for creating the soap opera Coronation Street...
and Jack Rosenthal
Jack Rosenthal
Jack Morris Rosenthal CBE was an English playwright, who wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations.-Biography:...
. Lancashire also wrote other television series including Inheritance
Inheritance (TV series)
Inheritance was a 1967 Granada produced ITV drama based on a 1932 novel by Phyllis Bentley.The ten-part period drama revolved around the fortunes of the Oldroyds, a Yorkshire mill owning family from 1812 to 1965. The early part of the series featured the Luddite riots involving the burning of mills...
(1967), The Lovers
The Lovers (TV series)
The Lovers is a British television sitcom by Jack Rosenthal, starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox as a courting couple, Geoffrey and Beryl. It was made between 1970 and 1971 by Granada Television for the ITV network. The hook for the show was the mismatch between the two, particularly in...
(1970), Shabby Tiger (1973), The Cuckoo Waltz
The Cuckoo Waltz
The Cuckoo Waltz was a British television sitcom made by Granada Television for the ITV network between 1975 and 1977 and in 1980.The series which was set in 1970s and Manchester, written by Geoffrey Lancashire, produced and directed by Bill Gilmour, dealt with the comic complications that ensue...
(1975) and Foxy Lady
Foxy Lady (TV series)
Foxy Lady was a television comedy series made between October 1982 and February 1984 by Granada Television. It was set in the 1960s and revolved around a young female reporter, Daisy Jackson , who worked for a newspaper and encountered sexism from her colleagues....
(1982).
Personal life
He married Hilda McCormack, a secretary at the Granada Television studios in 1963, from whom he was separated at the time of his death. His daughter Sarah LancashireSarah Lancashire
Sarah Lancashire is an English actress, probably best recognised for her role as Raquel Watts in Coronation Street. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1986.-Television:...
became an actress. In the mid 1980s, he suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered and died in 2004.
External links
- Obituary in The Guardian
- http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/lancashire.htm