Max Morgan-Witts
Encyclopedia
Max Morgan-Witts is a British
producer, director and author of Canadian origin.
Morgan-Witts was a Director/Producer at Granada TV. He directed hundreds of popular television shows for Granada, including: 50 episodes of The Army Game
, a forerunner of the American
show Bilko
and at the time Britain's highest-rated television programme. Afterwards Morgan-Witts directed 30 of the earliest episodes of Coronation Street
, which followed The Army Game as Britain's top-rated TV show.
After his successes at Granada TV, Morgan-Witts moved to BBC TV, where he was responsible for many documentary programmes. This included 14 one-hour programmes titled The British Empire, a historical documentary series. It was filmed in 40 countries and at the time was the most expensive and ambitious documentary series the BBC had ever made.
He was an editor and executive producer of Tomorrow's World
, a hugely successful, live, weekly, popular science programme. He was Director and Producer of many one-hour film documentaries made for peak time viewing on BBC-1, most of which he wrote himself but for one of which he hired Gordon Thomas. This was the beginning of their writing partnership.
Morgan-Witts wrote 10 non-fiction books with Thomas, four of which were made
into feature films including Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb, which was first a four-hour NBC
special and then re-cut as a feature. Another was Voyage of the Damned
, a highly-rated feature film which is frequently
repeated on TV world-wide.
Morgan-Witts is a member of Society of Authors
and has been awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award.
Now in partial retirement, Morgan-Witts has involved himself in the revival of the fortunes of Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, the important London Arts & Crafts church.
His books are:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
producer, director and author of Canadian origin.
Morgan-Witts was a Director/Producer at Granada TV. He directed hundreds of popular television shows for Granada, including: 50 episodes of The Army Game
The Army Game
The Army Game is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1957 to 1961. Made in black-and-white, it is about National Service conscription to the post-war British Army. It was created by Sid Colin...
, a forerunner of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
show Bilko
Bilko
Bilko may refer to:* Ernest G. Bilko - main protagonist of the The Phil Silvers Show* Sgt. Bilko , a 1996 adaptation of the The Phil Silvers Show, starring Steve Martin* Steve Bilko, a baseball player...
and at the time Britain's highest-rated television programme. Afterwards Morgan-Witts directed 30 of the earliest 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...
, which followed The Army Game as Britain's top-rated TV show.
After his successes at Granada TV, Morgan-Witts moved to BBC TV, where he was responsible for many documentary programmes. This included 14 one-hour programmes titled The British Empire, a historical documentary series. It was filmed in 40 countries and at the time was the most expensive and ambitious documentary series the BBC had ever made.
He was an editor and executive producer of Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series, showcasing new developments in the world of science and technology. First aired on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.- Content :...
, a hugely successful, live, weekly, popular science programme. He was Director and Producer of many one-hour film documentaries made for peak time viewing on BBC-1, most of which he wrote himself but for one of which he hired Gordon Thomas. This was the beginning of their writing partnership.
Morgan-Witts wrote 10 non-fiction books with Thomas, four of which were made
into feature films including Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb, which was first a four-hour NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
special and then re-cut as a feature. Another was Voyage of the Damned
Voyage of the Damned
Voyage of the Damned is the title of a 1974 book written by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan-Witts, which was the basis of a 1976 drama film with the same title.The story was inspired by true events concerning the fate of the MS St...
, a highly-rated feature film which is frequently
repeated on TV world-wide.
Morgan-Witts is a member of Society of Authors
Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...
and has been awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award.
Now in partial retirement, Morgan-Witts has involved himself in the revival of the fortunes of Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, the important London Arts & Crafts church.
His books are:
- The Day their World Ended by Gordon Thomas & Max Morgan-Witts, a factual novel about the eruption of Mount PeléeMount PeléeMount Pelée is an active volcano at the northern end of the island and French overseas department of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles island arc of the Caribbean. Its volcanic cone is composed of layers of volcanic ash and hardened lava....
in 1902 and the basis for the 1980 movie When Time Ran OutWhen Time Ran OutWhen Time Ran Out... is a disaster film released in 1980, starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, James Franciscus, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Burgess Meredith, Valentina Cortese, Veronica Hamel, Pat Morita, Edward Albert, and Barbara Carrera.Produced by the "Master of...
starring Paul Newman) - The San Francisco Earthquake
- Shipwreck: The Strange Fate of the Morro Castle
- Voyage of the Damned
- Guernica: The Crucible of World War II
- Ruin from the Air: The Enola Gay's Atomic Mission to Hiroshima
- The Day the Bubble Burst: A Social History of the Wall Street Crash of 1929
- Anatomy of an epidemic
- Pontiff
- Averting Armageddon: Papal Policies in the Pursuit of Peace