Bob Block (20 July 1921 – 17 April 2011) was a British radio and television comedy scriptwriter.

Career

His earliest work was for radio, best known for co-writing the domestic

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' Life with the Lyons'' for

Ben Lyon Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American film actor and a studio executive at 20th Century-Fox who later acted in British radio, films and TV. Early life and career Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Alvine W ...

, as well as working with

Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation an ...

and

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

. Block was best known for writing television comedy series for children, including ''

Pardon My Genie ''Pardon My Genie'' (1972–1973) was a children's comedy series produced by British ITV contractor Thames Television, and written by Bob Block, who later created ''Rentaghost''. The premise was that a magic genie (Hugh Paddick in the first ...

'' (1972–73), '' Robert's Robots'' (1974–75), '' Galloping Galaxies'' (1985) and the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's ''

Rentaghost ''Rentaghost'' is a British children's television comedy show, originally broadcast by the BBC between 6 January 1976 and 6 November 1984. The show's plot centred on the antics of a number of ghosts who worked for a firm called Rentaghost, which ...

'' (1976–84).

Notable credits

Radio

*''

Variety Bandbox ''Variety Bandbox'' is a BBC Radio variety show transmitted initially in the General Forces Programme and then the Light Programme. Featuring a mixture of comic performances and music, the show helped to launch the careers of a number of leadi ...

'' (1940s–1950s) *'' Radio Rinso'' (1950) *'' The Starlight Hour'' (1950) *'' Life with the Lyons'' (1951–1961) *''

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Labour Party cabinet member Herbert Morrison was the prime mover; in 1947 he started with the ...

'' (1951) *''

Arthur's Inn Arthur's was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1811 and was disbanded in 1940. Between 1827 and 1940 it was based at 69 St James's Street. It is now best remembered for having built the London clubhouse currently ...

'' (1952) *'' Discord in Three Flats'' (1962)

Television

*'' Our House'' (1960) *'' That's My Boy'' (1963) *'' Crackerjack'' (1964–1973) *'' Hey Presto It's Rolf'' (1966) *''

Broaden Your Mind ''Broaden Your Mind'' (1968–1969) is a British television comedy series, broadcast on BBC2 and starring Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, joined by Bill Oddie for the second series. Guest cast members included Michael Palin, Terry Jones, J ...

'' (1968–1969) *'' Ken Dodd and the Diddymen'' (1969–1970) *'' The Dave King Show'' (1969–1970) *''

Dave Allen At Large Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...

'' (1970–1979) *''

'' (1972–1973) *'' Roberts Robots'' (1973–1974) *'' Truscott's Luck'' *''

'' (1975–1984) *'' Grandad'' (1979–1984) *'' Galloping Galaxies!'' (1985–1986)

Music hall

*''Kindly Leave the Stage'' (1968)

External links

*
Official Site via Wayback Archive

References

1921 births 2011 deaths British children's writers British radio writers British male screenwriters English television writers British male television writers {{UK-screenwriter-stub