Harry Driver (13 May 1931 – 25 November 1973) was a British television scriptwriter and executive producer. He is best remembered for his partnership with Vince Powell on comedy television programmes including '' Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width'', '' Nearest and Dearest'', '' Bless This House'' and ''

Love Thy Neighbour Love Thy Neighbor or Love Thy Neighbour may also refer to: Film * Love Thy Neighbor (1940 film), ''Love Thy Neighbor'' (1940 film), an American film * Love Thy Neighbour (1967 film), ''Love Thy Neighbour'' (1967 film), a Danish-German comedy fil ...

''.

Biography

Driver formed an amateur comedy act with Vince Powell known as Hammond and Powell, which performed in the Northern club circuit by night, whilst working as a trainee manager with

Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks & Sparks or simply Marks) is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home produc ...

department stores by day. Driver developed

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

in December 1955. According to the

BFI Screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and tele ...

, he spent "the next 18 months in hospital (12 of them in an iron lung), and, unable to move his arms and legs, he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair." Ironically it was this which spurred him into his successful writing career. Driver began to write stories and scripts, initially when in the

iron lung An iron lung is a type of negative pressure ventilator, a medical ventilator, mechanical respirator which encloses most of a person's body and varies the air pressure in the enclosed space to stimulate breathing. It assists breathing when Musc ...

(via dictation) and then on a typewriter, apparently with a knitting needle clenched between his teeth." Driver began sending scripts to

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

, one of his submissions was eventually accepted. He received his first television credit for an episode of ''Skyport'' (1959–60), a drama set in an airport broadcast on 24 March 1960. His former performing partner, Vince Powell, meanwhile, had also turned his hand to writing and had begun to collaborate with Driver. Their first major success was ''Here's Harry'', written with Frank Roscoe followed by a spell contributing material for comedian Harry Worth, before providing scripts and storylines for

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

. and together the pair became one of Britain's greatest comedy teams of the 1960s, writing television sitcoms such as Nearest and Dearest, George and the Dragon and For the Love of Ada.

Personal life

He was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1969 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

. He died aged 42 on 25 November 1973.

Writing credits

References

External links

* 1931 births 1973 deaths 20th-century British screenwriters British television writers English people with disabilities Polio survivors British television show creators Writers from Manchester {{UK-screenwriter-stub