Philip Percy Cooper Drabble (13 May 1914 – 29 July 2007) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

countryman Countryman may refer to: Arts and media * ''Countryman'' (album), an album by Willie Nelson * ''Countryman'' (film), a motion picture set in Jamaica * ''Countryman'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''Countryman'' (newspaper), a rural-themed new ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

and

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

(notably '' One Man and His Dog''). Brought up in the

Black Country The Black Country is an area of England's West Midlands. It is mainly urban, covering most of the Dudley and Sandwell metropolitan boroughs, with the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton. The road between Wolverhampto ...

, he later lived in – and wrote mostly about – the countryside of north

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

and at

Abbots Bromley Abbots Bromley is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire and lies approximately east of Stafford, England. According to the University of Nottingham English Place-names project, the settlement name Abbots ...

in East

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, where he created a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

Biography

Early life

Drabble was an only child, whose mother died when he was young.''It's a Dog's Life'' His father was a GP and they lived in a terraced house in

Bloxwich Bloxwich is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. It is located between the towns of Walsall, Cannock, Willenhall and Brownhills. The most famous resident is John Singh Sangha, the Bengali tiger, the ...

. He began work as a factory lad and rose to the board of Salters and membership of the management board of the Midland Engineering Employers Association. In 1947, he made his first radio broadcast, and in 1952 his first television appearance. At the age of 47 he became a full-time writer, and he and his wife Jess purchased a derelict

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

-styled cottage and of neglected

ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, ancient woodland is that which has existed continuously since 1600 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). The practice of planting woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 1600 i ...

, a remnant of the

Needwood Forest Needwood Forest was a large area of ancient woodland in Staffordshire, England, which was largely lost at the end of the 18th century. History The forest was on extensive lands owned by the Berkeley family of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershi ...

''One Man and His Dog'' and later life

Drabble was best known as presenter of the long-running TV series '' One Man and His Dog'', in which he commentated on

sheepdog trial A sheepdog trial – also herding event, stock dog trial or simply dog trial — is a competition or test of the working abilities of dogs of herding breeds. It is a type of dog sport that emerged in the 1860s in New Zealand. By the 1870s regul ...

s for 17 years from 1976 to 1993. At its peak the BBC programme attracted more than 8 million viewers and even the Queen was a fan, asking Drabble for advice after her liberty budgies were attacked by hawks at Windsor. Declared Midlander of the Year in 1992, and made OBE in the year he retired from the programme, he announced in 1993 that it had become "a bit boring watching dogs chase stroppy sheep round a field." A

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

very near Drabble's former home in Bloxwich is named "One Man and His Dog" in his honour.

Later life

Drabble, who also wrote a newspaper column for the

Express & Star The ''Express & Star'' is a regional evening newspaper in Britain. Founded in 1889, it is based in Wolverhampton, England, and covers the West Midlands county and Staffordshire. Currently edited by Martin Wright, the ''Express & Star'' publis ...

, took few holidays, travelled abroad only a couple of times, and was proud to have never lived more than 20 miles from his place of birth. He and his wife turned the woodland they had bought and lived next to into the

Goat Lodge Reserve The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the family Bo ...

. After a fight with

Center Parcs Center Parcs may refer to: * Center Parcs UK and Ireland, a short-break holiday company based in the United Kingdom and Ireland * Center Parcs Europe Center Parcs Europe N.V. (formerly Center Parcs) is a European network of holiday villages t ...

who wanted to build a centre just outside its borders, it became a recognised

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

. Predeceased eighteen months earlier by his wife, Drabble died at his home in Abbots Bromley on 29 July 2007, at the age of 93. Having never had any children, he left the majority of his £1,013,523 estate to his PA of 25 years, Ruth Froggatt.The Standard 12 April 2012 https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/phil-one-man-and-his-dog-drabble-leaves-ps1m-fortune-to-the-secretary-he-loved-like-a-daughter-6656898.html

Bibliography

*''Staffordshire'' (1948) *''The Black Country'' (1952) *''A Weasel in My Meatsafe'' (1957) *''The Penguin Book of Pets'' (1964) *''Badgers at My Window'',

Pelham Books Pelham may refer to: People * Pelham (name), including a list of people with the name Places In Australia * Pelham, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region In Canada * Pelham, Ontario * Pelham Range, on Vancouver Island, British ...

, (1969) ** reprint,

Dickson Price Dickson may refer to: People *Dickson (given name) * Dickson (surname) Places In Australia: *Dickson, Australian Capital Territory in Canberra *Dickson College in Canberra *Dickson Centre, Australian Capital Territory in Canberra *Division of Dic ...

, (1989) *''My Beloved Wilderness'', Pelham Books, (1971) *''Phil Drabble's Country Scene'', Pelham Books, (1974) *''Design for a Wilderness'' (1973) *''Pleasing Pets'' (1975) *''Book of Pets'' (1976) *''Country Seasons'' (with a

foreword A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between th ...

Johnny Morris Johnny or Johnnie Morris may refer to: * Johnnie Morris (actor) (1887–1969), American comedian and actor *Johnny Morris (television presenter) (1916–1999), British television presenter * Johnny Morris (footballer) (1923–2011), English footbal ...

) Michael Joseph (1976) *''One Man and His Dog'' Michael Joseph (1978) *''Of Pedigree Unknown: Sporting & Working Dogs'' (1976) *''No Badgers in My Wood'' Michael Joseph (1979) *''Country Wise'' (1980) *''In the Country'' (The book of the BBC TV series presented by Angela Rippon) by Angela Rippon, Phil Drabble, Bernard Price, and Ted Moult (1980) *''Four Seasons: The Life of the English Countryside,'' by Sheila Mannes-Abbott and Phil Drabble (1981) *''It's a Dog's Life'', Michael Joseph (1983) *''Country Moods'', (A selection of his columns for The

Birmingham Evening Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country and ''Birmingham Live'' online) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England, but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of ...

) Michael Joseph (1985) *''What Price the Countryside?'', Michael Joseph (1985) *''My Wilderness in Bloom'', Michael Joseph (1986) *''Sport and the English Countryside: The World of John Moore,'' by Phil Drabble, John Moore, and Daphne Moore (1987) *''A Voice in the Wilderness'', Pelham Books, (1991) -

Autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

. *''One Man and His Dog'' (vol.2, 1989) *''Walking - Britain's Most Beautiful Nature Trails'' (Activity Guides) (1992) *''My Wilderness Reprieved'' (1993)

References

External links

Anthony Hayward, ''Obituary: Phil Drabble one man and his dog,'' The Independent, 1 August 2007Laura Clout, ''Phil Drabble of TVs One Man and his Dog, dies,'' Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 1 August 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drabble, Phil 1914 births 2007 deaths English nature writers English television presenters Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bromsgrove School People from Bloxwich English male non-fiction writers People from Abbots Bromley Writers from the West Midlands (county) 20th-century English male writers