Andrew Wynford Davies (; born 20 September 1936) is a Welsh writer of

screenplays ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

and

novels A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

, best known for '' House of Cards'' and ''

A Very Peculiar Practice ''A Very Peculiar Practice'' is a surreal black-comedy drama set in the health centre of a British university, produced by the BBC, which ran for two series in 1986 and 1988. The two series were followed by a 90-minute made-for-television film, ...

'', and his adaptations of ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'', ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

'', ''

Middlemarch ''Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life'' is a novel by the English author Mary Anne Evans, who wrote as George Eliot. It first appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midland town, ...

'', ''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...

'' and '' War & Peace''. He was made a BAFTA Fellow in 2002.

Education and early career

Davies was born in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, Wales. He attended Whitchurch Grammar School in Cardiff and then University College, London, where he received a BA in English in 1957. He took a teaching position at St. Clement Danes Grammar School in London, where he was on the teaching staff from 1958–61. He held a similar post at Woodberry Down Comprehensive School in Hackney, London from 1961–63. Following that, he was a lecturer in English at Coventry College of Education (which later merged with the University of Warwick to become the Faculty of Educational Studies and later the Warwick Institute of Education), and then at the

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020 ...

. In 1960, Davies contributed material to the

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

's ''Monday Night at Home'' strand, alongside

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

and Ivor Cutler. He wrote his first play for radio in 1964 and many more were to follow. In 1960, he married Diana Huntley; the couple have a son and daughter. He is resident in

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...

, Warwickshire.

Writer

Davies' first television play, '' Who's Going to Take Me On?'', was broadcast in 1967 as part of BBC1's '' The Wednesday Play'' strand. His early plays were written as a sideline to his work in education, many of them appearing in anthology series such as ''Thirty Minute Theatre'', ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'' and ''Centre Stage''. One of his London stage plays, ''Rose'', played on Broadway in 1981, with Glenda Jackson and

Jessica Tandy Jessie Alice Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was a British-American actress. Tandy appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe ...

. His first serial adaptation of a work of fiction was of '' To Serve Them All My Days'' (1980), from the novel by

R. F. Delderfield Ronald Frederick Delderfield (12 February 1912 – 24 June 1972) was an English novelist and dramatist, some of whose works have been adapted for television and film. Biography Childhood in London and Surrey Ronald Frederick Delderfield ...

. He wrote ''

'' (1986–88), a campus based comedy-drama series that drew upon his career in education. He is now best known for his adaptations of classic works of literature for television including the

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

short story The Signalman (1976), ''

'' (1995) starring

Colin Firth Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...

and Jennifer Ehle, ''

'' (1998), ''

'' (2005) and '' Sense and Sensibility'' (2008). He is the writer of the screenplays for the BBC production ''

'' (1994) and a planned film of the same name once announced for 2011 release. Davies also co-devised with Bernadette Davis the sitcom '' Game On'' for BBC2 and co-wrote the first two series broadcast in 1995 and 1996. The popularity of his adaptation of

Michael Dobbs Michael John Dobbs, Baron Dobbs (born 14 November 1948) is a British Conservative politician and author, best known for his '' House of Cards'' trilogy. Early life and education Michael Dobbs was born on 14 November 1948 in Cheshunt, Hertfords ...

's political thriller '' House of Cards'' was a significant influence in Dobbs's decision to write two sequels, which Davies also adapted for television. In film, he has collaborated on the screenplays for the first two '' Bridget Jones'' films, based on

Helen Fielding Helen Fielding (born 19 February 1958) is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, and a sequence of novels and films beginning with the life of a thirty something singleton in Lo ...

novels. He is a prolific writer for children. The first of his novels was ''Conrad's War'', published by Blackie in 1978. Davies won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, which is judged by a panel of British children's writers and recognises the best book by an author who has not yet won it. He has written '' Alfonso Bonzo'' (book and television series) and the adventures of

Marmalade Atkins ''Marmalade Atkins'' is a children's fictional character created by the writer Andrew Davies. Marmalade first appeared in the book ''Marmalade and Rufus'' in 1979, and the character was later brought to television in 1981 in which she was play ...

(television series and numerous books). He also wrote the stories '' Dark Towers'' and ''Badger Girl'' for BBC TV's '' Look and Read'' programmes for schools audiences. 2008 saw the release of his adaptations of the 1999 novel '' Affinity'' by Sarah Waters,

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires '' Decl ...

's '' Brideshead Revisited'' (a film),

' '' Little Dorrit'' (a BBC series). ''Little Dorrit'' won seven of eleven Emmy nominations and earned Davies an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries. Adaptations of '' Dombey and Son'', one of Dickens' lesser-read works and

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

Palliser novels The Palliser novels are novels written in series by Anthony Trollope. They were more commonly known as the Parliamentary novels prior to their 1974 television dramatisation by the BBC broadcast as '' The Pallisers''. Marketed as "polite litera ...

were scrapped by the BBC in late 2009, following a move away from "bonnet dramas". ITV was looking to recreate its period drama success with ''Downton Abbey'' with a new series ''

Mr Selfridge ''Mr Selfridge'' is a British period drama television series about Harry Gordon Selfridge and his department store, Selfridge & Co, in London, set from 1908 to 1928. It was co-produced by ITV Studios and Masterpiece/WGBH for broadcast on ITV ...

'', written by Davies and starring Jeremy Piven. An initial ten-part series first aired on 6 January 2013 and it has run for 4 series by 2016. Davies' six-part adaptation of

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

's '' War & Peace'' was broadcast on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in January and February 2016. Following its success, the BBC announced in July 2016 that it would be followed up with a six-part adaptation of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' to be scripted by Davies. In May 2017, it was announced that BBC will adapt Vikram Seth's magnum opus ''

A Suitable Boy ''A Suitable Boy'' is a novel by Vikram Seth, published in 1993. With 1,349 pages (1,488 pages in paperback), the English-language book is one of the longest novels published in a single volume. ''A Suitable Boy'' is set in a newly post-inde ...

'' into an eight-part series to be scripted by Davies. In May 2018, he announced at the Hay Festival that he is adapting John Updike's ''

Rabbit, Run ''Rabbit, Run'' is a 1960 novel by John Updike. The novel depicts three months in the life of a 26-year-old former high school basketball player named Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom who is trapped in a loveless marriage and a boring sales job, and h ...

'' for television.

Filmography

Television series and serials

*'' The Legend of King Arthur'' (1979) *'' To Serve Them All My Days'' (1980) *'' Dark Towers'' ('' Look and Read'', 1981) *'' Diana'' (1984) *''Badger Girl'' ('' Look and Read'', 1984) *''

'' (1986–88) *'' Mother Love'' (1989) *'' House of Cards'' (1990) *''

Anglo-Saxon Attitudes ''Anglo-Saxon Attitudes'' is a satirical novel by Angus Wilson, published in 1956. It was Wilson's most popular book, and many consider it his best work. Plot summary The novel deals with the significance of two connected events that happened ...

'' (1992) *''

The Old Devils ''The Old Devils'' is a novel by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1986. The novel won the Booker Prize. The plot centres on Alun Weaver, a writer of modest celebrity, who returns to his native Wales with his wife, Rhiannon, sometime girlfriend ...

'' (1992) *'' To Play the King'' (1993) *''

'' (1994) *'' Game On'' (1995, with Bernadette Davis) *''

'' (1995) *'' The Final Cut'' (1995) *''

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

'' (1996) *'' The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders'' (1996) *''Bill's New Frock'' (1997) *''

'' (1998) *'' Wives and Daughters'' (1999) *'' Take a Girl Like You'' (2000) *'' The Way We Live Now'' (2001) *'' Daniel Deronda'' (2002) *''

Doctor Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago and deals with love and loss during ...

'' (2002) *'' Tipping the Velvet'' (2002) *''

He Knew He Was Right ''He Knew He Was Right'' is an 1869 novel written by Anthony Trollope which describes the failure of a marriage caused by the unreasonable jealousy of a husband exacerbated by the stubbornness of a wilful wife. As is common with Trollope's work ...

'' (2004) *''

'' (2005) *'' The Line of Beauty'' (2006) *'' Northanger Abbey'' (2007), part of ITV's ''

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

Season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

'' *''

A Room with a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society a ...

'' (2007) *'' Fanny Hill'' (2007) *'' Sense and Sensibility'' (2008) *'' Little Dorrit'' (2008) *'' South Riding'' (2011) *''

'' (2013–14) *'' Quirke'' (2014) *'' A Poet in New York'' (2014) *'' War & Peace'' (2016) *''

'' (2019) *''

Sanditon ''Sanditon'' (1817) is an unfinished novel by the English writer Jane Austen. In January 1817, Austen began work on a new novel she called ''The Brothers'', later titled ''Sanditon'', and completed eleven chapters before stopping work in mid-M ...

'' (2019) *''

'' (2020

TV series)

Television plays

*''Who's Going to Take Me On?'' (1965) *''Is That Your Body, Boy?'' (1970) *''No Good Unless It Hurts'' (1973) *''The Water Maiden'' (1974) *''Grace'' (1975) *''The Imp of the Perverse'' (1975) *'' The Signalman'' (1976) *''A Martyr to the System'' (1976) *''Eleanor Marx'' (1977) *''Velvet Glove'' (1977) *''Fearless Frank'' (1978) *''Renoir My Father'' (1978) *''Bavarian Night'' (1981) *''Heartattack Hotel'' (1983) *''Baby I Love You'' (1985) *''Pythons on the Mountain'' (1985) *''Inappropriate Behaviour'' (1987) *''Lucky Sunil'' (1988) *'' Ball Trap on the Cote Sauvage'' (1989) *''Filipina Dreamgirls'' (1991) *''A Very Polish Practice'' (1992) *''Anna Lee'' (1993) *''

Harnessing Peacocks ''Harnessing Peacocks'' is the third novel by Mary Wesley, published in 1985 when the author was 73 years old. In 1992 it was adapted for television. Plot summary As a baby, Hebe lost her parents in an air crash; her grandparents have brought ...

'' (1993) *''A Few Short Journeys of the Heart'' (1994) *'' Emma'' (1996) *''Getting Hurt'' (1998) *''A Rather English Marriage'' (1998) *''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

'' (2001) *''

Boudica Boudica or Boudicca (, known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh as ()), was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She ...

'' (2003) *''Falling'' (2005) *''

The Chatterley Affair ''The Chatterley Affair'' is a BBC television drama, produced by BBC Wales and broadcast on BBC Four on 20 March 2006. It is a semi-fictitious account of the obscenity trial surrounding the publication of D. H. Lawrence's 1928 novel ''Lady Ch ...

'' (2006) *''

Diary of a Nobody ''The Diary of a Nobody'' is an English comic novel written by the brothers George and Weedon Grossmith, with illustrations by the latter. It originated as an intermittent serial in '' Punch'' magazine in 1888–89 and first appeared in book fo ...

'' (2007)

Cinema

*'' Circle of Friends'' (1995) *''

The Tailor of Panama ''The Tailor of Panama'' is a 1996 novel by British writer John le Carré. A 2001 film was released based on the novel. Plot Harry Pendel is a British expatriate living in Panama City and running his own successful bespoke tailoring busine ...

'' (2001) *'' Bridget Jones's Diary'' (2001, with

and

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...

) *'' Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'' (2004, with Helen Fielding) *'' Brideshead Revisited'' (2008) * ''The Three Musketeers'' (2011)

Novels

* ''Conrad's War'' (

Blackie and Son Blackie & Son was a publishing house in Glasgow, Scotland, and London, England, from 1809 to 1991. History The firm was founded as a bookseller in 1809 by John Blackie (1782–1874) as a partnership with two others and was known as 'Black ...

, 1978) —winner of the

Guardian Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the autho ...

* ''Getting Hurt'' (1989), for adults * ''Dirty Faxes'' (1990), short stories * ''B. Monkey'' (1992) — adapted by others as the 1998 film ''

B. Monkey ''B. Monkey'' is a British-American 1998 crime drama film directed by Michael Radford. Originally, Michael Caton-Jones was attached to direct the adaptation of the homonymous 1992 book by Andrew Davies, but left over creative differences. Asia ...

'' ;Based on the TV series *''A Very Peculiar Practice'' (1986, Coronet) —novelization of ''

'', season one *''A Very Peculiar Practice: The New Frontier'' (1988, Methuen)

Stage plays

*''Diary of a Desperate Woman'' (1979) *''Rose'' (1980) *''Prin'' (1990)

Picture books

Andrew and Diana Davies have written at least two children's picture books. * ''Poonam's Pets'' (Methuen Children's, 1990), illustrated by Paul Dowling * ''Raj In Charge'' (Hamish Hamilton, 1994), illus.

Debi Gliori Debi Gliori (born 1959) is a Scottish writer and illustrator of children's books. Life and career Gliori was born in Glasgow and grew up there as an only child. She started writing children's books in 1976 and attended art school in Edinburg ...

References

Further References

* Cardwell, Sarah (2005) 'Andrew Davies'. Manchester: MUP.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Andrew 1936 births Living people Welsh television writers Welsh screenwriters Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winners Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Academics of the University of Warwick Writers from Cardiff Alumni of University College London BAFTA winners (people) BAFTA fellows Emmy Award winners People educated at Whitchurch Grammar School, Cardiff Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Rhiwbina