Robert Ryerson Kellett ( 25 December 1927 – 27 November 2012) was a British film director, film producer and screenwriter, and one of British cinema’s most prominent comedy directors in the 1970s, working with many of the big names of the era, including

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', and '' Open All Hours''. ...

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 soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

Biography

Born in

Lancaster, Lancashire Lancaster (, ) is a city and the county town of Lancashire, England, standing on the River Lune. Its population of 52,234 compares with one of 138,375 in the wider City of Lancaster local government district. The House of Lancaster was a branch ...

, on 25 December 1927, the son of a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer, Bob Kellett was educated at Bedford School, where he was captain of boats. He became a writer with the advertising agencies

Foote, Cone & Belding Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), is one of the largest global advertising agency networks. It is owned by Interpublic Group and was merged in 2006 with Draft Worldwide, adopting the name Draftfcb. In 2014 the company rebranded itself as FCB. Parent ...

and Notley, and in 1950 he moved to Wessex Films, working as script editor for the film producer Ian Dalrymple on Thomas Hardy adaptations such as '' Far from the Madding Crowd''. He joined the ITV franchise holder

Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

in 1956 and contributed scripts to the first series of the detective drama ''Shadow Squad'' and to ''Jim's Inn'', starring Jimmy Hanley. In 1960 he established his own company, Gannet Films, producing and directing short documentaries for the

Central Office of Information The Central Office of Information (COI) was the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive reported to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. It was a non-ministerial department, and became an executive agency and a ...

. Kellett's first feature film as producer, in 1964, was '' A Home of Your Own'', starring

as a worker on a building site where a couple, the husband played by

Richard Briers Richard David Briers (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor whose five-decade career encompassed film, radio, stage and television. Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in ''Marriage Lines'' (1961–66), but ...

, buy a home. In 1966 he wrote and produced the comedy ''

San Ferry Ann ''San Ferry Ann'' is a 1965 British sound effect comedy. Wordlessly, with soundtrack and sound effects, it tells the story of a holiday crossing from Dover to Calais. Synopsis A motley crew of British characters ride the San Ferry Ann to the s ...

'', starring

Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for playing Gran i ...

Wilfrid Brambell Henry Wilfrid Brambell (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was an Irish television and film actor, best remembered for playing the grubby rag-and-bone man Albert Steptoe alongside Harry H. Corbett in the long-running BBC television sitcom '' ...

and

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.

. In 1967 he produced the comedy ''

Just Like a Woman "Just Like a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan first released on his seventh studio album, ''Blonde on Blonde'' on June 20, 1966. It was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. A shorter edit was released as a sin ...

'', starring Wendy Craig, and, in 1969, he directed and produced '' Futtocks End'' starring

and

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online e ...

. He was chosen by producer

Ned Sherrin Edward George Sherrin (18 February 1931 – 1 October 2007) was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC. He appeared in a variety of r ...

to direct

comedies, and he made ''

Up Pompeii ''Up Pompeii!'' is a British television comedy series broadcast between 1969 and 1970, starring Frankie Howerd. The first series was written by Talbot Rothwell, a scriptwriter for the ''Carry On'' films, and the second series by Rothwell and S ...

'' and ''

Up the Chastity Belt ''Up the Chastity Belt'' (also released as ''Naughty Knights'' in the United States) is a 1971 British comedy film directed by Bob Kellett and starring Frankie Howerd. It was a spin-off from the TV series '' Up Pompeii!'' Plot Eleanor of Aquit ...

'' in 1971, and '' Up the Front'' in 1972. In 1971 he directed '' Girl Stroke Boy'' starring

and

Joan Greenwood Joan Mary Waller Greenwood (4 March 1921 – 28 February 1987) was an English actress. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark. She played Sibella in the 1949 film ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'', and also app ...

as a couple whose son falls in love with a black transvestite. He directed the wartime farce ''

Our Miss Fred ''Our Miss Fred'' is a 1972 British comedy film starring Danny La Rue, set during World War II. The film was also known by its video release titles ''Beyond the Call of Duty'' (Canada) and ''Operation: Fred'' (US). In the 1960s, La Rue was one ...

'' starring Danny La Rue in 1972, '' The Alf Garnett Saga'' starring

Warren Mitchell Warren Mitchell (born Warren Misell; 14 January 1926 – 14 November 2015) was a British actor. He was a BAFTA TV Award winner and twice a Laurence Olivier Award winner. In the 1950s, Mitchell appeared on the radio programmes ''Educatin ...

in 1972, '' Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' starring Brian Rix,

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...

and

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

in 1973, ''

Spanish Fly The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparatio ...

'' starring

and Terry-Thomas in 1975, and the big-screen version of ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London ...

'' in 1977. For television he directed episodes of '' Space: 1999'', between 1975 and 1976, and the series ''Seagull Island'' in 1981. Bob Kellett died in Westergate,

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

, on 27 November 2012, at the age of 84.

Filmography

*'' Before You Go'' (2002) (second unit director) *'' Haunted'' (1995) (scriptwriter) *'' F/X2'' (1991) (production consultant) a.k.a. ''F/X2: The Deadly Art of Illusion'' or ''FX2'' *''Tightrope to Terror'' (1983) (director and scriptwriter, credited as Robert Kellett) *''

'' (1977) *''

'' (1975) *'' All I Want is You and You and You'' (1974) *'' Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' (1974) *'' The Alf Garnett Saga'' (1972) a.k.a. ''The Garnett Saga'' (UK) *''

'' (1972) a.k.a. ''Beyond the Call of Duty'' (Canada) or ''Operation: Fred'' (US) *'' Up the Front'' (1972) *''

'' (1971) a.k.a. ''Naughty Knights'' or ''The Chastity Belt'' (USA) *''

'' (1971) *'' Girl Stroke Boy'' (1971) *'' Futtocks End'' (1970) (director and producer) *''A Cathedral in Our Time'' (1967) *''

'' (1967) (producer) *''

'' (1966) (scriptwriter and producer) *'' A Home of Your Own'' (1964) (producer)

Television

*''Seagull Island'' (1981) (associate producer, credited as Robert Kellett) *'' Space: 1999'' (3 episodes, 1975–1976) a.k.a. ''Spazio 1999'' (Italy) *'' The Last Enemy'' (1976) *'' Voyager's Return'' (1975) *''

The Full Circle "The Full Circle" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of '' Space: 1999''. The screenplay was written by Jesse Lasky, Jnr and Pat Silver; the director was Bob Kellett. The final shooting script is dated 17 September 1974. Live-actio ...

'' (1976)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kellett, Bob 1927 births 2012 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English screenwriters Businesspeople from Lancashire English film directors English film producers English male screenwriters English screenwriters People educated at Bedford School People from Lancaster, Lancashire Writers from Lancashire