Dick Clement (born 5 September 1937) is an English writer, director and producer. He became known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais for television series including '' The Likely Lads'', ''

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'' is a British sitcom which was broadcast on BBC1 between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974. It was the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit '' The Likely Lads''. It was created and written, as was its prede ...

'', ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...

'', ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'' and ''

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in ...

''.

Early life

Born in

Westcliff-on-Sea Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 ...

, Essex, England, Clement was educated at Bishop's Stortford College, and then spent a year in the US on an exchange visit. Upon his return, he completed his

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. He then joined the BBC as a studio manager and started writing scripts and comedy sketches.

Writing partnership with Ian La Frenais

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais have enjoyed a long and successful career embracing films, television and theatre. Their partnership began in the mid-1960s with ''The Likely Lads'', and by the end of the decade they had also written three feature films: '' The Jokers'', ''

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 20 ...

'', (directed by Clement) and ''

Hannibal Brooks ''Hannibal Brooks'' is a 1969 British war comedy film directed by Michael Winner and written by Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement, based on a story by Winner and Tom Wright. It stars Oliver Reed, Michael J. Pollard and Wolfgang Preiss. The fi ...

''. Clement also directed the BBC sketch show '' Not Only... But Also'', which starred Peter Cook and

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

, and, for the big screen,

Iris Murdoch Dame Jean Iris Murdoch ( ; 15 July 1919 – 8 February 1999) was an Irish and British novelist and philosopher. Murdoch is best known for her novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Her ...

's ''

A Severed Head ''A Severed Head'' is a satirical, sometimes farcical 1961 novel by Iris Murdoch. It was Murdoch's fifth published novel. Primary themes include marriage, adultery, and incest within a group of civilised and educated people. Set in and aroun ...

''. In the early 1970s, two other features were scripted by Clement and La Frenais: ''

Villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a charact ...

'', starring

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

, and ''

Catch Me a Spy ''Catch Me a Spy'' is a 1969 comedy spy thriller novel by George Marton and Tibor Meray. Adaptation In 1971 it was turned into a film of the same name starring Kirk Douglas, Marlène Jobert and Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 ...

'', starring

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...

. In this same period, they created their award-winning series ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'', followed by ''Porridge'', ' Thick as Thieves' and a spin-off from ''Porridge'', '' Going Straight''. There were big screen versions of both '' The Likely Lads'' and ''

'', the latter directed by Clement, and a '

rockumentary A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

', ''To Russia With Elton'', in 1979. During the same period, they adapted

Keith Waterhouse Keith Spencer Waterhouse (6 February 1929 – 4 September 2009) was a British novelist and newspaper columnist and the writer of many television series. Biography Keith Waterhouse was born in Hunslet, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. H ...

's ''

Billy Liar ''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popular songs. The semi-comical story is about William Fisher, ...

'' into the stage musical ''

Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a yo ...

'', starring

Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian. Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' a ...

, which ran at London's

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

for two and a half years. By this time they were living in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, where they wrote the American version of ''Porridge'', ''

On the Rocks Various unique terminology is used in bartending. Definitions and usage Straight, up, and straight up In bartending, the terms "straight up" and "up" ordinarily refer to an alcoholic drink that is shaken or stirred with ice and then strained ...

'', and the feature film, ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in orde ...

'', starring

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

. In the 1980s, Clement directed John Wells's hit stage play '' Anyone For Denis?'' He directed the films '' Bullshot'' and ''

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

'', which were produced by his writing partner La Frenais; the pair also scripted the latter film, and contributed extensive, uncredited writing work on the unofficial James Bond movie ''

Never Say Never Again ''Never Say Never Again'' is a 1983 spy film directed by Irvin Kershner. The film is based on the 1961 James Bond novel '' Thunderball'' by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and Fle ...

''. In 1987, they wrote and produced ''

Vice Versa References

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''. Their television work at the time included the ITV series ''

'', which was voted ITV's Favourite TV Programme of all Time in a ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...

'' readers' poll in order to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the station. By the beginning of the 1990s, La Frenais had created the long running series, ''Lovejoy'', and co-created '' Spender'' with

Jimmy Nail James Michael Aloysius Bradford (born 16 March 1954), known as Jimmy Nail, is an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He played the role of Leonard "Oz" Osborne in the television show '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' ...

. In America, they were writers and supervising producers for HBO's

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning show, '' Tracey Takes On...'', for four years. They scripted the film adaptation of '' The Commitments'', which won the Evening Standard's Peter Sellers Award for Comedy and the

BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the Briti ...

, and also wrote the screenplays for '' Excess Baggage'' and '' Still Crazy''. In addition, they did uncredited rewrites on '' The Rock'', starring Sean Connery, and ''

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

'' for producers

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, fantasy, and science fiction. His films include '' Flashdance'', ''Top Gun'', '' The Rock'', '' ...

and

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use ...

(who also directed the film). In 2005, Clement and La Frenais had two television adaptations of best-selling novels broadcast by the BBC:

Jonathan Coe Jonathan Coe (; born 19 August 1961) is an English novelist and writer. His work has an underlying preoccupation with political issues, although this serious engagement is often expressed comically in the form of satire. For example, '' What a ...

's '' The Rotter's Club'' for

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

, and Robert Harris's

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

, starring

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...

, for

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, ...

. That year also saw the UK release of '' Goal!'', a film they co-scripted. In 2006, they were credited as writers on the animated film ''

Flushed Away ''Flushed Away'' is a 2006 computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell, produced by Cecil Kramer, David Sproxton, and Peter Lord, and written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Chris Lloyd, Joe Keenan a ...

'', whilst 2007 saw the release of the

jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs perf ...

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album ''No One's Gonna Change Our W ...

'', based around the songs of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, which they scripted, and, with director

Julie Taymor Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director and writer of theater, opera and film. Her stage adaptation of ''The Lion King'' debuted in 1997, and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for Best ...

, wrote the story for. The 2008 film ''

The Bank Job ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', starring Jason Statham, is their last screenplay work to date. Two new television series written by them aired in 2017: a new version of ''

'', starring Kevin Bishop, for the BBC, and '' Henry IX'' for UKTV Gold, starring Charles Edwards. The duo have also written the book for two stage musicals in development, ''Juke Box Hero'' and ''Victoria's Secret''. Clement and La Frenais were both awarded OBEs in the 2007

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the King's Official Birthday, reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into Order (honour), national or Dynastic order of knighthood, dynastic ...

list.

Personal life

Clement supports the football club Chelsea F.C.

Writing credits (with Ian La Frenais)

*'' The Likely Lads'' (TV, 1964–66) *'' Not Only... But Also'' (TV, 1965) *''

The Further Adventures of Lucky Jim ''The Further Adventures of Lucky Jim'' ( ''The New Adventures of Lucky Jim'') is a British television sitcom which first aired on BBC 2 in 1982. It is inspired by the 1954 novel ''Lucky Jim'' by Kingsley Amis, updated to the Swinging Sixties. I ...

'' (TV, 1967) *''

Mr. Aitch ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...

'' (TV, 1967) *''

Vacant Lot In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner(s). A plot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property (meaning practically the same thing) in o ...

'' (TV, 1967) *''

'' (1968) *''

'' (1971) *''

To Catch a Spy ''To Catch a Spy'' is a 1971 comedy spy film directed by Dick Clement and starring Kirk Douglas, Marlène Jobert, Trevor Howard, Richard Pearson, Garfield Morgan, Angharad Rees and Robert Raglan. It was written by Clement and Ian La Frenai ...

'' (1972) *''

The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, ser ...

'' (TV, 1972) *'' 7 of 1'' (TV, 1973) *'' Ha-Tarnegol'' (with Haim Hefer) (1973) *'' Thick as Thieves'' (TV, 1974) *''

'' (TV, 1973–74) *''

(1974–77) *''

'' (TV, 1975–76) *'' Going Straight'' (TV, 1978) *''

'' (1979) *'' ''Porridge'' (film)'' (US: ''Doing Time'', 1979) *'' The New Adventures of Lucky Jim'' (TV, 1982) *''

'' (with

Lorenzo Semple Jr. Lorenzo Elliott Semple III (March 27, 1923March 28, 2014) was an American screenwriter and sometime playwright, best known for his work on the campy television series '' Batman'', who also received writing credit on the political/espionage film ...

, 1983, uncredited) *''

'' (TV, 1983–2004) *'' Sunset Limousine'' (with Wayne Kline, TV, 1983) *''

'' (with

Bill Persky Bill Persky (born September 9, 1931) is an American television director, screenwriter, and producer. Biography Persky was born to a Jewish family, the son of an estate auctioneer. His father would travel between various resort towns where the w ...

, 1985) *''

Vice Versa References

'' (1988) *'' The Commitments'' (with

Roddy Doyle Roddy Doyle (born 8 May 1958) is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. He is the author of eleven novels for adults, eight books for children, seven plays and screenplays, and dozens of short stories. Several of his books have been ma ...

, 1991) *'' Tracey Ullman: A Class Act'' (TV, 1992) *''

The Old Boy Network ''The Old Boy Network'' is a British comedy television series which first aired on ITV in 1992.Newcomb p.1303 Created by the writing team of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it is a parody of various spy films and series. Main cast * Tom Conti a ...

'' (TV, 1992) *'' Tracey Ullman Takes on New York'' (TV, 1993) *''

Full Stretch ''Full Stretch'' is a British comedy television series which first aired on ITV in 1993.Newcomb p.1303 It portrays a limousine rental company owned by an ex-footballer. David Bowie has a cameo as himself in one episode. Main cast * Kevin McNall ...

'' (TV, 1993) *''

'' (TV, 1991–94) *'' Excess Baggage'' (with

Max D. Adams Max D. Adams is an American screenwriter and author. The winner of a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and an Austin Film Festival screenwriting award, Adams went on to be dubbed “Red Hot Adams” by Daily Variety. Career Adams has worked wi ...

, 1997) *'' Still Crazy'' (1998) *'' Tracey Takes On...'' (TV, 1996–99) *''

'' (2005) *'' The Rotters' Club'' (TV, 2005) *''

Goal! The Dream Begins ''Goal!'' (also known as ''Goal! The Dream Begins'') is a 2005 sports drama film directed by Danny Cannon from a screenplay by Mike Jefferies, Adrian Butchart, Dick Clement, and Ian La Frenais. It is the first installment in the ''Goal!'' t ...

'' (2005) *''

'' (with

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

, Joe Keenan and William Davies, 2006) *''

'' (2007) *''

'' (2008) *''

Killing Bono ''Killing Bono'' is a 2011 comedy film directed by Nick Hamm, based on Neil McCormick's 2003 memoir ''Killing Bono: I Was Bono's Doppelgänger''. The film stars Ben Barnes as Neil McCormick, Robert Sheehan as Ivan McCormick and Martin McCann ...

'' (with Ben Bond, 2011) *''

Spies of Warsaw ''The Spies of Warsaw'' is a 2008 spy novel by Alan Furst about espionage involving the major nations shortly before World War II competing for influence and control over the future of Poland. The story starts in October 1937 and ends in May 1938 ...

'' (2013) *''

'' (TV, 2016-2017) *'' Henry IX'' (TV, 2017) *''

My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...

'' (2017)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Dick 1937 births Military personnel from Southend-on-Sea Royal Air Force airmen 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel Annie Award winners BBC television producers Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners British male television writers English film directors English male screenwriters English television producers English television writers Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Alleyn Court School People educated at Bishop's Stortford College People from Westcliff-on-Sea