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 i ...

''.

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 m ...

, 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 ''The Jokers'' is a 1967 British comedy film written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and directed by Michael Winner. The film stars Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed as brothers who hatch a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. Very much of ...

'', ''

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 2011 c ...

'', (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 film ...

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

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...

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. He ...

'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 around ...

''. 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 character a ...

'', 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 p ...

, 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 Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – Febr ...

'', 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. Dou ...

. 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 Th ...

', ''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. ...

's '' Billy Liar'' 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 youn ...

'', 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 Dru ...

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 ...

, where they wrote the American version of ''Porridge'', '' On the Rocks'', 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 or ...

'', 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 F ...

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

Vice Versa References Additional references * * {{Latin phrases V ca:Locució llatina#V da:Latinske ord og vendinger#V fr:Liste de locutions latines#V id:Daftar frasa Latin#V it:Locuzioni latine#V nl:Lijst van Latijnse spreekwoorden en ui ...

''. 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 programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' 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 ''Spender'' is a British television police procedural drama, created by Ian La Frenais and Jimmy Nail, that first broadcast on 8 January 1991 on BBC1. The series, which also starred Nail as the titular character, ran for three series between 19 ...

'' 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-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, 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'', '' Cri ...

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 o ...

(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 ...

, 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 re ...

, 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 (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

. 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'', based around the songs of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

, 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 that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'', starring

Jason Statham Jason Statham (; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor. He is known for portraying characters in various action-thriller films who are typically tough, hardboiled, gritty, or violent. Statham began practising Chinese martial arts, kickbox ...

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

'', starring

Kevin Bishop Kevin Brian Bishop (born 18 June 1980) is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Jim Hawkins in '' Muppet Treasure Island'', Stupid Brian in ''My Family'', and Nigel Norman Fletcher in the 2016 revival of ''Por ...

, 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 reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are pres ...

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'' (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 ot ...

'' (TV, 1967) *''

'' (1968) *''

'' (1971) *'' To Catch a Spy'' (1972) *'' The Two Ronnies'' (TV, 1972) *''

7 of 1 ''Seven of One'' was a British comedy series that aired on BBC2 in 1973. Starring Ronnie Barker, ''Seven of One'' was a series of seven separate comedies that would serve as possible pilots for sitcoms. Originally it was to be called ''Six of ...

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

'' (TV, 1973–74) *''

(1974–77) *'' On the Rocks'' (TV, 1975–76) *'' Going Straight'' (TV, 1978) *''

'' (1979) *'' ''Porridge'' (film)'' (US: ''Doing Time'', 1979) *''

The New 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 ...

'' (TV, 1982) *''

'' (with Lorenzo Semple Jr., 1983, uncredited) *''

'' (TV, 1983–2004) *''

Sunset Limousine ''Sunset Limousine'' is a 1983 American made-for-television comedy film written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Directed by Terry Hughes and shot on locations in San Diego, the film stars John Ritter, Susan Dey, Paul Reiser, Audrie Neenan, ...

'' (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 ...

, 1985) *''

'' (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'' (TV, 1992) *''

Tracey Ullman Takes on New York ''Tracey Ullman Takes on New York'' is an HBO television special starring Tracey Ullman. The show was Ullman's first project for network; it led to the creation of the sketch comedy series '' Tracey Takes On...'' Premise The Johnsons Visiting ...

'' (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 Mc ...

'' (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 wit ...

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

'' (2005) *'' The Rotters' Club'' (TV, 2005) *'' Goal! The Dream Begins'' (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) *'' Across the Universe'' (2007) *''

'' (2008) *'' Killing Bono'' (with

Ben Bond Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, � ...

, 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'' (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