Elwyn John Jones (4 May 1923 – 19 May 1982) was a Welsh

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

writer and producer, who co-created the police drama series ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'' for

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

in 1962. Later, he devised '' Softly, Softly'' (1966–69), '' Softly, Softly: Taskforce'' (1969–76), '' Barlow at Large''/''Barlow'' (1971, 1973–75), ''

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

'' (1973) and '' Second Verdict'' (1976). A prolific television drama writer from the early 1960s until the late 1970s; from 1963 to 1966, he was Head of Drama (Series) at the BBC, under Head of Drama Group

Sydney Newman Sydney Cecil Newman (; April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian producer and screenwriter who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, he was app ...

, the first person to hold that post after Newman divided the drama group into Series, Serials and Plays divisions.

Early life and education

Jones was born on 4 May 1923, in Cwmaman,

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; ) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and River Cynon, Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tydf ...

. His father, Evan Jones, was a local councillor and checkweigher. He attended Cwmaman Boys Council Elementary School from 1930 to 1935, and then Aberdare Boys County School from 1935 to 1942. Afterwards, he studied at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, leaving in 1944.

Career

Jones began his career in journalism; firstly with ''New Review'' as a reporter, and then later as features editor. He was there for six years, until the magazine ceased publication in 1950. It was in the 1950s, when he started his association with the BBC, as assistant to the literary editor of the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' 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 September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'', and latterly as Television Editor to 1957. Between 1957 and 1966, he became a prolific screenwriter and producer, his first production being screened in ''Sunday Night Theatre'' in 1959. In 1963, he was made Head of Drama (Series), holding the position for the next three years. Before this, in 1961, he had co-created ''

'', which was seen as a more realistic alternative to ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

''. He wrote several scripts for ''Z-Cars'', the spin-off '' Softly, Softly'', the subsequent revamp '' Softly, Softly: Taskforce'', and '' Barlow at Large'', another co-creation of his. Further spinoffs featuring the character Barlow were aired in 1973, with ''

'', and in 1976, with '' Second Verdict''. Jones became a freelance writer from 1965 until his death in 1982. He wrote regularly for ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Tele ...

'', and was the author of several true crime novels including ''The Last Two to Hang'' (1966; for which he won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America), ''The Ripper File'' (1973; co-written with John Lloyd), ''On Trial: Seven Intriguing Cases of Capital Crime'' (1978); ''The Deep Concern'' (1979) and ''Death Files'' (1981).

Personal life

In 1975, Jones married Nancy Acly. Together, the couple had a daughter. On 19 May 1982, Jones died suddenly at his home near Llandysul,

Cardiganshire Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a county in the west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Ab ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Elwyn 1923 births 1982 deaths 20th-century Welsh screenwriters Alumni of the London School of Economics BBC executives Welsh male television writers Welsh male screenwriters British television show creators Welsh television writers