Lawrence Geoffrey Stephens (16 July 1923p.14926 January 1959) was a BBC radio scriptwriter, best remembered for co-writing ''

The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...

'' with

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...

. Stephens was a regular writer of the show for the first two years, and then returned to ''The Goon Show'' to assist Milligan. From his association with Milligan, Stephens became involved with Associated London Scripts (ALS), and was said to have been "one of the most eye-catching characters, in the earliest days of the company...he played a significant cameo role in the first phase of success for ALS".

Early life

Stephens was born in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

and moved to

Quinton, Birmingham Quinton is a suburb and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, ward of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, west of the city centre. Formerly part of Halesowen parish, Quinton became part ...

, when he was four. He attended Quinton Infant and Junior School then Birmingham Central Grammar School. Trained as an accountant, Stephens distinguished himself as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist before the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Following service in the war, during which he served as a Commando captain, he returned to England, and began writing for British comedian

Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series '' Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...

before Hancock became well known, and was Hancock's best man at the comedian's first wedding. In turn Hancock and his new wife Cicely were witnesses at Larry's marriage to Diana Forster a few days later. Both of the brides were models for the French fashion house Lanvin.The Life and Times of Larry Stephens - Finally Revealed, Mike Brown, The Missing Page (the magazine of the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society) Vol.2 Nos. 2 & 3, 2002 Milligan once remarked that "Larry and Tony were like brothers".McCann, (2006), p.150

Career

In 1952, he developed a potential radio series for Hancock, which was designed to run for a full half-hour without musical breaks, then usual, called ''Vacant Lot''. Although Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and others were provisionally attached to the project, it was never recorded. Elements of ''Vacant Lot'' were later re-written by Stephens and broadcast by the BBC as ''Welcome to Welkham'', but with Brian Reece, instead of Hancock.BBC Radio 4 Programme: "Larry Stephens, The Man Who Never Was" (originally aired 24 May 2007) The original script for ''Vacant Lot'' re-emerged in 2015. After its rediscovery in the BBC Archives by Stephens' biographer Julie Warren, ''Vacant Lot'' was finally premiered in November 2017 – 65 years after its planned broadcast. Staged by

Birmingham Comedy Festival Birmingham Comedy Festival is an annual arts festival in the city of Birmingham. The festival takes place throughout the city for 10 days during October. While primarily focused on stand-up comedy, it also includes films, theatre, cabaret, visual ...

as a live 'script-in-hand' performance with actor and impressionist James Hurn (as Tony Hancock) and

Janice Connolly Janice Connolly (born 7 August 1953) is an English actress, comedian and artistic director. She runs the Birmingham-based group Women and Theatre and performs stand-up comedy as her character Mrs Barbara Nice. Connolly has also appeared in ''Co ...

among the cast, Stephens' "great writing" was noted. Stephens wrote for a number of popular shows, comedians and entertainers in the 1950s including

Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation an ...

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...

and Dick Emery,

Dickie Valentine Richard Bryce ( Maxwell; 4 November 1929 – 6 May 1971), known professionally as Dickie Valentine, was a British pop singer who enjoyed great popularity in Britain during the 1950s. In addition to several other Top Ten hit singles, Valentine h ...

Kenneth Horne Charles Kenneth Horne, generally known as Kenneth Horne (27 February 1907 – 14 February 1969), was an English comedian and businessman. He is perhaps best remembered for his work on three BBC Radio series: ''Much-Binding-in-the-Mars ...

, Derek Roy, and Charles Hawtrey. The radio shows he contributed to included ''Pertwee's Progress'', ''Bumblethorpe'' (with Spike Milligan and Peter Ling), ''The Forces Show'' (with Jimmy Grafton), ''Arthur's Inn'', ''Forces All-Star Bill'' (with Spike Milligan) and ''Star Bill'' (with

Eric Sykes Eric Sykes (4 May 1923 – 4 July 2012) was an English radio, stage, television and film writer, comedian, actor and director whose performing career spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and performed with many other leading com ...

), and ''Bring On The Girls''. He wrote for Hancock again on '' The Tony Hancock Show'' (1956–57), which was screened on ITV by

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, ...

. Stephens also wrote for other popular television series too, such as ''

The Army Game ''The Army Game'' is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional group of ...

'' with Maurice Wiltshire, with whom he also co-wrote three ''Goon Show'' episodes (later, Wiltshire also rewrote an unused Stephens script for the show). Several of his radio scripts for ''The Goon Show'' were later adapted by Wiltshire for the TV puppet version, '' The Telegoons''. According to a

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

programme on Stephens' life, it was while working on the second season of ''The Goon Show'' that Stephens, doubling both as a key contributor and as Milligan's agent, began to drink so heavily it affected his work. Graham McCann (2006) states that Stephens' partnership with Milligan "foundered initially in the early 1950s – when he was drinking more than four bottles of rum and a couple of bottles of whisky each week".McCann, (2006), p.151 In February 1954, the BBC asserted that Stephens had violated the terms of his contract by failing to deliver scripts for ''The Goon Show'' on time, and that, thereafter, his work would only be considered on spec. Insulted, Stephens refused to have anything further to do with ''The Goon Show''. Two years after the BBC cancelled his contract, Milligan managed to rehire Stephens for ''The Goon Show'' on the condition that Milligan, not the BBC, pay his salary. Per McCann (2006), Stephens was

Logical, perceptive and clever, he could capture Milligan's quick little ideas before they shot straight out of sight and then place them into a relatively coherent structure. His own keen visual sense – he would even illustrate his scripts with vivid little drawings of certain goons – helped sharpen some of Milligan's characterisations and stimulated his already rich and lively imagination. Milligan would throw out all kinds of hit-or-miss suggestions; Stephens would retrieve the ones most likely to work. Milligan would sometimes get distracted or paralysed by all of the comic possibilities; Stephens would often find the most effective way to get him back on track and moving forwards.McCann, (2006), p.151

Stephens was probably at his busiest during 1955 and 1956, during which time, apart from co-writing ''The Goon Show'', he also supplied the story and helped shape the screenplay for '' The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn'' (1956), and made countless last-minute re-writes of various comedians' scripts, innumerable gags for a wide range of variety shows and quite a few unofficial edits of troublesome television scripts.McCann, (2006), p.151 Stephens' heavy drinking had aggravated his high blood pressure, and he died on 26 January 1959; the official cause of death was a cerebral haemorrhage brought about by chronic hypertension.

Death

Stephens' death has been a subject of surmise and conjecture. Many ''Goon Show'' fans believe that Stephens died while having dinner with Milligan. Another theory, advanced by Humphrey Carpenter in his biography of Milligan, states that he died in a car while going out to dinner with his wife, Diana, and Milligan. McCann (2006) states that Stephens and his wife were on their way to dine out with Milligan.McCann, (2006), p.152. Note: McCann has the date of Stephens' death as 25 January 1959 It was most likely that Stephens' death was the reason that ''The Goon Show'' episode, "Dishonoured – Again" (broadcast on 26 January 1959) was a remake of the show "Dishonoured" (broadcast on 14 December 1954). A

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

of Stephens has been written by his cousin Julie Warren. The book is entitled ''It's All In The Mind: The Life and Legacy of Larry Stephens''.''It's All In The Mind''
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Filmography (as writer)

*'' The Super Secret Service'' (1953), film *'' The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn'' (1956), film *'' The Tony Hancock Show'' (1956–1957), TV series *''

'' (1957), TV series * '' The Telegoons'' (1963–1964), TV series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Larry 1923 births 1959 deaths British Army Commandos officers British radio writers English comedy writers Military personnel from the West Midlands (county) British Army personnel of World War II British Army officers