Roy Minton (28 August 1933 – 17 August 2024) was an English playwright and screenwriter best known for '' Scum'' and his other work with

Alan Clarke Alan John Clarke (28 October 1935 – 24 July 1990) was an English television and film director, producer and writer. Life and career Clarke was born on 28 October 1935, in Wallasey. Most of Clarke's output was for television rather than cin ...

. He is notable for having written over 30 one-off scripts for

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

Rediffusion Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (TV network ...

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

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Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

and

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

, including '' Sling Your Hook'', ''Horace'', ''Funny Farm'', ''Scum'', '' Goodnight Albert'', and '' The Hunting of Lionel Crane''. Minton translated and performed several of his plays overseas and at festivals in the UK, including a reading of his play for ''Scum'' at the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, London; and '' Gradual Decline'' at the

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the north bank of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having opened in May 1976, th ...

London. Minton also wrote the screenplay for ''

Scrubbers ''Scrubbers'' is a 1982 British drama film directed by Mai Zetterling and produced by Don Boyd starring Amanda York, Kathy Burke, and Chrissie Cotterill. It was shot primarily in Virginia Water, Surrey, England Surrey () is a Ceremonia ...

'', a film from which he disassociated himself. He felt the original screenplay had been "savaged" during his absence overseas, and described the final production as "arguably the worst film ever made."

Background

Minton was born Roy Davies, in Nottingham, England on 28 August 1933. He won a two-year

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

, London. Minton worked as an actor prior to writing full-time. He was winner of a

playwriting competition, received the Art Council Award and was resident

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...

at the

Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...

. Minton later lived in

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, and worked towards an

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

. He died on 17 August 2024, at the age of 90.

Works

Stage plays

* '' Death in Leicester'' * ''

Sometime Never ''Sometime Never...'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Justin Richards and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz, Trix, and Miranda. Plot summary The C ...

'' * '' Ag and Fish'' * ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

'' * '' Bovver'' * '' Funny Sunday'' * '' Scum'' * '' Gradual Decline''

Feature films

* '' Scum'' * ''

Radio plays

* '' Working Weekend'' BBC * '' A Kiss on the Peke'' Radio Telefís Éireann, Dublin. * '' The Gold Medallist'' BBC

Films and plays for television

* '' Stand by Your Screen'' * '' Sling Your Hook'' * '' Goodnight Albert'' * ''

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

'' * ''

'' 6 x 30-minute plays for

based on the original BBC film. * ''

Funny Farm A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with c ...

'' * '' Scum'' * ''Fast Hands''

Awards

* Arts Council Award

References

External links

*
Roy Minton’s Blog.
at the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...

Screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and tele ...

625.org biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minton, Roy 1933 births 2024 deaths English dramatists and playwrights Writers from Nottingham English male dramatists and playwrights