Alfred Edward Lewis (15 January 1940 – 27 March 1982) was a British writer known for his

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

Early life

Alfred Edward Lewis was born in

Stretford Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, sited on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal; the Bridgewater Canal bisects the town. The town is located south of Manchester, south of Salfo ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and was an only child. In 1946, the family moved to

Barton-upon-Humber Barton-upon-Humber () or Barton is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 11,066. It is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at the southern end of the Humber Bridge. It is sou ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

. As a child, Lewis contracted rheumatic fever and spent almost a year away from school in bed rest. During that time he read books and comics and drew constantly. From a young age he was a fan of film, particularly Western epics, B-movies and gangster pictures. He had a strict upbringing and his parents did not want their son to go to art school, but his English teacher

Henry Treece Henry Treece (22 December 1911 – 10 June 1966) was a British poet and writer who also worked as a teacher and editor. He wrote a range of works but is mostly remembered as a writer of children's historical novels. Life and work Treece was ...

, recognising his creative talents in writing and art, persuaded them not to stand in his way. Lewis attended Hull Art School for four years.

Career

Lewis moved to London in 1961 with £70 he earned from his first illustration commission, the Alan Delgado children's book, ''The Hot Water Bottle Mystery''. His first work in London was in advertising, and then as an animation specialist in television and films (among them the Beatles' '' Yellow Submarine''). His first novel, '' All the Way Home and All the Night Through'', was published in 1965, followed by '' Jack's Return Home'', which created the noir school of British crime writing and pushed Lewis into the best-seller list. The novel was later retitled ''Get Carter'' after the success of the film of the same name, based on the novel and starring

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

. After the collapse of his marriage Lewis returned to his home town. Lewis wrote several episodes for the television 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 ...

''. Producer Graham Williams of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' , who had worked with Lewis on ''Z-Cars'', commissioned a script entitled ''The Doppelgangers'' in 1978 from Lewis. However, the script was rejected early the next year, and was never put into production. Lewis's final book, assessed as his best by some critics, was ''GBH'', published in 1980, the title referring to

grievous bodily harm Assault occasioning grievous bodily harm (often abbreviated to GBH) is a term used in English criminal law to describe the severest forms of battery. It refers to two offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the ...

in British law. Lewis died in 1982 aged 42 of alcohol-related causes. In October 2017 Nick Triplow published a detailed biography ''Getting Carter: Ted Lewis and the Birth of Brit Noir''. In 2020 The Ted Lewis Centre opened in

Barton upon Humber Barton-upon-Humber () or Barton is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 11,066. It is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at the southern end of the Humber Bridge. It is s ...

celebrating his life and works.

Books

* ''All the Way Home and All the Night Through'' (1965) * '' Jack's Return Home'' (1970) (paperback published in 1971 as ''Carter''. Later re-published as ''

Get Carter ''Get Carter'' is a 1971 British gangster film, gangster thriller film, written and directed by Mike Hodges in his directorial debut and starring Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, John Osborne, Britt Ekland and Bryan Mosley. Based on Ted Lewis (write ...

'') * ''Plender'' (1971) * ''Billy Rags'' (1973) * ''

Jack Carter's Law '' Jack Carter's Law'' is a 1974 British crime novel written by Ted Lewis. It is a prequel to Lewis' best known work, '' Jack's Return Home'' (1970) which was adapted into the film '' Get Carter'' in 1971. On Christmas Eve, Jack Carter learns ...

'' (1974) * ''The Rabbit'' (1975) * ''Boldt'' (1976) * ''Jack Carter and the Mafia Pigeon'' (1977) * ''GBH'' (1980)

Films

* '' Jack's Return Home'' has been filmed three times: ** ''

'' (1971) with

** '' Hit Man'' (1972) with

Bernie Casey Bernard Terry Casey (June 8, 1939 – September 19, 2017) was an American American football, professional football player and actor. He was a football player and All-America, All-American hurdler at Bowling Green Falcons, Bowling Green State Un ...

and

Pam Grier Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and martial artist. Described by Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star, she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action, blaxploitati ...

** ''

'' (2000) with

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

* ''Plender'' has been adapted as a French film: ** '' Le Serpent'' (2007) directed by

Éric Barbier Éric Barbier (born 29 June 1960 in Aix-en-Provence) is a French film director and screenwriter. Filmography Actor * 1994: ''Le Péril jeune'' by Cédric Klapisch Awards and nominations References Bibliography * External links

* * ...

References

External links