Dennis Spooner | |
---|---|
Born | 1 December 1932 Tottenham, London, England, United Kingdom |
Died | 20 September 1986 Hertfordshire, England |
(aged 53)
Cause of death | Heart attack |
Occupation | Television writer, script editor |
Years active | 1960–86 |
Television |
Coronation Street No Hiding Place Hancock Fireball XL5 Stingray Thunderbirds Doctor Who The Baron Man in a Suitcase The Avengers The Champions Department S Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Jason King The Adventurer Thriller The New Avengers The Professionals Bergerac |
Spouse(s) | Pauline |
Children | 2 sons, 1 daughter |
Dennis Spooner (1 December 1932 – 20 September 1986) was an English television writer and script editor, known primarily for his programmes about fictional spies and his work in children's television in the 1960s. He had long-lasting professional working relationships with a number of other British screenwriters and producers, notably Brian Clemens, Terry Nation, Monty Berman and Richard Harris, with whom he developed several programmes. Though he was a contributor to BBC programmes, his work made him one of the most prolific writers of televised output from ITC Entertainment.
Spooner was born in Tottenham, London. Following a brief spell as a professional footballer with Leyton Orient, Spooner completed his National Service with the Royal Air Force where he met Tony Williamson, with whom he formed an amateur writing partnership. During the 1950s Spooner returned to office work, and met and married his wife Pauline.
Spooner did not desire a career in business and tried to break into the entertainment industry through performance, forming a comedy double act with Benny Davis, now a journalist living in Spain. They worked the London circuit, but found only moderate success. Spooner then turned to writing and began selling half-hour comedy scripts to the BBC TV comedian Harry Worth. This eventually led to his writing several scripts for Coronation Street in 1960. He also contributed to the ITV police procedural series No Hiding Place and Ghost Squad as well as to the top-rated comedy series Bootsie and Snudge and to ATV's attempt to revive Tony Hancock's career in Hancock (1963).