Nigel Kneale

Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale in 1990, discussing his career on BBC Two's The Late Show
Born	Thomas Nigel Kneale (1922-04-18)18 April 1922 Barrow-in-Furness Lancashire, England
Died	29 October 2006(2006-10-29) (aged 84) London, England
Pen name	Nigel Neale
Occupation	Screenwriter
Nationality	Manx
Period	1946–1997
Genre	Science fiction, thriller, horror
Spouse	Judith Kerr (1954–2006; his death)

Thomas Nigel Kneale (18 April 1922 – 29 October 2006) was a British screenwriter. He wrote professionally for more than 50 years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, and was twice nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. In 2000, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association.

Predominantly a writer of thrillers that used science-fiction and horror elements, he was best known for the creation of the character Professor Bernard Quatermass. Quatermass was a heroic scientist who appeared in various television, film and radio productions written by Kneale for the BBC, Hammer Film Productions and Thames Television between 1953 and 1996. Kneale wrote original scripts and successfully adapted works by writers such as George Orwell, John Osborne, H. G. Wells and Susan Hill.

He was most active in television, joining BBC Television in 1951; his final script was transmitted on ITV in 1997. Kneale wrote well-received television dramas such as The Year of the Sex Olympics (1968) and The Stone Tape (1972) in addition to the Quatermass serials. He has been described as "one of the most influential writers of the 20th century," and as "having invented popular TV."

Kneale was born Thomas Nigel Kneale in Barrow-in-Furness, England. His family came from the Isle of Man, and returned to live there in 1928, when Kneale was six years old. He was raised in the island's capital, Douglas, where his father was the owner and editor of the local newspaper, The Herald. He was educated at St Ninian's High School, Douglas, and after leaving studied law, training to become an advocate at the Manx Bar. He also worked in a lawyer's office, but became bored with his legal training and eventually abandoned the profession. At the beginning of the Second World War Kneale attempted to enlist in the British Army, but was deemed medically unfit for service owing to photophobia, from which he had suffered since childhood.