John Elliot (author)

John Herbert Elliot (4 July 1918 – 14 August 1997) was a British novelist, screenwriter, director and television producer.[1] Between 1954 and 1960 he scripted a succession of one-off television plays including War in the Air and A Man from the Sun.[2][3] The latter a pioneering work aimed at a West Indian audience.[4] In 1961 he joined with astronomer Fred Hoyle (to ensure scientific authenticity) to write another ground-breaking TV, the science fiction serial A for Andromeda, which set the tone for all which was to follow in its stead. The success of A For Andromeda prompted a sequel, The Andromeda Breakthrough, in 1962.[5]

John Elliot
Born(1918-07-04)4 July 1918
Castle Hill, England
Died14 August 1997(1997-08-14) (aged 79)
Clifton, England
OccupationScreenwriter and television producer.
Period1954–1993
GenreDrama, adventure, science fiction
SpouseElizabeth Haynes (m. 1945)
Childrentwo daughters, and one son (deceased)

Following Andromeda, Elliot wrote more one-off plays, but his talents were perhaps underused by the BBC. He resigned from the corporation in 1963 but, as a parting gift, offered an option on his concept for the drama series Mogul (renamed The Troubleshooters from the second series) for which he wrote much of the seven series.[6]

His other works include programmes such as Fall of Eagles and Survival as well as novels including Duel, Blood Upon the Snow, and A For Andromeda and The Andromeda Breakthrough (also co-written with Fred Hoyle).[7]

Writing credits
Production Notes Broadcaster
War in the Air
  • 15 episodes (1954–1955)
 BBC1
A Man from the Sun
  • Television film (1956)
 BBC1
Television Playwright
  • "High Fidelity" (1959)
 BBC1
Who Pays the Piper?
  • Television film (1960)
 BBC1
BBC Sunday-Night Play
  • "Off Centre" (1961)
 BBC1
They Met in a City
  • "Ladies from a Spa" (1961)
 BBC1
A for Andromeda BBC1
The Andromeda Breakthrough
  • 6 episodes (co-written with Fred Hoyle, 1962)
 BBC1
Maigret
  • "Death in Mind" (1962)
 BBC1
First Night
  • "The Youngest Profession" (1963)
  • "Hunt the Man" (1964)
 BBC1
Love Story
  • "The Truth Game" (1964)
 ITV
Z-Cars
  • "A Morning's Sport" (1965)
 BBC1
Mogul
  • 20 episodes (1965–1970)
 BBC1
Rainbow City
  • "What Sort of a Boy?" (1967)
  • "Why You Marry?" (1967)
  • "A Better Fortune" (1967)
  • "Always on Sunday" (1967)
 BBC1
A Stranger on the Hills
  • Television film (1970)
 BBC1
BBC Play of the Month
  • "Platonov" (1971)
 BBC1
Brett
  • "The Saxby Route" (1971)
 BBC1
Play for Today
  • "Better Than the Movies" (1972)
  • "The Chief Mourner" (1979)
 BBC1
The Shadow of the Tower
  • "The White Hart" (1972)
 BBC2
Shelley
  • Television film (1972)
 BBC2
The Fox
  • Television film (1973)
 BBC2
Fall of Eagles
  • Television miniseries (1974)
 BBC1
The Double Dealers
  • "Come in Number One" (1974)
 BBC2
The Madness
  • Television film (1976)
 BBC2
According to Hoyle
  • Television film (1977)
 BBC2
A Life at Stake
  • "So, Who's Sick?" (1978)
 BBC
Spy!
  • "The Murder Machine" (1980)
  • "The Venlo Incident" (1980)
 BBC1
Escape
  • "Hijack to Mogadishu" (1980)
 BBC2
The Brack Report
  • "Chapter 3" (1982)
  • "Chapter 4" (1982)
  • "Chapter 9" (1982)
 ITV
Man-Eaters of India
  • Television film (1986)
 BBC
Flying for Fun: An Affair with an Aeroplane
  • Television film (1987)
 BBC1
A Chance to Dance
  • Television film (1993)
 ITV

Awards and nominations
Year Award Work Category Result Reference
1960 Society of Film and Television Arts Awards Television Special Won
1971 British Academy Television Awards The Troubleshooters Shell International Award Won

Books by John Elliot
  • A for Andromeda (with Fred Hoyle), 1962, Souvenir Press, ISBN 978-0-285-63588-3
  • Andromeda Breakthrough (with Fred Hoyle), 1964, Souvenir Press; 1966, Corgi Books
  • MOGUL: The Making of a Myth, 1970, Barrie & Jenkins

Further reading
  • MacKenzie, S. (2006), "War in the Air : Churchill, the Air Ministry and the BBC response to Victory at Sea", Contemporary British History

References
  1. "John Elliot".
  2. "The Fated Sky, War in the Air". BBC.
  3. "Obituary: John Elliot". 22 August 1997.
  4. "BFI Screenonline: Man From The Sun, A (1956)". screenonline.org.uk.
  5. "BFI Screenonline: A For Andromeda (1961)". screenonline.org.uk.
  6. "BFI Screenonline: Mogul/Troubleshooters, The (1965-72)". screenonline.org.uk.
  7. NA, NA (5 March 2016). Writers Directory. Springer. ISBN 9781349036509 – via Google Books.


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