Ted Lewis (writer)

Ted Lewis (15 January 1940 – 27 March 1982)[1] was a British writer known for his crime fiction.

Early life

Alfred Edward Lewis was born in Manchester, Lancashire, an only child. After the Second World War the family moved to Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire. He had a strict upbringing and his parents did not want their son to go to art school, but his English teacher Henry Treece, recognising his creative talents in writing and art, persuaded them not to stand in his way. Lewis attended Hull Art School[2] for four years.

Career

Lewis's first work was in London, in advertising, and then as an animation specialist in television and films (among them the Beatles' Yellow Submarine).[3] His first novel, All the Way Home and All the Night Through, was published in 1965, followed by Jack's Return Home, subsequently retitled Get Carter after the success of the film of the same name starring Michael Caine, which created the noir school of British crime writing and pushed Lewis into the best-seller list. After the collapse of his marriage Lewis returned to his home town.[4]

Lewis wrote several episodes for the television series Z-Cars.[5] Producer Graham Williams of Doctor Who , 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.[6]

Lewis's final book, assessed as his best by some critics, was GBH, published in 1980, the title referring to grievous bodily harm in British law.[7][8][9] Lewis died in 1982 aged 42 of alcohol related causes.[10]

In October 2017 Nick Triplow published a detailed biography Getting Carter: Ted Lewis and the Birth of Brit Noir.[11]

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)
  • Plender (1971)
  • Billy Rags (1973)
  • Jack Carter's Law (1974)
  • The Rabbit (1975)
  • Boldt (1976)
  • Jack Carter and the Mafia Pigeon (1977)
  • GBH (1980)

Films

References
  1. "Lewis, Alfred Edward [Ted] (1940–1982), novelist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/105384. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  2. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/analysis/hull-noir-shedding-light-on-the-dark-side-of-life-1-8845612
  3. https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2018/01/godfather-brit-noir-cult-crime-writer-ted-lewis-due-renaissance
  4. "The Man Behind Get Carter - Ted Lewis - Crime Time". CrimeTime.co.uk. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  5. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/analysis/hull-noir-shedding-light-on-the-dark-side-of-life-1-8845612
  6. Pixley 2004, p. 12.
  7. "Gangsters, Goons And 'Grievous Bodily Harm' In Ted Lewis' London". NPR.org. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  8. "The coldly brilliant crime novel 'GBH,' by Ted Lewis". Washington Post. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  9. "GBH by Ted Lewis - Kirkus Reviews". KirkusReviews.com. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  10. https://www.thedailybeast.com/reviving-jack-carter-londons-toughest-pulp-hero
  11. "Getting Carter: Ted Lewis and the Birth of Brit Noir by Nick Triplow - Crime Time". CrimeTime.co.uk. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  12. https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ac6973b
  13. The Serpent at IMDb

Further reading
  • Nick Triplow: Getting Carter : Ted Lewis and the birth of Brit Noir, Harpenden, UK : No Exit Press, 2017, ISBN 978-1-84344-882-2
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