Dennis Main Wilson
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Dennis Main Wilson (born 1 May 1924, died 20 January 1997) was producer of The Goons and Hancock's Half Hour for BBC radio and Till Death Us Do Part for BBC television.
He has been described by Screenonline as "Arguably the most important and influential of all comedy producers/directors in British radio and television."
Other hit shows he produced include Sykes with Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, Here's Harry with Harry Worth, It's Marty starring Marty Feldman and The Rag Trade (which he also directed). He had less success with Private Eye TV, an unsuccessful attempt to turn the satirical magazine Private Eye into a television programme.
In 1976, a scene shifter at the BBC handed him a script he'd written. It so impressed Main Wilson that he turned it into a series, Citizen Smith. The writer/scene shifter was John Sullivan, who would go on to write the sitcoms Just Good Friends, Dear John and most famously Only Fools and Horses.
He was also the producer that gave TV breaks to the likes of Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Griff Rhys Jones and Emma Thompson.
[edit] External links
- Screenonline on Dennis Main Wilson
- BBC Comedy Guide on Dennis Main Wilson
- Daily Telegraph obituary
- 1991 Bectu interview Part 1, Part 2, part 3, part 4