- Galton and Simpson
Ray Galton OBE (born
17 July 1930 ), and Alan Simpson OBE (born27 November 1929 ), are British scriptwriters who met in 1948 at atuberculosis sanatorium on theIsle of Wight . They are best known for their work with comedianTony Hancock on radio and television between 1954 and 1961, and their long-running television situation comedy,Steptoe and Son , eight series of which were aired between 1962 and 1974.In 1955, Galton and Simpson, along with
Eric Sykes ,Johnny Speight andSpike Milligan formed the cooperative, Associated London Scripts, originally based above a greengrocer's inShepherd's Bush , WestLondon . The company was purchased byRobert Stigwood in 1967.Their work with Hancock began in 1954 with "
Hancock's Half Hour " on radio, and the series continued until 1959 on radio, and ran on television between 1956 and 1960, and as "Hancock" in 1961. Hancock broke off his professional relationship with them in October 1961.After Hancock, they wrote for "
Comedy Playhouse ", a series of one-off plays for theBBC . One play in the first series, "The Offer", was wildly successful, and from this emerged "Steptoe and Son " (1962-65 and 1969-74), about two rag and bone men, father and son, who live together in a squalid house in WestLondon . This was the basis for the American series "Sanford and Son " and the Swedish series "Albert och Herbert ".Their comedy is characterised by a bleak and somewhat fatalistic tone. "Steptoe and Son" in particular is, at times, extremely
black comedy , and close in tone tosocial realist drama. Both the character played by Tony Hancock in "Hancock's Half Hour" and Harold Steptoe (Harry H. Corbett ) are pretentious, would-be intellectuals who find themselves trapped by the squalour of their lives. This theme was expanded upon in their 1960 script for Tony Hancock's film "The Rebel", about a civil servant who moves to Paris to become an artist. Gabriel Chevallier's novel "Clochemerle " (1934) was adapted by Galton and Simpson as a BBC/West German co-production in 1972. They contributed the book to "Jacob's Journey", a musical accompaniment to a 1973 production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ", which was however soon dropped.While both writers continued to work solidly after "Steptoe and Son" ceased broadcasting, including several projects with
Frankie Howerd , they had no further high-profile successes.Yorkshire Television commissioned a six-part "Comedy Playhouse" series, broadcast in 1977, featuring leading actors of the time such asLeonard Rossiter andArthur Lowe . Though the writers had been tempted over to commercial television by the former "Hancock" and "Steptoe" producerDuncan Wood , none of these shows led to another series. Simpson formally retired from scriptwriting in 1978, concentrating on his business interests, and Galton collaborated in several projects withJohnny Speight .In 1996 and 1997, comedian
Paul Merton revived several "Hancock's Half Hour" and other Galton and Simpson scripts forITV to a mixed reception. Also in 1997, Ray Galton's "Get Well Soon", based on his and Simpson's early sanatorium experiences, was broadcast by the BBC.In October 2005 Galton and
John Antrobus premiered their play "Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane " at the Theatre Royal, York. The play is set in the present day and relates the events that lead to Harold killing his father, and their eventual meeting thirty years later (Albert appearing as a ghost).Both Galton and Simpson were awarded OBEs in the 2000 Honours list for their contribution to British
television .The successful Scandinavian television series "
Fleksnes Fataliteter " was based on stories written by Galton and Simpson.External links
* [http://www.galtonandsimpson.com/ Ray Galton and Alan Simpson - Official Website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.