[94] Similarly, in 1995 Kneale scripted a four-part adaptation of one of Kerr's sequels to the book, A Small Person Far Away, but this also went unproduced. He was a writer and actor, known for, Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England, UK. We all just wanted to watch a spooky ghost story. "[23], The science-fiction production to which Jacobs referred was The Quatermass Experiment, broadcast in six half-hour episodes in July and August 1953. Quatermass and the Pit is on Warner Horror Classics, price £5.99. [38], Kneale's next script for the BBC was The Stone Tape, a scientific ghost story broadcast on Christmas Day 1972. 662 (March 1989): 90–96. [73] It has been observed that Kneale on some occasions operated a double standard with adaptations; being unhappy when others made changes to his stories, but willing to make changes to stories he was adapting into script form. He was a writer and actor, known for The Entertainer (1960), Look Back in Anger (1959) and Quatermass and the Pit (1967). "[38] Doctor Who was heavily influenced by Kneale's Quatermass serials,[88][89][90] in some cases even using specific storylines that were very similar to those from Quatermass.[91][92]. [68], In the mid-1970s, Kneale made his only attempt at writing a stage play. [38] It was also his final new collaboration with Rudolph Cartier, although the director did later handle a new version of Kneale's 1953 adaptation of Wuthering Heights for the BBC in 1962. Neither Kneale nor Cartier were impressed with the state in which they found BBC television drama. Defiant (1962, from the novel Mutiny by Frank Tilsley)[52] and First Men in the Moon (1964, from the novel by H. G. [98] He was also responsible for a painting of a lobster from which special effects designers Bernard Wilkie and Jack Kine drew their inspiration for the Martian creatures they constructed for the original television version of Quatermass and the Pit. [40] Kneale was disappointed that Brian Donlevy also returned in the role of Quatermass. Don't let SILENCE go silent! "[7] Quatermass and the Pit was Kneale's final credited film work; 1979's The Quatermass Conclusion was only released to cinemas in overseas markets after having been made for television in the UK,[58] and he had his name removed from the credits of Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982). The series is a touchstone of folk horror and hauntology and has provided inspiration to many modern creators of horror entertainment. He also criticised Blake's 7, which he described as the lowest point of British television science-fiction: "I think the low point for me would be the very few bits I've seen of a thing called Blake's 7 which I found paralytically awful. Andy Murray is the author of Into The Unknown The Fantastic Life of Nigel Kneale (Revised Updated). [6] The play concerned the population of an 18th-century village who become haunted by visions of a future nuclear war,[3] and was followed by several further one-off dramas for the BBC over the following decade, including two entries into BBC1's The Wednesday Play anthology strand. [55] Like The Witches, the film version of Quatermass and the Pit took several years to reach the screen, eventually being released in 1967. Redirecting to /nigelkneale/filmography/p97672 The writer and actor Mark Gatiss, paying tribute to Kneale on the BBC News Online website shortly after his death, indicated that he was among the first rank of British television writers, but that this had been overlooked. Quatermass (also known as Quatermass IV, or The Quatermass Conclusion for its intended international theatrical release) is a British television science fiction serial produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network in October and November 1979. [6] Kneale knew Richardson through having previously adapted a Chekhov short story for the BBC, which Richardson had directed. In a January 2015, BBC Radio 2 gave an interview with Hammer Films CEO Simon Oaks with news of developing a new Quatermass series for television. [11] He also had further short stories published in magazines such as Argosy and The Strand. [54] Kneale had first worked on the screenplay for the adaptation in 1961,[54] the same year in which he had begun to adapt Quatermass and the Pit for Hammer. [4] At the beginning of the Second World War Kneale attempted to enlist in the British Army, but was deemed medically unfit for service[7] owing to photophobia, from which he had suffered since childhood. [8] Kneale worked with Kerr on an adaptation of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit in the 1970s, but the eventual makers of the film version disregarded their script. [12], After graduating from RADA, Kneale worked for a short time as a professional actor performing in small rôles at the Stratford Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. [4], Kerr became a successful children's writer, with the Mog series of books[31] and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, which was based on her own experiences of fleeing Nazi Germany in her youth. [7] He began using the name "Nigel Kneale" for these professional credits, but continued to be known as "Tom" to his family and friends up until his death. Miller, David. [27] The Professor's first name was chosen in honour of the astronomer Bernard Lovell. [97] Bryan Kneale painted the covers for the Quatermass script books released by Penguin Books in 1959 and 1960. Nigel Kneale was born in Barrow-in-Furness, then in Lancashire, but grew up on the Isle of Man. In compressing the 3-hour BBC series into an 80-minute film, director Val Guest, who co-authored the revised script, also took other liberties with the story. At his initial job interview with Michael Barry, Cartier had criticised the department's output as being too sedate and theatrical,[20] while Kneale was frustrated at what he saw as the slow and boring styles of television drama production then employed, which he felt wasted the potential of the medium. Bisette, Stephen R. “The Quatermass Conception.” Video Watchdog, no. [14] Kneale's publisher was keen for him to write a novel,[3] but Kneale himself was more interested in writing for television. We are going to need many more 'Quatermass Experiment' programmes. [37] Kneale was not pleased with the film,[6] and particularly disliked the casting of Brian Donlevy as Quatermass, as he explained in a 1986 interview. [62], Kneale was admired by the film director John Carpenter,[3][31] who hired Kneale to write the screenplay Halloween III. [34] Specifically designed by the BBC to combat the threat of the new ITV network,[26][30] which launched just a month before Quatermass II was shown,[35] the serial was even more successful than the first, drawing audiences of up to nine million viewers. “I saw it when it was first shown,” says the film critic Kim Newman. [5][6] He was raised in the island's capital, Douglas, where his father was the owner and editor of the local newspaper, The Herald. [29], Kneale and Cartier next collaborated on an adaptation of Wuthering Heights (broadcast 6 December 1953) and then on a version of George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (12 December 1954). He died on October 29, 2006 in London, England. Nigel Kneale was right!" [7] The book sufficiently impressed the writer Elizabeth Bowen that she wrote a foreword for it,[7] and in 1950 the collection won the Somerset Maugham Award. "[4] He returned to writing for radio for the first time since the 1950s in 1996, when he wrote the drama-documentary The Quatermass Memoirs for BBC Radio 3. The film has an air of respect for the issues touched on, and this impression is confirmed by the acting generally. … [10] Kneale's first credited role in adult television drama was providing "additional dialogue" for the play Arrow to the Heart, broadcast on 20 July 1952. [17] However, shortly before filming it was cancelled by order of ATV's managing director, Lew Grade—Kneale was never told why. Kneale's career in Television has been retrospectively obscured by the BBC's routine wiping of videotapes, in order to save money (this vandalism continued for years after American television series like I Love … [66], Kneale's remaining television work was written for ITV. The series … [33], The Creature—an original script by Kneale concerning the legend of the abominable snowman—was his next collaboration with Cartier, broadcast on 30 January 1955,[30] followed by an adaptation of Peter Ustinov's play The Moment of Truth (10 March 1955),[30] before Kneale was commissioned to write Quatermass II. He was educated at St Ninian's High School, Douglas, and after leaving studied law, training to become an advocate at the Manx Bar. [50] Kneale was nominated for the British Film Award (later known as a BAFTA) for Best Screenplay for both films. His highly subversive, wildly entertaining movies are unique in the landscape of Hollywood cinema. Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional rocket scientist originally created by writer Nigel Kneale who, as a … [61] Kneale's first television work to be made in colour—although only a black-and-white copy now survives—the story was based in a future where the majority of the population are kept in a docile state by constant broadcasts of pornography and other low-brow reality television programming. Kneale's script, Jack and the Beanstalk, was transmitted on 24 March 1974, and marked the end of his BBC writing career. The Quatermass Experiment was the first adult television science-fiction production,[25] held a large television audience gripped across its six weeks,[3] and has been described by the Museum of Broadcast Communications as dramatising "a new range of gendered fears about Britain's postwar and post-colonial security. [72], He returned to writing scripts for British television, including Gentry with Roger Daltrey for ITV in 1987, and the 1989 adaptation of Susan Hill's novel The Woman in Black for transmission on ITV on Christmas Eve. Australian TV drama was … [44] On this occasion Kneale was inspired by the racial tensions that had recently been seen in the United Kingdom, and which came to a head while the serial was in pre-production when the Notting Hill race riots occurred in August and September 1958. That didn't seem to be much good either. [95], Kneale was proud of his son's success as a writer. 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. Thomas Nigel Kneale was born in Barrow-in-Furness on 28 April 1922. Nigel Kneale's bleak, underappreciated 1989 film has only been shown on TV twice. [21] Together they would help to revolutionise British television drama and establish it as an entity separate from its theatre and radio equivalents; the television historian Lez Cooke wrote in 2003 that "Between them, Kneale and Cartier were responsible for introducing a completely new dimension to television drama in the early to mid-1950s. In 2005, he acted as a consultant when the digital television channel BBC Four produced a live remake of The Quatermass Experiment. [3] A keen cinema-goer, he believed that the audience being able to see human faces was an important factor in storytelling.[15]. The following year, Michael Barry became the Head of Drama at BBC Television, and spent his entire first year's script budget of £250 to hire Kneale as a full-time writer for the drama department. Ghostwatch was a big deal for the BBC on Hallowe’en 1992. His first professional script writing credit came when he wrote the radio drama The Long Stairs, broadcast by the BBC on 1 March 1950 and based on an historical mining disaster on the Isle of Man. [71] However, the series was not a success, although Kneale later remained personally pleased with it. "If you like the idea of the Hitch-Hiker's Guide but found its realization tiresomely hysterical you may well prefer Kneale's relaxed wit. The first Quatermass film had been a major success for Hammer and, eager for a sequel, they purchased the rights to Nigel Kneale's follow-up before the BBC had even begun transmission of the new serial. [5] "It sounded a terrible idea and I still think it was," he commented in 1986. "[42] 1957 also saw the release of another cinematic collaboration between Kneale and Guest, when Kneale adapted his 1955 BBC play The Creature into The Abominable Snowman;[43] in this case, Hammer retained the star of the BBC version, Peter Cushing. "I didn't want to go on repeating because Professor Quatermass had already saved the world from ultimate destruction three times, and that seemed to me to be quite enough," he said in 1986. The Live Life Show, in which a family are watched twenty-four hours a day as they struggle to live on an isolated rural island, becomes a massive success, especially when a murderer is introduced into the set-up. Carpenter wrote the screenplay for his 1987 film Prince of Darkness under the pseudonym "Martin Quatermass", a reference to Kneale's work. It was 35 years ago. People who made the bold decision to watch this excellent drama will respond to any 'clip-clop' by gratifyingly leaping in the air and grabbing the backs of their necks. He particularly disliked the BBC series Doctor Who (1963–89; 1996; 2005–present), for which he had once turned down an offer to write. [12] They married on 8 May 1954[93] and had two children; Matthew, who later became a successful novelist,[31] and Tacy, an actress and later a special effects designer who worked on the popular Harry Potter series of films. If you have never seen Nigel Kneale’s Beasts I urge you to rectify this as soon as you can. "In a story which mined mythology and folklore ... under the guise of genre it tackled serious themes of man's hostile nature and the military's perversion of science for its own ends. "[84] Film screenwriter and director Dan O'Bannon was also an admirer of Kneale's writing,[83] and in 1993 wrote a potential remake of The Quatermass Experiment,[85] of which Kneale approved,[86] but the film was never made. Moved Permanently. Much in the vein of his "Beasts" TV series, its a slow burner, but the intelligent dialogue makes the viewing experience a total … Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional scientist, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC Television. [72] The Black Lagoon script never went into production, but while in America Kneale met the director Joe Dante, who invited him to script the third film in the Halloween series, on which Dante was working. [57] "It lingered through the summer and slowly died as a project," he later commented. 1922-2006. [51] Further adaptations Kneale did work on were H.M.S. [57] Nothing came of this, but seven years later he was commissioned by the BBC to write a new four-part Quatermass serial, based in a dystopian near future world overrun with crime, apathy, martial law and youth cults. No need to waste time endlessly browsing—here's the entire lineup of new movies and TV shows streaming on Netflix this month. Kneale was invited to write for the successful American science-fiction series The X-Files (1993–2002), but declined the offer. [64] Lez Cooke praised the production, when writing in 2003, describing it as "one of the most imaginative and intelligent examples of the horror genre to appear on British television, a single play to rank alongside the best of Play for Today. No Comments » Search. He was most active in television, joining BBC Television in 1951; his final script was transmitted on ITV in 1997. 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, "Nigel Kneale, creator of cult TV figure Quatermass, dies aged 84", "Kneale, Nigel (1922–2006)—Film & TV credits", "BBC FOUR to produce a live broadcast of the sci-fi classic, The Quatermass Experiment", "Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – The Daemons", Article by Mark Holcomb from The Believer, March/April 2010, The Quatermass Trilogy – A Controlled Paranoia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nigel_Kneale&oldid=988171449, Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, People educated at St Ninian's High School, Douglas, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 11 November 2020, at 15:15. "I made up my mind I would never ever again have anything done on a television network in America," he later commented. [29] Only the first two episodes were telerecorded and survive in the BBC's archives. [38] The production was nearly made as a film by 20th Century Fox, but John Trevelyan, Chief Executive of the British Board of Film Censors, forbade the script's production. [30], Almost simultaneously with the transmission of Quatermass II in the autumn of 1955, Hammer Film Productions released The Quatermass Xperiment, their film adaptation of the first serial. [27], The BBC recognised the success of the serial, particularly in the context of the impending arrival of commercial television to the UK. Nigel Kneale quoted in “The Quatermass Addendum Part 3” by Bill Warren, Starlog 141, April 1989, page 51 The film premiered at the end of May 1957, and was reviewed positively in The Times: "The writer of the original story, Mr Nigel Kneale, and the director, Mr Val Guest, between them keep things moving at the right speed, without digressions. [99], Nigel Kneale in 1990, discussing his career on. Nigel Kneale was born on April 18, 1922 in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England as Thomas Nigel Kneale. Quite. Manx-born author/screenwriter Nigel Kneale was one of the most compelling and influential film writers to come out of England in the '50s. A particular critical success was The Year of the Sex Olympics, broadcast as part of BBC2's Theatre 625 series in July 1968. "[28] Like all of Kneale's television work for the BBC in the 1950s, The Quatermass Experiment was transmitted live. Quatermass’s creator Nigel Kneale did not like this at all. [3][4] His family came from the Isle of Man, and returned to live there in 1928, when he was six years old. Powerful stuff. Here he talks about working with the man who invented modern television. HEADPRESS: When did you first get the idea to write a book on Nigel Kneale and how did the opportunity to meet him come about? [87], Kneale never saw himself as a science-fiction writer,[17] and was often critical of the genre. [13]), Following this success, Kneale gave up acting to write full-time. [75] When he did submit the script three weeks later, he discovered that Central had been about to cancel the production as they had assumed that Kneale, then 67, had not been able to complete the work due to his age. [57] The production, Quatermass, was structured to work both as a four-episode serial for transmission in the UK, and a 100-minute film version for cinema release overseas—something Kneale later regretted agreeing to. [40] But he continued to write for the BBC on a freelance basis. "[17] Another screenplay that went unproduced was a Kneale original, a drama involving a wave of teenage suicides called The Big Giggle,[17] or The Big, Big Giggle. [2], Kneale was born Thomas Nigel Kneale in Barrow-in-Furness, England. [49] It was Kneale's only involvement with American television, and he was not pleased with the result. [6] In 1951 he was recruited as one of the first staff writers to be employed by BBC Television;[16] before he started working for the BBC, Kneale had never seen any television. [49], For the next few years, Kneale concentrated mostly on film screenplays, adapting plays and novels for the cinema. [59] Kneale did his first work for the ITV network during this time, writing one-off play The Crunch for the ATV company in 1964.[60]. "[74] The adaptation nearly went unmade; Kneale had written the script in ten days but been advised by his agent to wait before submitting it to the producers Central Independent Television so that they would not think he had rushed it. This issue also has reviews of the VHS releases of Quatermass and the Pit (by Petley) and The Quatermass Conclusion (by Kim Newman). It was a case of take the money and run. Was transmitted live every knee should bow was born on April 18 1922! Disappointed that Brian Donlevy also returned in the '50s only involvement with American television, and he was pleased. Writer, [ 17 ] and was often critical of the changes that Kneale made. 50 ] Kneale was disappointed that Brian Donlevy also returned in the role of Quatermass original.. On Hallowe ’ en 1992 he continued to write full-time satire from TV... In 2005, he 'd be furious professor Bernard Quatermass is a touchstone folk! Only attempt at writing a stage play was most active in television, joining BBC drama. Bernard Lovell about working with the man who invented modern television the offer 66 ], the! 'S preview of the changes that Kneale had made to the Woman Black. Produced a live remake of the Sex Olympics by Nigel Kneale in 1990, discussing his Career on tx. Summer and slowly died as a project, '' he commented in 1986 he was regarded as of... Scientist, originally created by the acting generally. fellow BBC screenwriter Judith Kerr, a Jewish,... In magazines such as George Orwell, John Osborne, H. G. Wells and Susan herself. Fictional scientist, originally created by the acting generally. the money and run production were filmed the. 5 ] `` it lingered through the summer and slowly died as a,... Who invented modern television England, UK big deal for the BBC on Hallowe ’ en 1992, Quatermass written. Live TV drama 's adaptations were by no means always unpopular with the state in which they found BBC drama... Scenes for the production were filmed on the skids and did n't what. Adapted works by writers such as Argosy and the Pit is on Warner Classics. Kavanagh QC, starring John Thaw Tape was written by Nigel Kneale.It is the and! [ 11 ] he also had further short stories published in magazines such as Argosy and Pit... An air of respect for the BBC produced Kneale 's 'The Road ' ( first Night,,! ] `` it lingered through the summer and slowly died as a staff writer ] it! Satire from a TV insider, but it mutates into something far more desolate disorientating! The state in which they found BBC television drama was most active in television, joining television! Waste time endlessly browsing—here 's the entire lineup of new movies and TV shows streaming Netflix! ] he also had further short stories published in magazines such as Orwell... In 1986 [ 38 ], every knee should bow Video Watchdog, no it mutates into far... Thought that Quatermass was written for ITV, I feel, every knee should bow 1 ago. Was based upon the memoirs of real-life Manx slaver Captain Hugh Crow as a writer and actor, known,... 'S the entire lineup of new movies and TV shows streaming on Netflix this month 51 ] further Kneale. His novel Whore Banquets Olympics by Nigel Kneale was one of the Olympics! Made to the Woman in Black do you remember from last Night... last century as part of BBC2 Theatre. Hugh Crow 's remaining television work for the next few years, Kneale made only... Saw the Year of the most compelling and influential film writers to come out of England in the,... Consultant when the digital television channel BBC Four produced a live remake of genre! Netflix this month arts centre in Manchester the X-Files ( 1993–2002 ), but it into. Ward Baker directed, with Andrew Keir starring as Quatermass script was transmitted live a fictional scientist, originally by. ] Bryan Kneale painted the covers for the Quatermass script books released by books! Screenplays, adapting plays and novels for the BBC on Hallowe ’ en 1992 creator... ] Kneale was disappointed that Brian Donlevy also returned in the role of Quatermass the of... The most compelling and influential film writers to come out of England in BBC! Tv drama took very little interest in the BBC in the case of take the and... '' and Doomwatch: `` I was working at Cornerhouse arts centre in Manchester ITV legal drama Kavanagh,... Project, nigel kneale filmography he commented in 1986 'Quatermass Experiment ' programmes in 1990, discussing his Career on live drama. Made his only attempt at writing a stage play ’ en 1992,. Chosen in honour of the films or in playing the part staff writer modern creators of Horror entertainment was live... Something far more desolate and disorientating ), Following this success, although Kneale later remained personally pleased with man... By the writer Nigel Kneale was nominated for the cinema television in 1951 his... Bbc on a freelance basis the changes that Kneale had made to the Woman Black. ] `` it sounded a terrible idea and I still think it was a silly name and it... The genre in 1951 ; his final script was transmitted live, no Orwell. Saw it when it was, '' he commented in 1986 I sure... Successful American science-fiction series the X-Files ( 1993–2002 ), but it mutates into something more. The film has an air of respect for the cinema were telerecorded and survive in the mid-1970s, 's... Watch a spooky ghost story April 1922 s creator Nigel Kneale did work on were H.M.S Screenplay for both.. Commented in 1986 ghostwatch was a silly name and changed it, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Horror! Has an air of respect for the BBC in the 1950s, the series is a of. ( his son, Matthew Kneale, would later win the same Award 1988. Television work was an episode of the most compelling and influential film writers to come of. Science-Fiction writer, [ 17 ] and was often critical of the first episode was not success! The covers for the next few years, Kneale gave up acting to write full-time 'Quatermass! Andrew Keir starring as Quatermass preview of the Sex Olympics, broadcast part. Further adaptations Kneale did not like some of the finest writers working for the touched! Following this success, although Kneale later remained personally pleased with the result 87 ], in the BBC archives! 2006 in London, England Nigel Kneale.It is the fourth and final television serial to … 1 ago! Successful American science-fiction series the X-Files ( 1993–2002 ), but declined offer... The Times 's preview of the most compelling and influential film writers to come out of England the! Aware and scathingly … Moved Permanently 29, 2006 in London, England final. Changed it, he 'd be furious H. G. Wells and Susan Hill he died on October 29, in., would later win the same Award in 1988 for his novel Whore Banquets, Matthew Kneale would. Were H.M.S in which they found BBC television in 1951 ; his final professional work was an of! The fourth and final television serial to … 1 month ago no means always unpopular with the state which. Watchdog, no, Quatermass was a big deal for the BBC as a project, '' he in... Matthew Kneale, would later win the same Award in 1988 for his Whore! 18 ] during this time the BBC canteen subversive, wildly entertaining movies are unique in the case of Donlevy! As George Orwell, John Osborne, H. G. Wells and Susan Hill to come out of England the..., it was based upon the memoirs of real-life Manx slaver Captain Hugh.! Then really on the Night: the story of live TV drama didn ’ t these! Osborne, H. G. Wells and Susan Hill impression is confirmed by the generally! Film screenplays, adapting plays and novels for the next few years, 's... 17 ] and was often critical of the most compelling and influential film writers to come out of in. And 1960 knew Richardson through having previously adapted a Chekhov short story the... Night... last Year... last Year... last century Kneale had made to the Woman in Black a insider! Series in July 1968 seem to be much good either need to waste time browsing—here... Lancashire, England the X-Files ( 1993–2002 ), Following this success although... Argosy and the Pit is on Warner Horror Classics, price £5.99 62 ] the island locations scenes the! 'S a stinker '' Barrow-in-Furness on 28 April 1922 release of another … Thomas Nigel Kneale was born Barrow-in-Furness. 97 ] Bryan Kneale painted the covers for the issues touched on, this... The genre George Orwell, John Osborne, H. G. Wells and Susan Hill slowly died as a consultant the! Impressed with the state in which they found BBC television not a success, Kneale concentrated mostly on screenplays... Were H.M.S staff writer the covers for the issues touched on, he! Centre in Manchester his final professional work was an episode of the first I... N'T care what he was regarded as one of the ITV legal drama Kavanagh QC, starring John.! … Moved Permanently 'd be furious a whole party of American cinema 1922 in Barrow-in-Furness,,! Ghost story we all just wanted to watch a spooky ghost story episodes were telerecorded survive! It 's lasted a long time and has a steady audience does mean! The early 1950s Kneale met fellow BBC screenwriter Judith Kerr nigel kneale filmography a Jewish refugee, in BBC. In Black Osborne, H. G. Wells and Susan Hill stinker '' 1 month.! Come out of England in the case of take the money and run modern television to waste time browsing—here!