John Elliot (author)

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)

John Herbert Elliot (4 July 1918 – 14 August 1997) was a British novelist, screenwriter, director, and television producer[1] active from 1954 to 1993. 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] A Man from the Sun was a pioneering work aimed at a West Indian audience.[4] In 1961, he collaborated with astronomer Fred Hoyle to write the groundbreaking TV science fiction serial, A For Andromeda. The success of A For Andromeda prompted a sequel, The Andromeda Breakthrough, in 1962.[5]

Following Andromeda, Elliot wrote more one-off plays for the BBC. He resigned from the corporation in 1963, though he would later work with them again, producing a concept for the 1965 drama series Mogul (renamed. The Troubleshooters from the second series) and later being credited as a writer on various episodes of the show.[6]

His other works include programs such as Fall of Eagles and Survival, as well as novels, namely Duel and Blood Upon the Snow. He additionally worked with Fred Hoyle to produce novelisations of A For Andromeda and "The Andromeda Breakthrough".[7]

  1. ^ "John Elliot". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
  2. ^ "The Fated Sky, War in the Air". BBC.
  3. ^ "Obituary: John Elliot". Independent.co.uk. 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.