Laurence Marks | |
---|---|
Born | London, England | 8 December 1948
Occupation | Scriptwriter |
Period | 1979–present |
Genre | Television |
Notable works | Holding the Fort (1980–82) Shine on Harvey Moon (1982–85, 1995) Roll Over Beethoven (1985) The New Statesman (1987–92) Birds of a Feather (1989–98, 2014–2020) Love Hurts (1992–94) Get Back (1992–93) Goodnight Sweetheart (1993–99, 2016) Unfinished Business (1998–99) Believe Nothing (2002) Mumbai Calling (2007) |
Laurence Marks (born 8 December 1948) is a British screenwriter and one half of writing duo Marks and Gran (with Maurice Gran).
Born to a jewish family, Marks attended Holloway Comprehensive School (formerly Holloway County Grammar School until 1955). [1] [2] [3] Prior to becoming a sitcom writer he was a reporter for a local weekly paper, the Tottenham Weekly Herald and, according to information he provided to Who's Who, he was also briefly a staff writer for The Sunday Times in the mid- to late 1970s. [4] He also worked as writer/researcher for Thames Television's current affairs programme, This Week. Following a chance encounter with comedy writer Barry Took, he and childhood friend Maurice Gran got an opportunity to write a radio show for comedian Frankie Howerd, which led to their becoming full-time comedy writers. [1]
Marks subsequently wrote with Gran the TV comedy-drama Shine on Harvey Moon (1982–85, 1995) and the popular sitcoms The New Statesman (1987–92), Birds of a Feather (1989–98, 2014–2020) and Goodnight Sweetheart (1993–99, 2016). They are also the authors of Prudence at Number 10 , a fictional diary written as though by a P.A. of UK prime minister Gordon Brown. Their theatre works include Dreamboats and Petticoats , Von Ribbentrop’s Watch, Love Me Do, Playing God, Save the Last Dance for Me, and Dreamboats and Miniskirts. [5]
Marks is an Arsenal fan and wrote the book A Fan for All Seasons (1999), a diary of his life as a writer and an Arsenal supporter. He is a member of the Labour Party. [6]
His father, Bernard Marks, was one of 43 people who died in the Moorgate tube crash of 1975, the deadliest accident on the London Underground. In 2006 Marks made a documentary for Channel 4 about his father and the crash. At the time of the crash, Marks was a freelance writer and in the documentary he stated that he had spent a year investigating the crash for freelance reports that appeared in The Sunday Times. Rejecting the verdict of accidental death by the coroner's jury, Marks advocated his theory that the driver of the train had committed suicide by crashing the train. [7] [8]
Production | Notes | Broadcaster |
---|---|---|
The Marti Caine Show |
| BBC2 |
Roots |
| ITV |
Holding the Fort |
| ITV |
Shine on Harvey Moon |
| ITV |
Roll Over Beethoven |
| ITV |
Relative Strangers |
| Channel 4 |
The Bretts |
| ITV |
Alan B'Stard Closes Down the BBC |
| BBC1 |
Young, Gifted and Broke |
| ITV |
Snakes and Ladders |
| Channel 4 |
Birds of a Feather |
| BBC1 |
Bullseye! |
| N/A |
So You Think You've Got Troubles |
| BBC1 |
Screen One |
| BBC1 |
Get Back |
| BBC1 |
Love Hurts |
| BBC1 |
The New Statesman |
| ITV BBC1 |
A. B'Stard Exposed |
| BBC1 |
Goodnight Sweetheart |
| BBC1 |
Mosley |
| Channel 4 |
Unfinished Business |
| BBC One |
Starting Out |
| BBC One |
Believe Nothing |
| ITV |
The Last Laugh |
| BBC Three |
Mumbai Calling |
| ITV |
Birds of a Feather | 8 episodes (2014–2020):
| ITV |
Year | Award | Work | Category | Result | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | British Academy Television Awards | The New Statesman | Best Comedy Series (with Tony Charles, Geoffrey Sax and Maurice Gran) | Nominated | |
1991 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Comedy Series (with Tony Charles, Geoffrey Sax and Maurice Gran) | Won |
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Save The Last Dance For Me is a jukebox musical written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. It primarily uses songs from the 1960s written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman such as A Teenager in Love, Sweets For My Sweet, Little Sister, Viva Las Vegas, Can't Get Used to Losing You and the title song Save The Last Dance For Me. It opened at the Churchill Theatre Bromley on 9 January 2012 before embarking on a nationwide tour. A spin-off production from Dreamboats and Petticoats, it reunited the writing team with producer Bill Kenwright and director Keith Strachan. The choreography was by Olivier Award winner, Bill Deamer. As was the case in Dreamboats and Petticoats, all of the music was played live by the actors on stage. A new production has been announced, due to open April 2016 at Windsor Theatre Royal, before touring the UK again.