Kershaw was the only son- there being also a daughter- of Leslie Walter Kershaw (1904-1979), a confectionery shop proprietor ofKing's Lynn,Norfolk, formerly ofThanet,Kent, and ofLincolnshire (where the Kershaw family were established as blacksmiths), and his first wife Mabel (1908-1969), daughter of Frederick d'Allenger, a soldier who died whilst posted inMalta. Kershaw was sometimes credited under his pen name "Hugh d'Allenger", his middle names.[3][4] He was educated atLincoln Cathedral School, and as an external student at theUniversity of London. Kershaw was married to Olwen (née Earle); they lived atTeddington,[5]Middlesex.[6][7][8]
Kershaw was a lecturer in literature for adult education classes at the University of London from 1961 to 1964. He was script editor of theAmerican Broadcasting Company's TV arts programmeTempo from 1964 to 1967, script editor of the television seriesCallan from 1968 to 1969, and producer and editor ofThames Television'sArmchair Theatre series of plays from 1969 to 1971. A novelist, literary critic, poet, and essayist, his publications includeThe Present Stage (Fontana, 1966);Fanfare the orchestra (Chappells', 1970), andGeorge and the Dragonfly (Argo, 1970); he was a contributor to Macdonald's Illustrated Library,The Jewish Chronicle,New Society,Queen Magazine, andEncounter. He co-created and was the original writer for the children's TV showRainbow, between 1972 and 1981. Kershaw was a member of theSociety of Authors and theWriters' Guild of Great Britain.[9][10][11] and Alongside Shawn Randall and Ellen Shepard, Kershaw was awarded the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay for the 1983 filmThe Lonely Lady directed byPeter Sasdy and starringPia Zadora, based on the 1976 novel byHarold Robbins. The film's production was troubled; initially aimed for release in 1976 with different screenwriters (Robert Merrill andDean Riesner) and lead actress (Susan Blakely), production eventually began in 1982 as aMeshulam Riklis-funded vehicle for his wife, Zadora.
Kershaw's later work included creating the 36-episode 1984 drama seriesMiracles Take Longer, depicting the activities of theCitizens Advice Bureau, and writing twelve episodes of theChildren's ITV series (produced by Thames Television)C.A.B. (so named because- coincidentally- the junk shop was a former Citizens Advice Bureau) from 1988 to 1989, as well as three episodes of the police procedural seriesThe Bill in 1984, 1989 and 1990, one of which was adapted in 1994 as an episode of the German version ofThe Bill,Die Wache.
^The Author's & Writer's Who's who, Volume 6, ed. Edward Martell, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1971, p. 455
^Contemporary Authors: A Bio-bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Fields, ed. Ann Evory, Gale Research Company, 1978, p. 332
^International Who's who in Poetry, ed. Geoffrey Handley-Taylor, International Biographical Centre, 1972, p. 226
^The Author's & Writer's Who's who, Volume 6, ed. Edward Martell, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1971, p. 455
^Contemporary Authors: A Bio-bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Fields, ed. Ann Evory, Gale Research Company, 1978, p. 332
^International Who's who in Poetry, ed. Geoffrey Handley-Taylor, International Biographical Centre, 1972, p. 226
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