Brian Finch | |
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| Born | James Brian Finch (1936-07-25)25 July 1936 Standish,Lancashire, England |
| Died | 27 June 2007(2007-06-27) (aged 70) Wigan, England |
| Education | Thornleigh Salesian College |
| Occupation | Television writer |
| Spouse | Margaret Moran |
| Children | Paul Finch and three daughters |
Brian Finch (25 July 1936 – 27 June 2007) was a British television scriptwriter and dramatist. His longest relationship was with theITV1 soap opera,Coronation Street, for which he wrote 150 scripts between 1970 and 1989.[1] He also helped the development ofAll Creatures Great and Small,The Tomorrow People,[2] andHeartbeat. He contributed several episodes to the British detective programmesThe Gentle Touch,Hetty Wainthropp Investigates,Bergerac andThe Bill. It was for his work as a writer onGoodnight Mr Tom, a bittersweet drama starringJohn Thaw, for which he received aBAFTA.[3]
Brian Finch was born inStandish, Lancashire,[4] a descendant ofCharles Dickens[1] his father was a miner. He was educated at St. Joseph's School[5] and thenThornleigh Salesian College. At 15 years old he was a cub reporter for the local evening newspaper Westhoughton Journal.[6]
His National Service was with the RAF at NATO'sFontainebleau headquarters in France, after which he worked on theManchester Evening News.[6] In 1961 he was working at theTV Times ghost-writing articles for the Beatles.[6] He joined the BBC as a press officer forTop of the Pops[1] and submitted his first drama script in January 1966 for theWednesday Play outlet titledRodney Our Intrepid Hero, a comedy about a newspaper reporter investigating a vice ring, starringJim Norton in his first television role.[7][5] In 1968 his first episode ofZ-Cars was recorded.[6]
Between 1970 and 1989, Finch wrote more than 150 episodes of theITV1 soap opera,Coronation Street, including the first to featureDeirdre Barlow, he also wrote the first episodes for barmaidBet Lynch,Mike Baldwin andJack andVera Duckworth.[8]
In 1972 Finch wroteAn Arrow for Little Audrey a Thirty-Minute Theatre production starringGeoffrey Hughes.[7] He wrote 13 episodes of the TV seriesThe Tomorrow People in 1973.[9] He wrote for theHunter's Walk series from 1973 to 1974 a police series set inRushdenNorthamptonshire starringRuth Madoc andEwan Hooper.[5][10]In 1974 Finch wrote a six-part children's adventure series,The Chinese Puzzle broadcast onBBC1[1] and in 1978 wrote 9 episodes ofFallen Hero forGranada Television.[8] He also wrote a number of episodes forJuliet Bravo,[3]The Gentle Touch,Hetty Wainthropp Investigates,Bergerac andThe Bill.[6] From 1987 to 1989 he wrote for the comedy dramaFlying Lady which starredFrank Windsor[5] and from 1992 to 2006 he wrote 35 episodes forHeartbeat set in rural Yorkshire.[3]
2005 saw the release of his film adaptation ofHeidi directed byPaul Marcus, starringEmma Bolger withMax Von Sydow andDiana Rigg.[6] In 2006 Finch worked on the TV screenplay ofThe Shell Seekers which starredAcademy Award-winners,Vanessa Redgrave andMaximilian Schell.[11]
Finch wrote the original version ofLeviathan forDoctor Who, which was initially forseason 22. His script was later adapted by his sonPaul Finch for audio release byBig Finish.
Finch married Margaret Moran in 1963[12] and was the father of the horror author and scriptwriterPaul Finch.[1]
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