Dennis Potter
Biography
Dennis Potter was a British television dramatist, screenwriter, and journalist. Born on May 17, 1935, in Berry Hill, UK, he graduated from Oxford University. Potter initially worked in journalism before transitioning to television. His television dramas often mixed fantasy and reality, incorporating themes and images from popular culture. He is best known for his BBC TV serials, including Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective, as well as television plays such as Blue Remembered Hills and Brimstone and Treacle. Potter's work is widely regarded as influential and innovative in British television. He passed away on June 7, 1994, at the age of 59.
Career overview
Dennis Potter was a television dramatist, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his work on BBC TV serials, which often mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social, and frequently used themes and images from popular culture.
Potter's television dramas include Pennies from Heaven, The Singing Detective, Blue Remembered Hills, and Brimstone and Treacle. These productions showcased his innovative approach to storytelling and his ability to blend different genres and styles. His work is widely regarded as influential and innovative in the field of British television.
Potter's writing career spanned many years, during which he produced a significant body of work. He is credited with writing numerous television plays and serials, and his contributions to the medium are still recognized and celebrated today.
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Career timeline
Full filmography
- Drama Out of a Crisis: A Celebration of Play for Today (2020) as Self – Writer (archive footage, 1973 & 1977)
- The Singing Detective (2003) Screenplay
- The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003) Creator
- The Bittersweet (2000) Theatre Play
- The Bittersweet (2000) Writer
- Karaoke (1996) Writer
- Karaoke (1996) Creator
- Cold Lazarus (1996) Writer
- Cold Lazarus (1996) Creator
- Visions of Heaven and Hell (1994) as Self
- Mesmer (1994) Writer
- Message for Posterity (1994) Writer
- Midnight Movie (1994) Writer
- Midnight Movie (1994) Producer
- An Interview with Dennis Potter (1994) as Himself
- Lipstick on Your Collar (1993) Writer
- Lipstick on Your Collar (1993) Executive Producer
- Lipstick on Your Collar (1993) Creator
- Performance (1991) Writer
- Secret Friends (1991) Director
- Secret Friends (1991) Screenplay
- Secret Friends (1991) Novel
- Follow the Yellow Brick Road (1991) Writer
- Blackeyes (1989) as Narrator (voice, uncredited)
- Blackeyes (1989) Novel
- Blackeyes (1989) Director
- Blackeyes (1989) Writer
- Blackeyes (1989) Creator
- Christabel (1988) Writer
- Christabel (1988) Creator
- Track 29 (1988) Writer
- Visitors (1987) Writer
- The Singing Detective (1986) Writer
- The Singing Detective (1986) Creator
- Screen Two (1985) Writer
- Television (1985)
- Tender Is the Night (1985) Writer
- Tender Is the Night (1985) Creator
- Dreamchild (1985) Writer
- Dreamchild (1985) Executive Producer
- Gorky Park (1983) Screenplay
- Brimstone & Treacle (1982) Screenplay
- Brimstone & Treacle (1982) Original Story
- Pennies from Heaven (1981) Writer
- Blade on the Feather (1980) Writer
- Cream in My Coffee (1980) Writer
- Rain on the Roof (1980) Writer
- Blue Remembered Hills (1979) as Narrator (voice, uncredited)
- Blue Remembered Hills (1979) Writer
- Pennies from Heaven (1978) Writer
- Pennies from Heaven (1978) Creator
- The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978) Writer
- The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978) Screenplay
- The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978) Creator
- Where Adam Stood (1976) Writer
- Brimstone and Treacle (1976) Writer
- Double Dare (1976) Writer
- Late Call (1975) Writer
- Late Call (1975) Creator
- Schmoedipus (1974) Writer
- Joe's Ark (1974) Writer
- Wessex Tales (1973) Writer
- Only Make Believe (1973) Writer
- The Sextet (1972) Writer
- Follow the Yellow Brick Road (1972) Writer
- Traitor (1971) Writer
- Casanova (1971) Writer
- Casanova (1971) Creator
- Paper Roses (1971) Writer
- Play for Today (1970) Writer
- Angels Are So Few (1970) Writer
- Lay Down Your Arms (1970) Writer
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969) Writer
- Moonlight on the Highway (1969) Writer
- Son of Man (1969) Writer
- The Company of Five (1968) Writer
- A Beast with Two Backs (1968) Writer
- Shaggy Dog (1968) Writer
- The Bone Grinder (1968) Writer
- ITV Playhouse (1967) Writer
- Where the Buffalo Roam (1966) Writer
- Emergency Ward 9 (1966) Writer
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) Writer
- Stand Up, Nigel Barton (1965) Writer
- Alice (1965) Screenplay
- VOTE, VOTE, VOTE for Nigel Barton (1965) Writer
- The Wednesday Play (1964) Writer
- Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (1964) Writer
- That Was The Week That Was (1962) Writer
- Between Two Rivers (1960) as Narrator
- Between Two Rivers (1960) Director
- Between Two Rivers (1960) Writer