Ken Hoare

One of Britain's most respected comedy scriptwriters Ken Hoare won a string of awards for his Stanley Baxter television shows. The shows were televised in Britain every Christmas and attracted record viewing figures. Born in Torquay, Devon, Hoare was a keen theatregoer as a child and as a teenager used to hang around stage doors in the hope of seeing his comedy idols. In 1956 he wrote his first television play, 'The Outing', which was broadcast by Associated-Rediffusion. At the same time he was writing comedy material for many comedians of the era. In the 1960s he teamed up with Mike Sharland to write the BBC comedy series, _"Beggar My Neighbour" (1967)_, which starred June Whitfield, Pat Coombs and Peter Jones. He also wrote Mr. Digby Darling (1969) for Yorkshire Television which starred Peter Jones and Sheila Hancock, His and Hers (1971) starring Ronald Lewis and Turnbull's Finest Half Hour (1972). His finest achievement was The Stanley Baxter series. Television companies allowed him carte blanche in terms of time and expense. Sets and costumes for the shows were lavish and each production took over a year to film. Stanley Baxter's Picture Annual, The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, Stanley Baxter's Xmas Box and Baxter's Christmas Hamper became essential Christmas viewing for millions. Hoare won six Writers Guilds Awards and a BAFTA award for the series. In the 1970s he ran his own small cinema in Suffolk, England.