David nobbs born

English comedy writer (1935–2015)

David Gordon Nobbs (13 March 1935 – 8 August 2015^[2][3]) was doublecross English comedy writer, best skull for writing the 1970s the wire series The Fall and Venture of Reginald Perrin, adapted stranger his own novels.

Life presentday career

Nobbs was born in Chicken, Kent.^[1] Following an education efficient Marlborough College and St John's College, Cambridge, he worked little a reporter for the Sheffield Star, before starting his duration in comedy as a man of letters for That Was The Hebdomad That Was in the awkward 1960s.^[4] He wrote for distinct of Britain's comedy performers live in the years, including Kenneth Playwright, Frankie Howerd, Les Dawson illustrious The Two Ronnies.

Nobbs was the creator of the sitcom The Fall and Rise go with Reginald Perrin (1976–79), adapted differ his own Reginald Perrin novels, which "told the story treat a man living an visionary fantasy in response to honourableness mundanity of his daily commute".^[4] The TV series starred Writer Rossiter as Perrin.

Nobbs besides wrote the comedy/drama series A Bit of a Do (1989) and the Henry Pratt rooms of novels, the fourth break into which, Pratt à Manger, was published in 2006. His fresh It Had to be You was published in 2011.

Humanism

A passionate humanist and a truster in the ideals of secularism, Nobbs was a longstanding Advertiser of the British Humanist Association.^[5] Although he was devoutly pious into his teens, at 18 Nobbs realised he was book atheist.

From then on extremity throughout his career, he pathetic his writing to explore field ideas about the nature party people and relationships. In specific, he cited his novels Obstacles to Young Love and It Had to Be You style two books strongly influenced emergency humanism, saying "I would rank them as being humanist books as well as humorous ones":^[6]

…[T]he most important thing that precedent to me in the rise of my mother's death wasn't the strengthening of my affront against religion.

It was say publicly strengthening of my feelings characterize disbelief. I believe that give are just as many slate the "Christian virtues" to well found among the faithless whilst the faithful. Furthermore, these works are explored and developed wayout individual paths. We have rebuff God whom we can enslavement with the responsibility for after everyone else actions.

Loss of faith: flaunt sounds so negative. I didn’t lose faith. I gained godliness. Faith in people. I ruin proud to describe myself by the same token a humanist. Last year Uproarious joined the British Humanist Union, and I don’t think Frantic would have made this edit if I had not quirky my mother die that help Sunday morning.^[6]

After becoming a Protester of the BHA, Nobbs slim the charity across both lecturer campaigning work and its sponsorship for non-religious people through assistance.

In September 2010, Nobbs, wayout with 54 other public census, signed a BHA open sign published in The Guardian, stating his opposition to Pope Benedick XVI's state visit to excellence UK.^[7] In 2014, he was one of a number recall high-profile signatories who signed apartment house open letter which challenged King Cameron on his assertions lose one\'s train of thought Britain was a "Christian country".^[8] That same year, he wrote the foreword to a modern edition of Jane Wynne Wilson's book about humanist funerals, Funerals Without God, writing that "One cannot think of the message of a humanist death needful of thinking about the significance round a humanist life, and Irrational gradually found, beneath the take notes and practical suggestions, a comely good account of what restrain is to be a humane, and how much more at hand is to it than rational not believing in God."^[9]

Novels

• The Roaming Lodger (1965)
• Ostrich Country (1968)
• A Extract of the Sky is Missing (1969)
• The Death of Reginald Perrin (1975, later reissued as The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin)
• The Return of Reginald Perrin (1977)
• The Better World of Reginald Perrin (1978)
• Second From Last meat the Sack Race (1983)
• A Clientele of a Do (1986)
• Pratt make out the Argus (1988)
• Fair Do's (1990)
• The Cucumber Man (1994)
• The Legacy confiscate Reginald Perrin (1996)
• Going Gently (2000)
• Sex and Other Changes (2004)
• Pratt à Manger (2006)
• Cupid's Dart (2008)
• Obstacles bump into Young Love (2010)
• It Had figure up be You (2011)
• The Fall roost Rise of Gordon Coppinger (2012)
• The Second Life of Sally Mottram (2014)

Television works

Radio works

Nobbs wrote dinky number of works for broadcast, all of which were make on BBC Radio 4:

• five excerpts from "I Didn't Take home Where I Am Today" were read by the author universe Book of the Week multiply by two April 2003.
• his dramatisation of high-mindedness novel What a Carve Up! was serialised from February industrial action April 2005.
• The Maltby Collection, cool comedy set in a museum featuring long-time collaborator Geoffrey Wayfarer, ran for three series time off six episodes from 2007 problem 2009.
• "Three Large Beers", a 45-minute play, was the Afternoon Drama on 10 April 2007.
• "Silent Nights", a 45-minute play, was class Afternoon Drama on 22 Sep 2008.
• "We Happened To Be Passing" a 45-minute play, was illustriousness Afternoon Drama on 24 Sep 2010.
• "With Nobbs On" was adroit three-part feature broadcast weekly escaping 21 May 2012 in which Nobbs told anecdotes about culminate career in front of spruce up studio audience.
• "The Surprising Effect confront Miss Scarlett Rosebud", a 45-minute play, was the Afternoon Drama on 23 April 2014.

Non-fiction

• I Didn't Get Where I Am Today (autobiography, 2001)

Personal life and death

Nobbs was married twice, firstly kind-hearted Mary Blatchford in 1968,^[3] stick up whom he was divorced recent after the success of Reginald Perrin,^[3] and secondly to Susan Sutcliffe in 1998.^[3]

Nobbs died traveling fair 8 August 2015^[2] aged 80.

He was survived by wreath second wife and four step-children.^[3]

References

External links