Peter Tinniswood

In later life, the writer Peter Tinniswood complained that he had spread himself thin, and rarely produced his best work. But if he did not achieve greatness, he nevertheless managed ubiquity – novels, television and above all, radio – and there can be few people who have never been amused or unsettled at one time or another by his distinctive brand of gloomy northern surrealism.

He was born in Liverpool in 1936, but spent most of his early years in Sale, outside Manchester, where his mother ran a dry-cleaning shop: he later said that lurking under the counter, listening to the customers' conversation, was what gave him his ear for dialogue. After Sale County Grammar and Manchester University, he became a journalist, working on the Liverpool Echo, the Western Mail and, from 1958 to 1960, the Sheffield Star. It was at the Star that he met David Nobbs, now famous as the author of the Reggie Perrin novels. They began writing together – sketches for That Was the Week That Was and The Frost Report; but Tinniswood's creative urges didn't get free rein until the publication of his first novel, A Touch of Daniel, in 1968.

This was the work that introduced the Brandons, a grumbling northern household of nagging women and shiftless, taciturn men, afflicted by a mortality rate that swells from extreme to surreal over the course of the book. The Brandons reappeared in a 1973 novel, I Didn't Know You Cared, and a BBC television series of the same name. Although its reputation has been overshadowed by other comedies of the period, such as Fawlty Towers and Porridge, many retain fond memories of the atmosphere of dank pessimism, of Uncle Stavely's catch-phrase, "I 'eard that – pardon?", and Robin Bailey's marvellous performance as the appropriately named Uncle Mort, whose imperturbable gloom no ray of sunshine could penetrate. More significant for Tinniswood was the casting in later series of Liz Goulding as Carter Brandon's nagging, socially ambitious wife, Pat. She and Tinniswood married in 1981, and much of his later work was written with her in mind.

Many thanks to Martin for contributions to this page.

Stoker Leishman's Diaries (1981)
A Touch of Daniel (1987)
The Village Fete (1987)
Wimbledon (Unknown)
The Governor's Consort (1993)
Next Time We Might Play Better (1998)
On the Whole Its Been Jolly Good (1998)
The Last Obituary (1998)The Wireless Lady (1998)
The Houseswap (1999)
The Scan (1999)
Age Gap (2000)
Anton in Eastbourne (2000)
Dorothy-A Manager's Wife (2000)
Mr. Reliable (2001)
The Duvet Lady (2001)
The Goalkeeper's Boo-Boo (2003)
The Moon Hunter (Unknown)
Call It a Canary (Unknown) The Sequel to 'A Touch of Daniel' - See Uncle Mort below for more.
Visitor (2010)

Winston

Winston - S01 - E01 - A Happy Family
Winston - S01 - E02 - Weaving The Spells
Winston - S01 - E03 - Without A Doubt
Winston - S01 - E04 - What Do You Reckon
Winston - S01 - E05 - Whacko Jolly Dee
Winston - S01 - E06 - The Village Fete

Winston Comes To Town - S02 - E01 - A Tweak Of Thread
Winston Comes To Town - S02 - E02 - Line Of Communication
Winston Comes To Town - S02 - E03 - Has Anyone Seen Winston
Winston Comes To Town - S02 - E04 - Repeat After Me
Winston Comes To Town - S02 - E05 - Easy To Love
Winston Comes To Town - S02 - E06 - The Best Place For Them

Winston In Love - S03 - E01 - I'm In Love, I'm In Love
Winston In Love - S03 - E02 - Taking Tea With Roland
Winston In Love - S03 - E03 - Happy Days In Cawnpore
Winston In Love - S03 - E04 - A Dangerous Critter
Winston In Love - S03 - E05 - Figuratively Speaking
Winston In Love - S03 - E06 - Clip Clop, Clip Clop
Winston In Love - S03 - E07 - Winston At Christmas

Winston In Europe - S04 - E01 - Don't Gush, Nancy
Winston In Europe - S04 - E02 - An Educated Woman
Winston In Europe - S04 - E03 - Where Are We Now
Winston In Europe - S04 - E04 - Coping With Urges
Winston In Europe - S04 - E05 - Questions And Answers
Winston In Europe - S04 - E06 - Finis

Winston Back Home - S05 - E01 - So This Is What Happiness Is All About
Winston Back Home - S05 - E02 - A Whale of A Time With Chekhov
Winston Back Home - S05 - E03 - Don't Call Me Soams
Winston Back Home - S05 - E04 - Say It Again, Winston
Winston Back Home - S05 - E05 - A Born Natural
Winston Back Home - S05 - E06 - After All This Time A Happy Ending

Uncle Mort
Uncle Mort's North Country (Full Series In 2 Parts Additional Tony Capstick Intro)
Uncle Mort's South Country (Full Series In 3 Parts)
Uncle Mort's Celtic Fringe (Full Series In 2 Parts)