He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
in the 2007 Queen Elizabeth II Birthday Honors List for his services to
screen writing.
In 1975, set up independent production company WitzEnd with long-term writing partner Dick Clement and producer Allan McKeown. In 1988, it transmuted into SelecTV, which in 1996 became part of Thames Television.
He did national service in the army on discharge worked as a salesman for a tobacco company.
He composed songs for a weekly satirical programme on Tyne Tees Television then moved to London where he worked for a market research company.