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Dennis Potter's Life
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Social, Political and Cultural Events
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Dennis Potter born in the Forest of Dean
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1935 |
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1939 |
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Britain goes to war with Germany
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1941 |
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Singer Al Bowlly, whose work appears in many Potter plays, dies in the London Blitz
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As the war ends, Potter lives briefly with his abusive uncle in London
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1945 |
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1952 |
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First H-Bomb tested
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National Service
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1953 |
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Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
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Potter wins scholarship to New College Oxford. Active in the Oxford Union and in drama, student journalism and the Oxford Labour Club
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1955 |
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Suez Crisis
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1956 |
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John Osborne's Look Back in Anger opens in London
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1958 |
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CND launched
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Joins the BBC. Works in the Talks Department and for Panorama.
Marries Margaret Morgan, "the steadfast one".
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1959 |
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Publishes his first book, The Glittering Coffin. Makes Between Two Rivers documentary for the BBC
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1960 |
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The Lady Chatterley trial ends with the book's 31-year ban lifted
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Works as a journalist for the Daily Herald.
Suddenly struck down with psoriatic arthropathy
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1961 |
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Berlin Wall erected
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1962 |
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That was the Week that Was (which Potter works on as a sketch-writer) and Steptoe and Son begin on BBC television.
The Beatles' first single, Love Me Do, is released
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1963 |
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Profumo scandal. President Kennedy assassinated
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Fails to win a seat as a Labour candidate. No longer active in party politics
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1964 |
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BBC Two launches.
BBC One begins broadcast of The Wednesday Play
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Television debut, The Confidence Course, broadcast as a Wednesday Play in February. Alice follows in October and The Nigel Barton plays in December
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1965 |
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Vietnam War begins
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1966 |
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Cathy Come Home broadcast on BBC One
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1967 |
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BBC Two begins colour transmissions
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1968 |
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Lord Chamberlain no longer able to exercise powers of censorship
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Son of Man broadcast
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1969 |
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Rupert Murdoch adds The Sun and News of the World to his fast-growing media empire. "He regarded journalism really as a branch of the entertainment business" commented columnist Alan Watkins
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The Wednesday Play is relaunched as Play for Today. The first of Potter's "visitation" plays, Angels are So Few, is an early entry
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1970 |
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Casanova broadcast
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1971 |
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1972 |
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Bloody Sunday occurs in Londonderry
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1973 |
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Britain joins the EEC
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1974 |
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Miners' strikes culminate in 'Three Day Week' in Britain. Watergate scandal
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BBC ban Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle and Roy Minton's Scum
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1976 |
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National Theatre opens.
Sex Pistols appear on prime time television
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Potter is treated with an experimental drug, Razoxane, which eases his illness and prompts a new flourish of writing
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1977 |
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Queen's Silver Jubilee
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Pennies from Heaven broadcast
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1978 |
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Blue Remembered Hills broadcast
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1979 |
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Margaret Thatcher becomes prime minister
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Pennies from Heaven made into a movie in America. Many screenplays follow, with varying degrees of success
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1981 |
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Riots break out in Toxteth and Brixton
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1982 |
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Falklands War begins
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Movie Gorky Park released, with a screenplay by Potter
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1983 |
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1984 |
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Play for Today ceases production, Threads broadcast by the BBC
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The Singing Detective broadcast
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1986 |
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Marmaduke Hussey becomes Chairman of the BBC. He admits he "knows nothing about broadcasting"
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1987 |
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Alasdair Milne is forced to resign as Director-General of the BBC
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Blackeyes broadcast
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1989 |
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Rupert Murdoch launches Sky Television
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1991 |
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First Gulf War
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1992 |
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John Birt becomes Director-General of the BBC
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Potter delivers Occupying Powers, a shattering
James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture
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1993 |
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Potter, in the final stages of the cancer he calls 'Rupert' after his nemesis, Rupert Murdoch, gives his last interview, an electrifying and touching television event. His wife dies on 27 May, and he dies on 7 June
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1994 |
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BSkyB floated for £4.5bn
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Karaoke and Cold Lazarus broadcast by Channel Four and BBC Television in accordance
with Potter's wishes
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1997 |
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