5 Sep 2009

Death of UK playwright

7:04 am on 5 September 2009

British author and playwright Keith Waterhouse has died.

Waterhouse, 80, made his screenwriting debut on the 1961 film Whistle Down The Wind.

But he remains best known for the 1959 novel Billy Liar - which was made into a critically acclaimed film starring Tom Courtenay in 1963.

The story of a daydreamer planning his escape from a job as an undertaker, Liar later became part of the school syllabus.

He was a prolific newspaper columnist and playwright with works including Mr and Mrs Nobody and the 1989 West End hit Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell.

The play, based on the fellow journalist Jeffrey Bernard's weekly column in the Spectator magazine, was co-written with his frequent collaborator Willis Hall.

The play's original star was Peter O'Toole, who returned for the revival 10 years later at London's Old Vic.

Prolific writer

The BBC reports Waterhouse was one of Britain's most prolific authors, with more than 60 books, plays and television scripts to his credit.

He wrote a twice-weekly column, which appeared in the Daily Mirror for 16 years, winning him three awards for columnist of the year in 1970, 1973 and 1978.

He transferred to the Daily Mail in 1986.

He also wrote the popular 1970s television series Budgie and Worzel Gummidge, starring Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs as well as Worzel Gummidge Down Under in the 1980s.

Waterhouse's work brought him a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Literature, and in 1991 he became a CBE.

He was divorced twice and leaves two children.