This Is Your Life: Johnny Speight

Johnny SPEIGHT (1920-1998)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Johnny Speight, television scriptwriter, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at Thames Television's Euston Road Studios, having been led to believe he was there to take part in a talk about football.

Johnny, who was born in Canning Town, east London, left school at 14 and, following a series of jobs, which included factory worker, milkman, insurance agent and a stint in the Territorial Army, he began writing, initially contributing material to television comedy shows, starting in 1955 with Great Scott – It's Maynard! After writing a radio series for comedian Frankie Howerd, he became part of the team of writers on the BBC television comedy series Sykes and a... starring Eric Sykes.

In 1958, he created the iconic working class tramp figure played by Arthur Haynes in the comedian's long-running and top-rated ITV comedy series. Then in 1965, Johnny wrote a pilot for BBC television, which developed into the sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, and gave birth to his most famous creation, the controversial bigot Alf Garnett, played by Warren Mitchell.

"What? You're joking - no, oh come on, oh come on!"

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