Donald Victor Taylor (30 June 1936 – 11 November 2003; usually credited as Don Taylor) was a writer, producer, and director, notable his work with BBC television and BBC radio.
Biography
Born in Marylebone in London, Taylor attended Chiswick Grammar School and subsequently studied English Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford. While at university he became actively involved in student theatre, particularly with the Experimental Theatre Club. It was for the club that Taylor directed, in 1957, the world premiere of Epitaph for George Dillon by the acclaimed playwright John Osborne. In 1960, he married writer Ellen Dryden, and they had two children. He died of colon cancer in 2003, at the age of 67.
Career in Television
He worked in TV from 1960-1990.
Career in Radio
In 1990, Taylor retired from television. He and his wife established a radio production company called First Writes, producing plays independently for transmission on BBC radio. He both wrote and directed for radio himself, as well as assisting his wife with the running of a young person's theatre company she had established near their Chiswick home based in Don's own school. He wrote a number of plays for the company, including "The Daughters of Venice".
Radio Plays by Don Taylor
- At Nunappleton House (1970)
- Rudkin's Dream (1973)
- The Roses of Eyam (1978)
- Flight into a Wilderness (1978)
- The Achurch Letters (1980)
- God's Revolution (1988)
- When the Barbarians Came (1992)
- The Exorcism (1992)
- The Jacobean Box (1993)
- Daughters of Venice (1993)
- Underworld (1994)
- Merely Players (1996)
- The Seafarer (1998)
- Where Three Roads Meet (1998)
- The Servant's Room (1998)
- The Dreaming Woman (1999)
- Walking to Africa (2000)
- A Visitation (2000)
- Before Your Very Eyes (2000)
- Music at Night (2002)
- Kill the Cameraman First (2002)
- On This Shaven Green (2003)
- The Great Ovid Mystery (2004)
- A Nice Little Trip to Spain (2004)
- Helen (2011) Euripides - Translated by Don Taylor, adapted by Ellen Dryden
Tributes
In 2004, the BBC aired several radio plays in tribute to Taylor. This was followed in 2008 by a "Don Taylor Season" on BBC Radio 7.
References
- Purser, Philip. Obituary: Don Taylor (subscription link). "The Guardian". Thursday November 20, 2003.
- Hayward, Anthony. Don Taylor: Exponent of live television and theatre. "The Independent". Saturday 22 November 2003.
External links
- Don Taylor at the Internet Movie Database.
- Overview of Taylor's radio work at the suttonelms drama site
- Full biography at British Television drama by Oliver Wake. 15 April 2010. Accessed June 2010
