Roy Clarke

Writing

Roy Clarke

Born January 28, 1930 · Austerfield, Doncaster, England, UK (age 96)

Royston Clarke OBE, usually known as Roy Clarke, is an English comedy writer best known for creating the sitcoms Last of the Summer Wine, Keeping Up Appearances, Open All Hours and its sequel series, Still Open All Hours.

Known For

The ChemistThe Chemist · 1990
The Chemist
1990
MovieComedyDrama
Vernon Duxley, a Yorkshire chemist, confesses the traumatic, intimate secrets of his marital life to his video camera.
Open All Hours: Inside OutOpen All Hours: Inside Out · 2026
Open All Hours: Inside Out
2026
MovieComedyDocumentary
Retrospective celebrating the shop sitcom, including a new short scene starring David Jason. Also features Diane Morgan, Johnny Vegas, Tim Healy and Charlotte Barker.
RosebudRosebud · 1975
Rosebud
5.11975
MovieActionThriller
In a bold coup a Palestinian terrorist group captures the yacht Rosebud and kidnaps the millionaires five daughters on it. At first they demand film clips to be shown on major European TV stations. Undercover agent Martin is hired to hunt the terrorists down.
Cry of the InnocentCry of the Innocent · 1980
Cry of the Innocent
6.01980
MovieActionCrime
An American insurance executive, who sees his wife and children die when a plane crashes into their vacation cottage on the Irish coast, uncovers a series of suspicious clues indicating that it was no accident after a pretty financial reporter who resembles his dead wife turns up.
A Foreign FieldA Foreign Field · 1993
A Foreign Field
7.01993
MovieComedyRomance
Nostalgic comic drama in which Cyril and Amos, two veterans of the Normandy landings, return to France to visit the grave of their wartime buddy. They encounter Waldo, an American on a similar mission, and the meeting sparks memories of an old girlfriend from the past. With the mysterious American lady Lisa in their wake, Cyril and Waldo decide to try and track her down.
Young HyacinthYoung Hyacinth · 2016
Young Hyacinth
5.12016
MovieComedyTV Movie
Set in the 1950s, this prequel to Keeping Up Appearances looks at the life, relationships, and aspirations of 18-year-old Hyacinth. Long before she becomes Mrs. Bucket (pronounced Bouquet), young Hyacinth is already dreaming of matching china and a bedroom in pastel shades. If only her family were more like the upper-class Cooper-Smiths in whose home Hyacinth works as a maid.
The Funny Side of ChristmasThe Funny Side of Christmas · 1982
The Funny Side of Christmas
1982
MovieComedyTV Movie
Skits from: "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin"; "The Les Dawson Show"; "Yes Minister"; "Only Fools and Horses"; "Three of a Kind"; "Last of the Summer Wine"; "Sorry!"; "Butterflies"; "Smith and Jones"; and "Open All Hours".
HawksHawks · 1988
Hawks
5.71988
MovieDramaComedy
Two terminally ill patients in a hospital yearn for relief from their predicament. With little or no friends, they form an uneasy alliance and plot an escape for one last wild time.

Filmography

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Keeping Up AppearancesKeeping Up Appearances · 1990
Keeping Up Appearances
7.71990
SeriesComedy
Hyacinth Bucket (whose name, she insists, is pronounced "Bouquet") is a suburban housewife in the West Midlands. She would be the first to tell you that she is a gracious hostess, a respected citizen, and a well-connected member of high society. If you don't believe that, just ask her best friend Elizabeth, held captive in Hyacinth's kitchen; or the postmen and neighbours who bristle at the sound of her voice; or Richard, her weary and compliant husband. In fact, Hyacinth's reputation could be as perfect as her new lounge set, if not for her senile father's love of running wild in the nip. Oh, and she would prefer it if her brother-in-law was a sharper dresser. And that her husband was more ambitious. And that her sisters were more presentable. And do take your shoes off before you come in the house, dear. Mind that you don't brush against the wallpaper.

Writer

The WandererThe Wanderer · 1994
The Wanderer
8.01994
SeriesDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
The Wanderer is a television series of British origin, first transmitted in 1994 and comprising 13 episodes. Every episode brings a new adventure, and the story of long-ago brothers Adam and Zachary, Princess Beatrice, and Lady Clare slowly unfolds as the present-day Adam searches for the original Zachary's grave, a magic stone, and a lost book of power. The show was created by Tom Gabbay, who also served as Executive Producer of the series, which was filmed on locations in Austria, Germany, Spain, and England, including Helmsley Castle and the Yorkshire Moors, by FingerTip Films for Yorkshire Television, ZDF, Antena 3, and SkyTV. In the United States, The Wanderer was transmitted primarily in first-run syndication.

Writer