Writing

Ted Willis

Born January 13, 1918 · Tottenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Died December 22, 1992 · aged 74

No biography available.

Known For

The HorsemastersThe Horsemasters · 1961
The Horsemasters
7.01961
MovieAdventureTV Movie
American students are having a difficult time at a prestigious English riding school. Dinah Wilcox is overly cautious because of memories of an accident, but Danny Grant gives her confidence. The strict, but admired, instructor fears she must sell her favorite horse because of school tradition, but the students end up taking up a collection to buy it back for her.
Hot Summer NightHot Summer Night · 1959
Hot Summer Night
9.01959
MovieDramaRomance
Jacko, a respected union man, is fighting for the promotion of a Jamaican colleague to chargehand, but when his daughter brings home her black boyfriend, he realises that racial prejudice is rife within his own home. This powerful drama exposes the deep-seated racial tensions hidden in British family life during the late 1950s. Written for the stage by Unity Theatre's Ted Willis, this television recording was filmed a few weeks after the play's successful West End run, and most of the stage cast repeat their roles here, including the terrific John Slater, Andree Melly and Lloyd Reckord. The drama's interracial kiss is probably the first to be shown on British TV.
One Good TurnOne Good Turn · 1955
One Good Turn
6.21955
MovieComedy
Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property developer who is also the chairman of the orphanage board wants to close the orphanage and build a factory on the site. The children are sent to Brighton for the day and Norman is very excited because he's "Never seen the Sea". When they get back they discover the plan to close the orphanage and have to decide what to do
The Large RopeThe Large Rope · 1953
The Large Rope
6.01953
MovieDramaThriller
After being framed for a murder he didn't commit, Tom Penney (Donald Houston) serves his time and returns to his rural English home to establish a quiet life. When another victim is found, however, Tom is blamed for the crime and flees rather than returnng to prison. Hoping to find the real killer -- or killers -- Tom investigates while keeping a low profile to elude his pursuers, and a vital clue leads him on the path to possible redemption.
Good-Time GirlGood-Time Girl · 1948
Good-Time Girl
6.41948
MovieDramaCrime
Sent to a home for "problem" girls, incipient juvenile delinquent Gwen receives a crash course in petty crime. Back on the outside, she falls in with the usual bad crowd, and suffers spectacularly as a result.
Maneaters Are Loose!Maneaters Are Loose! · 1978
Maneaters Are Loose!
10.01978
MovieActionDrama
Terror stalks a small California community when a broke and depressed animal owner and trainer is forced to abandon his tigers and let them fend for themselves in the nearby wilderness.
The Blue LampThe Blue Lamp · 1950
The Blue Lamp
6.61950
MovieCrimeThriller
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also anachronistic, unprepared and unable to answer the violence of the 1950s.
The Huggetts AbroadThe Huggetts Abroad · 1949
The Huggetts Abroad
6.81949
MovieComedy
Life is not going well for the Huggetts. Father has lost his job. Jimmy and his wife cannot get to South Africa where he has a new job. So the family decide that they should go to South Africa by truck. With their travelling companion they travel across the desert which includes a brush with the law.

Movies

The HorsemastersThe Horsemasters · 1961
The Horsemasters
7.01961
MovieAdventureTV Movie
American students are having a difficult time at a prestigious English riding school. Dinah Wilcox is overly cautious because of memories of an accident, but Danny Grant gives her confidence. The strict, but admired, instructor fears she must sell her favorite horse because of school tradition, but the students end up taking up a collection to buy it back for her.
Hot Summer NightHot Summer Night · 1959
Hot Summer Night
9.01959
MovieDramaRomance
Jacko, a respected union man, is fighting for the promotion of a Jamaican colleague to chargehand, but when his daughter brings home her black boyfriend, he realises that racial prejudice is rife within his own home. This powerful drama exposes the deep-seated racial tensions hidden in British family life during the late 1950s. Written for the stage by Unity Theatre's Ted Willis, this television recording was filmed a few weeks after the play's successful West End run, and most of the stage cast repeat their roles here, including the terrific John Slater, Andree Melly and Lloyd Reckord. The drama's interracial kiss is probably the first to be shown on British TV.
One Good TurnOne Good Turn · 1955
One Good Turn
6.21955
MovieComedy
Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property developer who is also the chairman of the orphanage board wants to close the orphanage and build a factory on the site. The children are sent to Brighton for the day and Norman is very excited because he's "Never seen the Sea". When they get back they discover the plan to close the orphanage and have to decide what to do
The Large RopeThe Large Rope · 1953
The Large Rope
6.01953
MovieDramaThriller
After being framed for a murder he didn't commit, Tom Penney (Donald Houston) serves his time and returns to his rural English home to establish a quiet life. When another victim is found, however, Tom is blamed for the crime and flees rather than returnng to prison. Hoping to find the real killer -- or killers -- Tom investigates while keeping a low profile to elude his pursuers, and a vital clue leads him on the path to possible redemption.
Good-Time GirlGood-Time Girl · 1948
Good-Time Girl
6.41948
MovieDramaCrime
Sent to a home for "problem" girls, incipient juvenile delinquent Gwen receives a crash course in petty crime. Back on the outside, she falls in with the usual bad crowd, and suffers spectacularly as a result.
Maneaters Are Loose!Maneaters Are Loose! · 1978
Maneaters Are Loose!
10.01978
MovieActionDrama
Terror stalks a small California community when a broke and depressed animal owner and trainer is forced to abandon his tigers and let them fend for themselves in the nearby wilderness.
The Blue LampThe Blue Lamp · 1950
The Blue Lamp
6.61950
MovieCrimeThriller
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also anachronistic, unprepared and unable to answer the violence of the 1950s.
The Huggetts AbroadThe Huggetts Abroad · 1949
The Huggetts Abroad
6.81949
MovieComedy
Life is not going well for the Huggetts. Father has lost his job. Jimmy and his wife cannot get to South Africa where he has a new job. So the family decide that they should go to South Africa by truck. With their travelling companion they travel across the desert which includes a brush with the law.
Our Miss FredOur Miss Fred · 1972
Our Miss Fred
6.11972
MovieComedyWar
Danny La Rue stars in this 1970s drag comedy as Fred Wimbush, a Shakespearean actor who is drafted into WWII and is appearing in a camp show in France when the Nazis advance. Unless he continues in his female costume, Fred is certain to be shot as a spy. The risque gags and double entendres fly as he attempts to make his escape in the company of a troupe of Girl Guides.
Flame in the StreetsFlame in the Streets · 1961
Flame in the Streets
6.31961
MovieDrama
Domestic difficulties develop in a working-class family when their daughter falls in love with a Jamaican man.
It's Great to be Young!It's Great to be Young! · 1956
It's Great to be Young!
6.81956
MovieMusicComedy
IT’S GREAT TO A YOUNG stars John Mills as Dingle an easygoing high school teacher. When autocratic new headmaster Frome (Cecil Parker) begins imposing all sorts of repressive rules, Dingle does his best to stand up for his students, only to be dismissed for his troubles. The kids conspire to not only reinstate their favourite teacher, but to circumvent Frome's refusal to purchase new instruments for an upcoming music festival.
Trouble in StoreTrouble in Store · 1953
Trouble in Store
6.11953
MovieComedyFamily
Norman is working in the stock room of a large London department store, but he has ambition (doesn't he always !!), he wants to be a window dresser making up the public displays. Whilst trying to fulfill his ambition, he falls in love (doesn't he always !!), with one of the shopgirls. Together they discover a plot to rob the store and, somehow, manage to foil the robbers.
No Trees in the StreetNo Trees in the Street · 1959
No Trees in the Street
5.81959
MovieDramaCrime
Based on the play by Ted Willis, the film is set in the years just before World War II, when England hadn't completely dug itself out of the worldwide depression. Melvyn Hayes is featured as an aimless teenager, who tries to escape his squalid surroundings by entering a life of crime. He falls in with local hoodlum Herbert Lom, who holds the rest of the slum citizens in the grip of fear including Hayes' own family. No Trees in the Street chronicles Hayes' sordid progress from nickel-and-dime thefts to murder.
A Boy, a Girl and a BikeA Boy, a Girl and a Bike · 1949
A Boy, a Girl and a Bike
4.91949
MovieRomanceComedy
The lives of the members of a West Yorkshire cycling club are complicated by romantic entanglements and a series of bike thefts.
Bitter HarvestBitter Harvest · 1963
Bitter Harvest
6.21963
MovieDrama
A pretty young woman will do anything to escape her deadly dull existence in the backlots of Wales. But when she reaches the bright lights of London is the price too high?
Mrs. Harris - Der geschmuggelte HenryMrs. Harris - Der geschmuggelte Henry · 1987
Mrs. Harris - Der geschmuggelte Henry
10.01987
Movie
Woman in a Dressing GownWoman in a Dressing Gown · 1957
Woman in a Dressing Gown
6.31957
MovieDramaRomance
A married, middle-aged woman is shocked to discover that her husband, who she thought was content in their marriage, has become infatuated with a beautiful younger woman and is planning to leave his family for her.
The UndefeatedThe Undefeated · 1950
The Undefeated
7.01950
MovieDocumentary
Looking at how soldiers injured and disabled during WWII would be helped to live as normal a life as possible in the post war years.
Mrs. Harris fährt nach MoskauMrs. Harris fährt nach Moskau · 1987
Mrs. Harris fährt nach Moskau
8.01987
MovieCrimeComedy
Burnt EvidenceBurnt Evidence · 1954
Burnt Evidence
6.01954
MovieCrimeMystery
Duncan Lamont plays Jane Hylton's jealous husband. In a confrontation, Lamont accidentally shoots Hylton's lover. Convinced that he's a murderer, he heads for the hills as a police hunt begins... Classic British thriller from the creator of Dixon Of Dock Green.
Mrs. Harris fährt nach Monte CarloMrs. Harris fährt nach Monte Carlo · 1989
Mrs. Harris fährt nach Monte Carlo
9.01989
MovieCrimeComedy
Because her mother has to go to New York on business, little Helen is once again left in the care of Ada Harris. Helen's father, the industrialist Costa, takes the opportunity to take his daughter to Monte Carlo, where he lives with his mistress, without being asked. Ada sets out to bring the "kidnapped" child back to London and in the process finds herself targeted by the police as a kidnapper...
Mrs. Harris - Freund mit Rolls RoyceMrs. Harris - Freund mit Rolls Royce · 1984
Mrs. Harris - Freund mit Rolls Royce
7.01984
Movie
Mrs. Harris und der HeiratsschwindlerMrs. Harris und der Heiratsschwindler · 1991
Mrs. Harris und der Heiratsschwindler
7.01991
Movie
The Young and the GuiltyThe Young and the Guilty · 1958
The Young and the Guilty
6.21958
MovieRomanceDrama
Parents veto the romance of two high-school students, forcing them to meet in secret.

TV Shows

Alta comediaAlta comedia · 1970
Alta comedia
6.01970
SeriesComedy
Dixon of Dock GreenDixon of Dock Green · 1955
Dixon of Dock Green
6.01955
SeriesDrama
Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities of police officers at a fictional Metropolitan Police station in the East End of London from 1955 to 1976. Some episodes were later remade as a BBC radio series in 2005 and 2006.
The Adventures of Black BeautyThe Adventures of Black Beauty · 1972
The Adventures of Black Beauty
6.21972
SeriesFamily
The Adventures of Black Beauty is a British family adventure series broadcast on ITV1. Produced by London Weekend Television, the 52-episode series was inspired by Anna Sewell's novel but featured new characters, including Dr James Gordon and his children, who, in 19th century rural England, take in the horse Black Beauty.
Sergeant CorkSergeant Cork · 1963
Sergeant Cork
7.21963
SeriesDrama
Sergeant Cork is a British detective television series which first aired between 1963 and 1968 on ITV. It was a police procedural show that followed the efforts of two police officers and their battle against crime in Victorian London. In all 66 hour-long episodes were aired during the five-year run, although the last episode was not broadcast until January 1968, 16 months after the others. Journalist Tom Sutcliffe has credited it as a first example of the use of the Victorian-era policeman in a television crime series. A 1969 review in The Age opined that rather than suspense, the strengths of the series were its "excellent period settings and wonderfully thick pea-soupers" which "add up to splendid evocative stuff", as well as the performance of star John Barrie. At no time during the whole series is Sergeant Cork's first name given.
Hunters WalkHunters Walk · 1973
Hunters Walk
1973
SeriesCrimeDrama
Hunters Walk – devised by Dixon of Dock Green creator Ted Willis – was about crime on a smaller – but no less dramatic – scale, and featured a police force in the fictional Midlands town of Broadstone (the series was actually filmed in Rushden, Northants). Sharing several similarities with the classic 1950s police drama, in particular a small-town settingband storylines encompassing the more human aspects of police work, Hunters Walk offered a contrasting alternative to the 1970s more hard-hitting, action-led urban crime dramas. The small, idiosyncratic team of officers faced a typically broad spectrum of cases, from neighbours’ disputes and hooliganism to suspected murder.
Armchair TheatreArmchair Theatre · 1956
Armchair Theatre
6.01956
SeriesDrama
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968.
BoneyBoney · 1972
Boney
6.71972
SeriesDrama
Boney is an Australian television series produced by Fauna Productions during 1971 and 1972, featuring James Laurenson in the title role of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte. Two series, each of thirteen episodes were filmed. The series is centred on Bonaparte, a half-Australian Aboriginal character, created by Arthur Upfield, who wrote twenty nine novels about him from 1929 until his death in 1964.