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Alan Plater dies, aged 75

First Published 25 June 2010, Last Updated 25 June 2010

Playwright Alan Plater, whose stage work includes Blonde Bombshells Of 1943 and the Laurence Olivier Award-nominated Peggy For You, has died from cancer at the age of 75.

Raised in Hull and trained as an architect in Newcastle, Plater pursued a career as a dramatist, writing extensively for screen, radio and theatre, as well as publishing six novels.

Plater cut his screenwriting teeth on hit 60s series Z Cars, before going on to write for shows including Softly Softly, Dalziel And Pascoe and Lewis. He wrote the popular Beiderbecke series, screenplays including Keep The Aspidistra Flying and a number of one-off television plays.

His stage work has been equally wide ranging, including the tale of a World War II female band Blonde Bombshells Of 1943, the story of a threatened library I Thought I Heard A Rustling, the tale of a theatrical agent Peggy For You, and, most recently, Looking For Buddy, which was staged at the Bolton Octagon just last year.

Plater’s remarkable contribution to British drama was marked in 2005 when he was given the CBE.

MA

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