Charles Wood (playwright) facts for kids

Charles Gerald Wood FRSL (born August 6, 1932 – died February 1, 2020) was a talented writer from England. He wrote plays for the stage, and scripts for radio, TV, and movies.

His plays were performed in famous theatres like the Royal National Theatre and by the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was also a member of the Royal Society of Literature, which is a big honor for writers. Charles Wood served in the army, and because of this, many of his stories are about military life.

About Charles Wood's Life

Charles Wood was born on the island of Guernsey. His parents were actors who traveled a lot for their work. He was very young when his family left Guernsey. They often moved around England and Wales. Because of this, his schooling was not always regular, especially before World War II.

In 1939, his family settled in Chesterfield. Charles went to St Mary's Catholic Primary School. He later earned a special spot at Chesterfield Grammar School.

After the war, his family moved to Kidderminster. Charles went to King Charles I Grammar School there. He was old enough to help out at The Playhouse, a theatre managed by his father, Jack Wood. Charles worked as a stagehand and electrician. He also helped with scenery and played small parts in his father's acting company. His mother, Mae Harris, was a main actress in the company. In 1948, Charles went to Birmingham School of Art. He studied how to design for theatre and make prints.

In 1950, Wood joined the British Army. He served for five years with the 17th/21st Lancers. He then spent seven years in the army reserve. He left the army with the rank of corporal.

He married Valerie Newman, an actress, in 1954. She was working in a theatre in Worcester at the time.

After leaving the army, Wood worked different jobs. He was an electronic wireman at BAC near Bristol. Later, he worked as a scenic artist and stage manager. He worked in both England and Canada. He then got a job in advertising at the Bristol Evening Post. He became a full-time writer in 1963.

Charles Wood's Writings

Wood wrote his first play, Prisoner and Escort, in 1959. It was first heard on radio, then performed on stage, and later shown on TV. His play Cockade won an award in 1963 for being a promising new play.

Stories About Military Life

Charles Wood's work is well-known for focusing on British military life. A famous director, Richard Eyre, said that no other writer has shown the experience of modern war with so much detail and understanding. Critics liked his early plays, like Cockade (1963), because they showed military life so clearly. He used real army words and slang.

He explored many parts of military life. Drill Pig (1964) was a dark comedy about a young man joining the army. Don't Make Me Laugh showed how soldiers and civilians thought about things. Death Or Glory Boy (1974) was a TV series partly based on his own life. It was about a schoolboy joining the army.

Wood's stories also covered wars from different times in British history. His plays are often called "pro-soldier and anti-war." He cared about what soldiers went through, not just about being patriotic or heroic. Dingo (1967) was a dark comedy that made fun of British ideas about World War II.

He wrote the script for the movie The Charge Of The Light Brigade (1968). H, Being Monologues at Front of Burning Cities (1969) was a historical play about a military campaign in India in 1857. Jingo (1975) was about the fall of Singapore. This event marked the end of British power in East Asia.

The TV film Tumbledown (1988) told the true story of Robert Lawrence, a soldier who was injured in the Falklands War. Wood wrote it after talking to Lawrence many times. Wood also wrote an episode of Kavanagh QC (1997) about an army chaplain. He also turned many war novels into scripts for TV and movies. These include How I Won the War (1967) and three episodes of the TV series Sharpe.

Stories About Writers and Film-making

Many of Wood's works included parts of his own life. He often wrote about being a writer and working in theatre and movies. Last Summer By The Seaside (1964) was a documentary about his family's holiday. Fill the Stage With Happy Hours (1966) was a comedy about a struggling theatre.

A Bit of a Holiday (1969) was inspired by the filming of The Adventures of Gerard. Veterans was based on the filming of The Charge of the Light Brigade. Has "Washington" Legs? (1978) was another comedy about making movies. A Bit Of An Adventure (1974) and the sitcom Don't Forget to Write! (1977 and 1979) were about the challenges of a writer's life. Across from the Garden of Allah (1985) was a comedy about an English writer in Hollywood who wasn't very successful.

Early Works in Bristol

Because Wood lived in Bristol when he started writing, many of his early works were about Bristol. Meals On Wheels (1965) was a play that made fun of old-fashioned ideas. It was supposed to be performed at the Bristol Old Vic but was not allowed. Drums Along the Avon (1967) was a TV play about different groups of people living together in Bristol. It was shown with a warning that it was a fantasy.

Working with Others

Wood worked well with important people in British film and theatre. He worked many times with director Richard Lester. They worked together on films like The Knack ...and How to Get It (1965), Help! (1965), and How I Won the War (1967). He also wrote screenplays for Lester's films The Bed Sitting Room (1969) and Cuba (1969).

Wood first worked with director Richard Eyre on the stage play Jingo (1975). Richard Eyre also directed Wood’s TV film Tumbledown (1988). Wood helped Eyre write the scripts for his films Iris (2001) and The Other Man (2008). Wood also wrote screenplays for three films about famous composers directed by Tony Palmer: Wagner (1983), Puccini (1984), and England, My England (1995).

Wood's play Jingo was performed again in 2008. It is a comedy about war, set during the last days of British control in Singapore before the Japanese took over.

Plays for the Theatre

• Cockade (1963)
• Tie Up the Ballcock (1964)
• Meals On Wheels (1965)
• Don't Make Me Laugh (1965)
• Fill the Stage With Happy Hours (1966)
• US (1966)
• Dingo (1967)
• H, Being Monologues at Front of Burning Cities (1969)
• Welfare Liverpool Everyman (1970-1)
• Veterans; or, Hair in the Gates of the Hellespont (1972)
• Jingo (1975)
• Has "Washington" Legs? (1978)
• The Garden (1982)
• Red Star (1984)
• Across from the Garden of Allah (1985-1986)

Scripts for Television

• Traitor In A Steel Helmet (1961)
• Not At All (1962)
• Prisoner and Escort (1964)
• Drill Pig (1964)
• Last Summer By The Seaside (1964)
• Drums along the Avon (1967)
• A Bit of a Holiday (1969)
• The Emergence of Anthony Purdy Esq, Farmer’s Labourer (1970)
• A Bit of Family Feeling (1971)
• A Bit Of Vision (1972)
• Death Or Glory Boy (1974)
• Mützen Ab! (1974)
• A Bit Of An Adventure (1974)
• Do As I Say (1977)
• Don't Forget to Write! (series 1 - 6 episodes) (1977)
• Love-lies-bleeding (1977)
• Don't Forget to Write! (series 2 - 6 episodes) (1979)
• Red Monarch (1983)
• Wagner (1983)
• Puccini (1984)
• Dust to Dust (1985)
• My Family and Other Animals (1987)
• Inspector Morse (The Settling of the Sun) (1988)
• Tumbledown (1988)
• Sharpe: Sharpe's Company (1994)
• A Breed of Heroes (1994)
• England, My England (1995)
• Sharpe: Sharpe's Regiment (1996)
• Kavanagh Q.C. (Mute of Malice) (1997)
• Sharpe: Sharpe's Waterloo (1997)
• Kavanagh QC (Briefs Trooping Gaily) (1998)
• Monsignor Renard (2000)

Scripts for Films

• The Knack ...and How to Get It (1965)
• Help! (1965)
• How I Won the War (1967)
• The Charge Of The Light Brigade (1968)
• The Long Day's Dying (1968)
• The Bed Sitting Room (1969)
• The Adventures of Gerard (1970)
• Cuba (1979)
• An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)
• Iris (2001)
• The Other Man (2008)

Plays for Radio

• Prisoner and Escort
• Cowheel Jelly (1962)
• Next to Being a Knight (1972)
• The Fire Raisers (2005)
• The Conspiracy of Sèvres (2006)

Translations and Adaptations

• Wood wrote the English words for the movie Satyricon (1969).
• The Can Opener (1974)
• Man, Beast and Virtue (1989)
• The Mountain Giants (1993)
• The Tower, Or Marguerite de Bourgogne (1996)
• Ms Courage (2005)