Juliet Ace facts for kids

Juliet Ace (born June 27, 1938, and passed away on August 6, 2025) was a talented writer from Wales. She wrote many plays for radio and TV shows. You might know her work from popular British TV series like EastEnders and The District Nurse. She also wrote for the long-running radio show The Archers. One of her films, Cameleon, even won a special award called the Golden Spire Award at a film festival in San Francisco in 1998!

Growing Up and Early Career

Juliet Ace grew up in Llanelli, a town in South Wales. She was the third daughter in her family. She went to school at Llanelli Girls' Grammar School. Later, she studied drama and art at Coventry College of Education, which is now part of the University of Warwick. She also trained at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama.

After her studies, Juliet taught for three years. She then joined a children's theatre company, helping young people explore acting. She also worked in a type of theatre called repertory at the Grand Theatre, Swansea. This meant she performed in different plays each week. In 1964, she started working with children who had special needs, which was very important to her.

In 1966, Juliet married Richard Alexander and moved to Dartmouth, Devon. While raising her two children, Daniel and Catherine, she continued to work with children with special needs. She also directed and acted in local drama groups, staying involved in theatre.

Becoming a Writer

Juliet Ace started writing plays in 1976 after attending a special writing course. Her first play, Speak No Evil, was performed on stage and then broadcast on radio. It was even nominated for an award!

She soon began writing for television. She helped create the popular BBC show EastEnders and also worked on The District Nurse. Her imagination was very creative; for example, a parrot was a main character in her radio play Lobby Talk.

Juliet often drew inspiration from her own life. She created a character named Mattie Jones, who grew up in South Wales. Mattie appeared in several radio plays, showing her journey from childhood to adulthood. Later, an older Mattie, played by actress Patricia Hodge, explored life experiences in more plays.

Teaching and Judging

Juliet Ace also shared her knowledge with others. She taught theatre students at Dartington College of Arts and writing students at Goldsmiths College. She was a judge for the Koestler Awards, which recognize creative work by prisoners. She was also a jury member for BAFTA, a famous British film and television awards organization.

A Book and a Play About Life

In 2014, Juliet published a book called Rigby Shlept Here. It was a memoir about her friend, the actor Terence Rigby. The book shared many details about his life and work, including his collaborations with famous directors and actors.

Juliet faced health challenges, which she bravely explored in her writing. Her play Moving the Goalposts was performed in 2018 at London's Southbank Centre. This play, featuring her character Mattie, showed how someone can face difficult times with humor and strength. It was a powerful story about resilience and living life to the fullest, even when doctors had given a serious prognosis. The play was later broadcast on BBC Radio in March 2020, with Pam Ferris playing Mattie.

Later Life

Juliet Ace lived in London. She passed away on August 6, 2025, at the age of 87.

Awards and Recognition

In September 2014, Juliet Ace was honored as a fellow of the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance. This was a special recognition of her contributions to theatre and writing.

Radio Plays

Juliet Ace wrote many radio plays throughout her career. These plays covered a wide range of topics and often featured interesting characters. Some of her notable radio works included:

• Speak No Evil: Her first play, which was nominated for an award.
• Lobby Talk: A play where a parrot was a main character, showing her creative imagination.
• The Mattie Jones series: A collection of plays that followed a character named Mattie from childhood to adulthood, often drawing from Juliet's own experiences.
• The Captain's Wife and Skin: Plays that explored personal challenges with honesty.
• Moving the Goalposts: A powerful play about resilience and facing life's difficulties with humor.

She also adapted famous novels for radio, like Winston Graham's The Little Walls and Marcel Pagnol's The Marseilles Trilogy. Her work for radio was very important, allowing her to tell many different kinds of stories.

Other Works

Juliet Ace contributed to many other radio and stage projects:

• She wrote twenty-five episodes for the popular BBC Radio 4 show The Archers.
• She created series for teenagers, including Brassic and Kiss Me Quick, for BBC Radio 5.
• She also wrote for Westway, a soap opera for the BBC World Service.
• Her plays featuring the character Mattie, performed by Patricia Hodge, were also released as an Audiobook called Patricia Hodge is Mattie – A Liberated Woman.
• Her play Moving the Goalposts was performed on stage in London in 2018, starring Cheryl Campbell. This play, which explored her character Mattie's journey through health challenges, was praised for its humor and honesty.

Television Work

Juliet Ace wrote for several well-known television series:

• She wrote four episodes for The District Nurse.
• She contributed to twenty-five episodes of the very popular BBC soap opera EastEnders.
• She also wrote twelve episodes for the BBC soap opera Eldorado.

Films for Television

Juliet Ace also wrote screenplays for television films:

• Out of Order was a TV movie for BBC 2 in 1984.
• Llygad Y Ffynnon was a feature-length film for the Welsh language channel S4C in 1994.
• Her film Cameleon won an award in 1997. It told the story of a young soldier during World War II who returned to South Wales and hid in the attics of houses.

Publications

Besides her plays, Juliet Ace also wrote:

• An obituary for her colleague Tony Holland in The Guardian newspaper.
• Her play Speak No Evil was published in 1981.
• Her book, Rigby Shlept Here: A Memoir of Terence Rigby 1937-2008, was published in 2014. It shared her memories of the actor Terence Rigby.