Peter Ling facts for kids

Peter Ling (born May 27, 1926, died September 14, 2006) was a British writer. He wrote for TV, radio, and comic books. He is most famous for his TV shows. With his writing partner, Hazel Adair, he helped create the popular TV show Crossroads.

Peter Ling's Early Life

Peter Ling was born in Thornton Heath, England. His dad was a stage magician, and his mom was a teacher. He went to Whitgift School.

As a kid, he was on a radio show called The Ovaltinies on Radio Luxembourg. He even wrote an article for Good Housekeeping magazine when he was only 14 years old!

During Second World War, he had to work in coal mines as a "Bevin Boy". But because he wasn't well, he moved to the Army Pay Corps. After the war, he got better from tuberculosis. He then published his first book, Voices Offstage, in 1947. He also started writing funny scripts for BBC radio. Some of his scripts were used on Jon Pertwee's radio show Waterlogged Spa.

This led him to work in television. He worked on the BBC children's show Whirligig in 1950. There, he met actress Sheilah Ward. They got married in 1954.

Peter Ling's Writing Career

In 1952, Peter Ling started writing comic strips for the Eagle comic. One of his popular series was "The Three J's," about schoolboys. This series was later made into a TV show in 1958.

With his wife, Sheilah Ward, he also wrote for Eagle's sister comic, Girl. They wrote stories like Two Pairs of Skates and Penny Starr. They also wrote a book called Angela has Wings, which was based on the comic strip Angela Air Hostess.

In 1955, he joined Associated-Rediffusion as a script editor. He worked on shows like Murder Bag and Crime Sheet. Later, he became the Head of Children's Series.

TV Shows and Soaps

Peter Ling and Hazel Adair worked together on many TV shows. They co-wrote Compact, a TV soap opera about magazine publishing. This show was on the BBC from 1962 to 1965.

After Compact, they created Crossroads. This was a very popular soap opera about a motel. It started on ITV in 1964 and ran until 1988. They also wrote Champion House, a family story about the textile industry in Yorkshire. This show was on the BBC from 1967 to 1968.

Peter Ling also wrote for other well-known TV shows:

• Dixon of Dock Green
• Sexton Blake
• No Hiding Place
• Doctor Who (the episode "The Mind Robber" in 1968)
• The Avengers (with Sheilah Ward, for episodes like "Ashes of Roses" and "Dance with Death")

He also continued to write for radio. He adapted Sherlock Holmes and Gideon Fell stories. He also wrote scripts for the Radio 2 soap opera Waggoner's Walk in 1969.

Books and Music

Peter Ling wrote several novels (books). He wrote a book version of his Doctor Who story, "The Mind Robber." He also wrote:

• Three books in the "Crown House" series: Crown House, Crown Papers, and Crown Wars.
• Three books in the "Docklands Saga" series: High Water, Flood Water, and Storm Water.
• Two other novels: Halfway to Heaven and Happy Tomorrow.

He also wrote romantic novels under the name Petra Lee.

Besides writing, Peter Ling also wrote songs. One of his songs, "Why Not Now?", became a hit for singer Matt Monro in 1961.

Peter Ling's Later Years and Death

Peter Ling passed away on September 14, 2006. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years.