Maurice Gran

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran met at a youth club in Finsbury Park, north London in the early 1960s. Just as it seemed as if they might have to get proper jobs, they hit upon comedy writing as a way of avoiding decades of tie-wearing 9 to 5 careerism. Oddly, they now own several ties. They did have proper jobs for a time though; but while working as a journalist (Laurence) and a civil servant (Maurice) they wrote several speculative comedy scripts, which they sent off to various broadcasters, who each sent them back, though usually with encouraging noises. Then in 1978, just when it seemed that respectability was inevitable, Laurence overslept for the first and only time in his life. Thus, he missed his flight from London to Manchester, where he was researching an edition of ITV’s flagship current affairs programme This Week. Instead of sacking him, Thames Television booked Laurence onto the Euston-Manchester train where he found himself sitting opposite legendary comedy writer and producer, Barry Took. Laurence eventually summoned up the courage to talk to Barry and tell him of his and Maurice’s comedy writing aspirations. Barry generously offered to take a look at the lads’ unsold efforts; he was sufficiently impressed to introduce them to the producer of the Frankie Howerd Variety Show. This is what is generally termed a baptism of fire. Before they knew it, Laurence and Maurice were writing the bulk of a six-hour radio series, while trying to hold down their day jobs. However, after a brief period of psychological counselling, they put Frank behind them and broke into television.