G. F. Newman

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G.F. Newman
Born (1947-05-22) 22 May 1947 (age 76)
Kent, England
OccupationWriter and television producer
NationalityBritish
Period1970s–present
GenreCrime fiction and politics

Gordon Frank Newman (born 22 May 1947)[1][2] is an English writer and television producer. In addition to his two earlier series Law & Order and The Nation's Health, each based on his books, he is known for more recent TV series including Judge John Deed and New Street Law.

Newman's first book, Sir, You Bastard, was a bestseller on publication in 1970. It was to become the first in a series of three works featuring the character of Terry Sneed, an unscrupulous Scotland Yard inspector. The second of these is You Nice Bastard and the third You Flash Bastard/The Price. Other books he has written include Billy, The List, The Men with the Guns, Charlie and Joanna, Three Professional Ladies, Trading the Future / Circle of Poison, Law and Order, The Nation's Health, and his 2009 novel Crime and Punishment, which was adapted for radio and broadcast as The Corrupted.

Together with screenwriter and novelist Matthew Hall he owns and runs the production company One Eyed Dog Ltd.

Biography[edit]

Gordon Newman was born in Kent in 1947. He attended a Stanislavsky acting school in Chislehurst, and wrote a script when he was 18 for the ITV police series No Hiding Place (1959–67).[3][4]

Newman's partner Rebecca (Hughes) Hall is also a creative writer.[5] She has scripted plays[citation needed] and films[6] and is an author of books on animal rights.[7][8][9]

Writings in relation to personal views[edit]

Newman has very strong and sometimes controversial views on a variety of subjects, and these are reflected in his work.[5] He takes an interest in animal rights and is a staunch vegan.[5][10] When producing or directing television programmes he insists that no meat at all is consumed on the sets.[5][11] He has compared the slaughter of animals to the holocaust.[5] Newman is a believer in reincarnation and takes influence from the vegetarian John Todd Ferrier.[5]

Newman has no political allegiance to either left or right wing and does not vote.[5]

Bibliography[edit]

Terry Sneed trilogy

  1. Sir, You Bastard aka Rogue Cop (1970) ISBN 9780491002547 - Adapted as a 1974 film, The Take[12]
  2. You Nice Bastard (1972) ISBN 9780450011993
  3. You Flash Bastard aka The Price (1974) ISBN 9780450021114

Law & Order

Main article: Law & Order (British TV series)

TV Series:

  1. Detective's Tale (1977)
  2. Villain's Tale (1977)
  3. A Brief's Tale (1977)
  4. Prisoner's Tale (1977)

Books: A trilogy of works consisting of

  1. 'A Detective's Tale' ISBN 9780722163498
  2. 'A Villain's Tale' ISBN 978-0722163634
  3. 'A Prisoner's Tale' ISBN 978-0722163641

An omnibus edition including all three was published in 1984 by HarperCollins ISBN 9780586057834.[13]

The Nation's Health Published in the UK by HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0586052303,[14] and broadcast on Channel 4 in 1983.[15]

  1. Acute
  2. Decline
  3. Chronic
  4. Collapse

Number One (1984, 1985 according to IMDB),[16] about the exploitation of a snooker player by a professional promoter[3]

Screen One

Main article: Screen One

Series One

  • Nineteen 96 (1989)[3]

Series Four

  • Black and Blue (1992)

Screen Two

Main article: Screen Two

Series Five

  • Here is the News (1989)[3]

For the Greater Good (3 Episodes, BBC, 1991):[3][17]

  • Member (1991)
  • Mandarin (1991)
  • Minister (1991)

The Healer

  • The Healer (2 Part TV Movie, BBC, 1994)[18][19] -The Healer received a Bafta award in 1996.[20]

10x10

Series Eight, Episode 9[21]

  • Woe to the Hunter (1996)[22]

Judge John Deed

Main article: Judge John Deed

TV series:

  1. Pilot (2001)
  2. Series 1 (2001)
  3. Series 2 (2002)
  4. Series 3 (2003–2004)
  5. Series 4 (2005)
  6. Series 5 (2006)
  7. Series 6 (2007)

Books:

  1. Guilty - Until Proven Otherwise (2020) ISBN 978-1853982002

New Street Law (2006-2007)

Main article: New Street Law
  1. Series 1 (2006)
  2. Series 2 (2007) NB IMDB credits Newman as 'co-creator' of 4 of the 6 episodes of Series 2.[23]

The Corrupted (2013/2015/2017/2018/2020/2021)[24][25][26]

The Corrupted is an adaption of Newman's novel Crime and Punishment; it was broadcast on BBC Radio 4's afternoon play slot.

Other Novels

Plays

Genre Fiction

The Corrupted[edit]

The Corrupted is an adaption of his novel Crime and Punishment. It stars Toby Jones as Joseph Olinska.[29]

Series 1,[24] a 10 part radio drama, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4's 'afternoon play' slot in 2013.[30][31]

Series 2, a further 10 part radio drama, formed the second part, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 starting 19 January 2015.[25]

Series 3 began airing on Radio 4 on Monday 9 January 2017.[26]

Series 4 began broadcasting on Radio 4 on Monday 25 June 2018.[32]

Series 5 began airing on Radio 4 on Monday 20 April 2020.[33]

Series 6 began airing on Radio 4 on Monday 10 May 2021.[34] [The final series]

Reception[edit]

The BBC's Feedback programme on 27/01/2017 included discussion on Series 3 of The Corrupted, including talking "to Radio 4's Commissioning Editor for Drama, Jeremy Howe, about why he felt The Corrupted was worth 7 hours of airtime over just two weeks" and the assessment that "many loved it, though some were not so keen on the venal themes".[35]

Describing the series as 'fiction in a factual world', Feedback went on to note the suggestion in The Corrupted storyline, that, after the character Joseph Oldman had deployed some of his wealth to bankroll the Conservative Party, Margaret Thatcher (ignorant of his gangster background) expressed interest in appointing him to the post of chancellor of the exchequer. It also discussed the murder of Airey Neave, which - although claimed by the INLA - by juxtaposition of themes in the series, it was implied, might have had some level of involvement of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), or MI5, who might have desired to silence him to avoid exposure of others with influence.[35]

Opinions[edit]

In May 1994 Newman gave a half-hour Opinions lecture televised on Channel 4 and subsequently published in The Independent as "Wisdom Needs No Votes".[36]

Trading The Future[edit]

Trading The Future was initially published by Macdonald in the UK in a hardcover edition in 1991. It was subsequently re-released as Circle of Poison, in 1995.[37] See the related topic, Circle of Poison.

For the Greater Good[edit]

A three-part Whitehall drama series, with the titles (Member, Mandarin, Minister) reflecting the perspectives of the three principal protagonists (a British Member of Parliament, a Whitehall Civil Servant, and a Government Minister, respectively). It was first aired on the BBC in 1991.[17][38][39] Theme music was by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.[40]

The Nation's Health[edit]

The Nation's Health is a 4 episode series written by G.F.Newman based on his book of the same name, originally broadcast on the fledgling Channel 4 UK TV channel in 1983. The series consists of four episodes titled Acute, Decline, Chronic, and Collapse.[41]

Reception[edit]

Sherryl Wilson[42] writes: "Although the series is a negative critique of the NHS staff in general, it does also offer a damning insight into the policies that were seen to be disabling the NHS."[41]

In a BMJ abstract[43] one can read: "How 'little relation to reality' these programmes bore to the NHS in the early 1980s is up for debate, but something in these programmes smacks of truth, raising questions that still need to be asked of the NHS and its staff." Sherryl Wilson draws a comparison with conclusions from the 2009 enquiry into Stafford Hospital.[41] The BMJ abstract continues "These programmes make fascinating if difficult watching, because they do not show the deference towards the medical profession and the NHS shown by previous British dramas such as Doctor Finlay’s Casebook, General Hospital, and Emergency Ward 10. Their gritty influence on later British medical dramas, such as Casualty can be seen clearly."[43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "MR-GORDON-FRANK-NEWMAN listing at companycheck.co.uk/director/913086726". companycheck.co.uk.
  2. ^ "MR-GORDON-FRANK-NEWMAN listing at companycheck.co.uk/director/903014292". companycheck.co.uk.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Screenonline page for Newman, G.F." www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  4. ^ "The cop drama that rewrote TV history". independent.co.uk. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Hattenstone, Simon (30 December 2000). "Natural lawman". The Guardian. Saturday Review. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  6. ^ Eddie Cockrell (20 September 1999). "The Volcano (screenplay credited to Rebecca Hughes)". variety.com. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Rebecca Hall: Fruits of Paradise: A Vegetarian Yearbook". ISBN 9780671713232. Retrieved 31 July 2022 – via www.amazon.com.
  8. ^ "Rebecca HALL: Animals are equal: an exploration of animal consciousness". ISBN 978-0712619301. Retrieved 31 July 2022 – via www.amazon.com.
  9. ^ "Rebecca Hall: Voiceless Victims". ISBN 978-0704505001. Retrieved 31 July 2022 – via www.amazon.com.
  10. ^ "My space: G F Newman, screenwriter and novelist". The Telegraph (Paywall). Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  11. ^ "'Carnivores enjoy the same pleasure as child murderers': G F Newman speaks". The Independent. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  12. ^ IMDB page about 'The Take', accessed 27 March 2018
  13. ^ Law and Order (Law and Order omnibus 1-3) by G.F. Newman at goodreads.com, accessed 14 May 2018
  14. ^ The Nation's Health at fantasticfiction.com, accessed 27 March 2018
  15. ^ "Screenonline page re the Nation's Health". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  16. ^ Number One (1985) at imdb.com, accessed 27 March 2018
  17. ^ a b IMDB page re 'For the Greater Good', accessed 27 March 2018
  18. ^ IMDB page re 'The Healer', accessed 27 March 2018
  19. ^ The Healer at bbc.co.uk/programmes, accessed 25 May 2018
  20. ^ Cymru | Drama: English in 1996- Winner The Healer: Clive Brill, GF Newman awards.bafta.org, accessed 25 May 2018
  21. ^ IMDB page re '10x10' Series 8, accessed 27 March 2018
  22. ^ BFI page re 'Woe to the Hunter', accessed 27 March 2018
  23. ^ IMDB page re G.F. Newman mentioning New Street Law, accessed 27 March 2018
  24. ^ a b BBC page covering The Corrupted Series 1, accessed 27 March 2018
  25. ^ a b Radio Times Listing including first episode of Series 2 of The Corrupted at radiotimes.com
  26. ^ a b Episodes guide for Series 3 of The Corrupted, at bbc.co.uk/programmes Accessed 10 January 2017
  27. ^ IMDB Page for Billy on Play for Today, accessed 27 March 2018
  28. ^ Guardian Article re GFN, 'Dark Heart', and Self-Publishing at theguardian.com, accessed 14 May 2018
  29. ^ Eight dramas to escape with www.bbc.co.uk Accessed 2 June 2020
  30. ^ Goodreads page with Series 1 of The Corrupted available as an AudioBook at goodreads.com, accessed 14 May 2018
  31. ^ "The Stage page with preliminary review of The Corrupted Series 1". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  32. ^ First episode of Series 4 of The Corrupted as scheduled at radiotimes.com, Accessed 25 June 2018
  33. ^ BBC Sounds Listing including first episode of Series 5 of The Corrupted, at bbc.co.uk/schedules Accessed 28 April 2020
  34. ^ BBC Sounds Listing including first episode of Series 6 of The Corrupted, at bbc.co.uk/schedules Accessed 10 May 2021
  35. ^ a b BBC's Feedback programme on 27/01/2017, bbc.co.uk/programmes Accessed 31 January 2017
  36. ^ Wisdom needs no votes: We are kidding ourselves if we think our views matter, says GF Newman, in the second of this week's three essays on democracy. But tinkering will not help: we must opt for a more radical course, 3 May 1994 The Independent, accessed 17 January 2022
  37. ^ Trading The Future at slightlybetterbooks.com, accessed 19 March 2018
  38. ^ "Screenonline page re 'for the Greater Good'". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  39. ^ "Judicial Images page re GFN". judicialimages.org.
  40. ^ "For the Greater Good (1991– ) Full Cast & Crew". imdb.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  41. ^ a b c Sherryl Wilson. "Sherryl Wilson Paper referencing The Nation's Health". www.nosuch-research.co.uk.
  42. ^ "Sherryl Wilson staff page at UWE website". people.uwe.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  43. ^ a b "BMJ 2011;342:d2682 -BMJ Article Referring to 'The Nation's Health'". bmj.com. Retrieved 14 May 2018.

External links[edit]

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