Alan Plater(1935-2010)

He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2005 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Drama.

Of the characters in The Beiderbecke Trilogy: "I 'hear' a scene in total and, although this might sound a bit barmy, I always say that I don't make it up. I just put Trevor and Jill in a situation and listen to what they say, watch what they do, and then copy it all down onto the page."