Robert Banks Stewart Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Robert Banks Stewart (born 16 July 1931) is a Scottish writer for television in the UK, now retired, who was sometimes credited as Robert Stewart early in his career. Banks Stewart contributed extensively to drama for the BBC and ITV for several decades.Born in Edinburgh, he began writing as a journalist, working for the city's evening newspapers, where he became the youngest news editor in history for the Evening Dispatch. Even then, he used to discuss ideas for television series. Later he became a story editor at Pinewood Studios. Working as a scriptwriter from the end of the 1950s, he worked on such TV series as Danger Man, The Human Jungle, Top Secret and The Avengers ("The Master Minds" and "Quick-Quick Slow Death"). He also contributed a few scripts to the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series of second-features for the cinema.Working for Thames Television he contributed scripts to the programmes Callan, Special Branch, The Sweeney and Owner Occupied. For HTV, he wrote 5 episodes of Arthur of the Britons. Banks Stewart wrote two highly regarded serials for the BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons (1975) (which was set in his native Scotland and drew on the Loch Ness Monster legend) and The Seeds of Doom (1976) (which was influenced by The Day of the Triffids).Banks Stewart continued working in television as a writer, script editor and producer, creating Shoestring (1979–80), which ran for two series on the BBC and following this up with the Jersey set detective drama series Bergerac (1981–89). He later produced Hannay (5 episodes, 1988), The Darling Buds of May (4 episodes), Lovejoy (10 episodes) and Call Me Mister. His final credit for television was for the adaptation of My Uncle Silas (2001–03) starring Albert Finney.At the age of 81, Banks Stewart published his first novel – a thriller entitled The Hurricane's Tail, featuring a British detective called Detective Sergeant Harper Buchanan who uncovers a political plot against the prime minister of a Caribbean island. It was originally envisaged as a two-part TV series, but Banks Stewart said he decided to turn it into a novel after "getting nowhere" with TV executives, which he attributed to ageism.Banks Stewart said: "I always intended Detective Sergeant Harper Buchanan, the main character of my novel, to be the lead character in a TV series, but pitching to various BBC executives in my late-70s was like talking to a brick wall."Based on my experience I would say ageism is, unfortunately, common in the TV industry. It seems that if you're over 70 then TV chiefs take it as read that you are too long in the tooth for today's audiences and can't possibly have come up with a possible winner."I've never written a novel before – never had the need to – but in the end it was the only way to make sure my thriller reached the public."
I was very proud to have written a couple of lots of Doctor Who (1963).
2
Tom Baker was always my favourite Doctor Who (1963). He had a kind of quality, a sort of daft, fey quality which children absolutely loved.
3
[in 2013] My own personal opinion is that the modern Doctor Who (2005) should be aimed more at children. People very fondly remembered being scared by Doctor Who - now the plots seem to me a little too adult.
4
[in 2001] There was quite a free rein until about 10 years ago; producers and writers were allowed to take chances and didn't have to stick to the staple diet of cops and hospitals - or take a star out of a soap opera, give them a contract for several million, and slog away until you find something for them.
5
[in 2001] There are now so many top-level bosses at the BBC and ITV that people on a lower level can no longer just say yes to a commission. Once decisions were made by producers, and they answered only to the controller. Now there are too many people all singing from the same hymn book, fearful of stepping out of line.
6
[in 2001] A programme like that would never get made today without having a household name, but back then I fought to have John Nettles play Bergerac (1981) because he was right for it. The programme went on to have 15 million viewers.
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Fact
1
The February 2016 BAFTA ceremony neglected to mention Banks Stewart among the people from film and television who had died over the previous year.
2
He eventually left Scotland for a post as foreign corespondent for Illustrated magazine. When that publication folded, he joined the Rank Organisation, providing rewrites and producing movie and TV scripts.
3
He started writing in primary school. He won a Burns essay prize and contributed stories to local newspapers. At age 15, he left school to become an office boy at the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch. He did his National Service with Field Marshal Montgomery's peacetime staff. He then worked as a newspaper editor. By this time he had written several plays and done a stint as a radio commentator.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Jason King
1972
TV Series screenplay - 1 episode
Special Branch
1969
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Fraud Squad
1969
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Riptide
TV Series written by - 3 episodes, 1969 writer - 2 episodes, 1969
Callan
1967-1969
TV Series writer - 3 episodes
Public Eye
1968
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Danger Route
1967
additional screenplay - as Robert Stewart
Intrigue
1966
TV Series
Adam Adamant Lives!
1966
TV Series by - 1 episode
The Avengers
1965-1966
TV Series teleplay by - 2 episodes
Undermind
1965
TV Series written by - 3 episodes
Never Mention Murder
1965
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
TV Series writer - 4 episodes, 1962 - 1965 dramatisation - 1 episode, 1962
The Human Jungle
TV Series 1 episode, 1963 writer - 4 episodes, 1963 - 1964 story and teleplay - 1 episode, 1963
The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre
TV Series writer - 6 episodes, 1960 - 1964 screenplay - 2 episodes, 1960 - 1961
Thorndyke
1964
TV Series story adaption - 1 episode
The Saint
1963-1964
TV Series screenplay by - 2 episodes
Downfall
1964
as Robert Stewart
Zero One
1963
TV Series 3 episodes
ITV Television Playhouse
1963
TV Series writer - 1 episode
The DuPont Show of the Week
1962
TV Series writer - 1 episode
The Brain
1962
screenplay - as Robert Stewart
Silent Evidence
1962
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Backfire
1962
as Robert Stewart
Playback
1962
The Sinister Man
1961
as Robert Stewart
Top Secret
1961
TV Series writer - 2 episodes
Ghost Squad
1961
TV Series 1 episode
Danger Man
1960-1961
TV Series screenplay - 2 episodes
Interpol Calling
TV Series writer - 11 episodes, 1959 - 1960 teleplay - 2 episodes, 1960
Knight Errant Limited
1959
TV Series writer
Doctor Who
2013-2015
TV Series characters: "Zygons" - 3 episodes
My Uncle Silas
2001-2003
TV Mini-Series adaptation - 7 episodes
Moon and Son
1992
TV Series creator
Bergerac
TV Series series created by - 87 episodes, 1981 - 1991 by - 7 episodes, 1981 - 1989
The Darling Buds of May
1991
TV Series adaptation - 2 episodes
Call Me Mister
TV Series creator - 1 episode, 1986 written by - 1 episode, 1986
Shoestring
TV Series creator - 21 episodes, 1979 - 1980 writer - 1 episode, 1979
Charles Endell, Esq
1979-1980
TV Series writer - 5 episodes
Jukes of Piccadilly
TV Series deviser - 4 episodes, 1980 writer - 2 episodes, 1980
Between the Covers
1980
TV Movie
Owner Occupied
1977
TV Movie written by
Rooms
1977
TV Series writer - 3 episodes
Sutherland's Law
1975-1976
TV Series writer - 4 episodes
Doctor Who
1975-1976
TV Series written by - 10 episodes
The Legend of Robin Hood
1975
TV Mini-Series writer - 3 episodes
The Sweeney
1975
TV Series written by - 1 episode
The Protectors
1974
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Arthur of the Britons
TV Series story - 3 episodes, 1973 writer - 2 episodes, 1973
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1972
TV Series writer - 1 episode
New Scotland Yard
1972
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
Do You Have a License to Save This Planet?
2001
Video short creator: "Krynoid"
Armchair Thriller
1978
TV Series story editor - 17 episodes
Rooms
1977
TV Series story editor - 61 episodes
Demon Seed
1977
technical consultant - as Robert Stewart
Van der Valk
1973
TV Series story editor - 7 episodes
Harriet's Back in Town
1973
TV Series story editor - 16 episodes
Riptide
1969
TV Series story consultant - 1 episode
Armchair Theatre
1966-1967
TV Series script editor - 4 episodes
Undermind
1965
TV Series script consultant - 1 episode
The Human Jungle
1963
TV Series story adviser - 3 episodes
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
McCallum
1998
TV Series producer - 1 episode
Frank Stubbs Promotes
1993
TV Series executive producer - 2 episodes
Moon and Son
1992
TV Series producer - 2 episodes
The Darling Buds of May
1991
TV Series producer - 4 episodes
Storyboard
1989
TV Series producer - 2 episodes
Hannay
1988
TV Series producer - 5 episodes
Call Me Mister
1986
TV Series producer - 9 episodes
Lovejoy
1986
TV Series producer - 10 episodes
Bergerac
1981-1983
TV Series producer - 19 episodes
Shoestring
1979-1980
TV Series producer - 21 episodes
Rooms
1974
TV Series producer
Riptide
TV Series producer - 1 episode, 1969 associate producer - 1 episode, 1969