How Potter Broke The Mould.
In 1994, Britain lost one of its greatest playwrights. By the time of his death, Dennis Potter had totally changed the way that television drama was made.
Just about everyone will have heard of ‘The Singing Detective’ and it still remains Potter’s most famous work, but he created many more stories than this. He had already dazzled television audiences with his serial, ‘Pennies from Heaven’ and his work in stage plays had given critics a great deal to talk about.
Dennis Potter courted controversy all the way through his career. His stories may often have had themes of nudity, rape, and sexual abuse, but they were not written merely to shock. Potter had demons in his past and he was keen to exorcise them through his work. A great many of his plays are semi-autobiographical and go some way to addressing his own skeletons in the closet.
His work was incredibly stylised and he will always be remembered for his use of lip-synching. Potter managed to take old wartime songs and turn them into a modern, highly effective form of expression. His blending of fantasy and reality has been hugely influential and his work has inspired a whole new generation of writers and film-makers.
The last two plays by Dennis Potter, ‘Karaoke’ and ‘Cold Lazarus’, were screened two years after his death. He had left specific instructions for them to be shown by both the BBC and Channel 4. This was his way of trying to break down the boundaries separating the two channels and to bring about a sense of compatibility. The broadcasts went ahead with no problems, but the subsequent release of the dramas on DVD soon ran into problems. Ironically, the two channels could not agree on who owned the copyright of the material.
Potter had managed to build a temporary bridge between the two broadcasting giants, but after that it was back to business as usual.
So, as you all should know, it is my birthday soon and in case you are curious as to what to buy me (that means you Alex) I have had my eye on that dvd set for Last Of The Summer Wine, just in case you couldn’t think of anything…