N. J. Crisp

N.J. Crisp
Born	(1923-12-11)11 December 1923 Southampton, England
Died	Southampton, England
Occupation	Novelist, playwright and screenwriter.
Period	1959–2005
Genre	Comedy, drama, adventure, science fiction
Spouse	Marguerite Lowe
Children	3 sons, 1 daughter

Norman James Crisp (11 December 1923 – 14 June 2005), known as a writer only by his initials and surname, N.J. Crisp, was a prolific British television writer, dramatist and novelist. He was married to Marguerite (née Lowe), had three sons, one daughter and five grandchildren.

In the sixties after writing some single dramas, Crisp moved to writing for serials and turned out many scripts for many BBC series including Compact, R3, Dixon of Dock Green, Dr Finlay's Casebook, Colditz and Secret Army.

In 1968, he co-created The Expert, a serial about a forensic scientist, with Gerard Glaister, the producer. In 1972 the pair repeated the act with the boardroom drama The Brothers.

His 1996 play That Good Night starred Donald Sinden, Nigel Davenport, Lucy Fleming, Patrick Ryecart and Julie-Kate Olivier and was directed by Edward Hall.

Crisp's 1987 psychological thriller Dangerous Obsession was filmed in 1999 as Darkness Falls, starring Ray Winstone, Tim Dutton and Sherilyn Fenn. However, Crisp was so appalled at the end result and how his famously intricate plot had been turned on its head without his permission that he insisted on having his name removed from the final print.

Writing credits

Production	Notes	Broadcaster
The Dark Man	Television film (1960)	BBC1
BBC Sunday-Night Play	"A Kind of Strength" (1961) "The Alderman" (1962) "The Man Who Opted Out" (1962) "The Stepfather" (1962)	BBC1
ITV Play of the Week	"Two on the Beach" (1961) "The Gentle Assassin" (1962) "Danger Zone" (1963)	ITV
24-Hour Call	"Cry for Help" (1963)	ITV
Taxi!	"The Runaway" (1963) "The Accident" (1963)	BBC1
Compact	"A Job for the Boy" (1963)	BBC1
It's a Woman's World	"Jean" (1964)	ITV
Dixon of Dock Green	66 episodes (1964–1972, 1974–1975)	BBC1
The Sullavan Brothers	"The Guilty Go Free" (1965)	ITV
Armchair Mystery Theatre	"The Hunter" (1965)	ITV
The Man in Room 17	"The Seat of Power" (1965)	ITV
R3	"The Astronaut" (1964) "A State of Anxiety" (1964) "Patterns of Behaviour" (1965) "The Fratton Experiment" (1965) "Experiment in Death" (1965)	BBC1
The Flying Swan	"The Cupboard" (1965) "The Contract" (1965)	BBC1
Quick Before They Catch Us	"Power of Three" (1966)	BBC1
Trapped	"Journey Into Nowhere" (1967)	ITV
The Revenue Men	6 episodes (1967–1968)	BBC2
The First Lady	"A Little Goodwill" (1968) "Yes, But Who Am I?" (1968)	BBC1
Dr. Finlay's Casebook	15 episodes (1964–1967, 1969)	BBC1
The Doctors	"Episode #1.7" (1969) "Episode #1.8" (1969)	BBC1
Doomwatch	"Project Sahara" (co-written with Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler, 1970)	BBC1
Codename	"Target" (1970)	BBC2
With Love in Mind	Feature film (1970)	N/A
Owen, M.D.	6 episodes (1971–1972)	BBC1
The Long Chase	13 episodes (1972)	BBC1
The Man Who Was Hunting Himself	Television miniseries (1973)	BBC1
Spy Trap	7 episodes (1972–1973)	BBC1
Great Mysteries	"The Power of Fear" (1973) "Ice Storm" (1974)	ITV
Colditz	"Welcome to Colditz" (1972) "Bribery and Corruption" (1972) "Arrival of a Hero" (1974) "The Gambler" (1974) "Death Sentence" (1974)	BBC1
You're on Your Own	6 episodes (co-written with Gerard Glaister, 1975)	BBC1
Oil Strike North	"The Floating Bomb" (1975) "Shore Leave" (1975) "The Fatal Hours: Part 1" (1975) "The Fatal Hours: Part 2" (1975)	BBC1
Dangerous Knowledge	6 episodes (1976)	ITV
The Expert	62 episodes (1968–1976)	BBC1
The Brothers	92 episodes (1972–1976)	BBC1
Jubilee	"Ramsey" (1977)	BBC1
The Mackinnons	"Man from the Past" (1977) "Working Weekend" (1977) "The Ex-Mrs. Mackinnon" (1977) "A New Life" (1977)	BBC1
Secret Army	9 episodes (1977–1979)	BBC1
Enemy at the Door	"The Librarian" (1978) "The Jerrybag" (1978) "Post Mortem" (1980) "The Right Blood" (1980)	ITV
A Family Affair	10 episodes (1979)	BBC1
Buccaneer	13 episodes (1980)	BBC1
Squadron	"Independence Day" (1982)	BBC1
The Odd Job Man	Television miniseries (1984)	BBC1
Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death	Television film (co-written with Anthony Hinds, 1984)	Channel 4
Murder Elite	Feature film (1985)	N/A
Strike It Rich!	"Suspicions" (1986) "Extraordinary General Meeting" (1986)	BBC1
Sunday Pursuit	Short film (1990)	HTV
Coup de Foudre	"Retour" (co-written with Jean Curtelin, 1991)	Canal+ France 2

References

• Obituary: N. J. CRISP The Independent, 18 August 2005, by Anthony Hayward
• NJ Crisp The Stage, 19 July 2005 by Patrick Newley

External links

• N.J. Crisp at the Internet Movie Database