Bruce Stewart (scriptwriter)

Bruce Stewart
Bruce Stewart
Born	Bruce Robert Stewart; 4 September 1925; Auckland, New Zealand
Died	29 September 2005 (aged 80); Lewes, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Occupation(s)	Scriptwriter, dramatist/playwright

Bruce Robert Stewart (4 September 1925 – (2005-09-29)29 September 2005) was an actor and scriptwriter best known for his scripts for television. Originally from New Zealand,^[1]^{[self-published source?]} he lived for several years in Australia, working in the theatre, before moving to the United Kingdom in the early 1960s.^[2] There he worked on many projects for both the BBC and ITV, notably Out of the Unknown and Timeslip.^[3]

Biography

Stewart was born in Auckland and studied at Mount Albert Grammar.

For three years he studied to be a priest at Marist seminary. He then moved into the entertainment industry.^[4]

Stewart served in the army. He would perform songs and tell stories as a forces entertaininer, then moved into radio in Auckland, where he worked as a radio announcer and actor.

Sydney

In 1947 Stewart moved to Sydney, Australia where he got work as a radio announcer. He became an actor, appearing in radio dramas, as well as acting in stage plays in the evening. His breakthrough performance as a radio actor was in a production of Morning Departure.^[5]

London

Stewart moved to London in 1955 and began working in television and radio as an actor. His breakthrough as a writer was Shadow of a Pale Horse.

TV scripts

A Time of the Serpent (1958)^[6]
The Land of the Long White Cloud (1958) - serial
Shadow of a Pale Horse (1959)^[7]
The Watchmen of Saul (1961)
The Devil Makes Sunday (1962)
Jezebel (1963) (TV series) - story editor^[8]
Day of the Drongo (1964)^[9]
The Harp in the South (1964) - BBC adaptation
Boney and the Monster (1972)
Timeslip (1972-73)
Old Man March is Dead (1976) - BBC play^[10]
Secret Valley (1984) - TV series
Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin (1986) - TV series

Radio plays

Peter & Paula - Australian radio serial
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1958) - BBC radio adaptation
Time of the Serpent (1958) - about Eliza Fraser
Blood on the Coral Sea
Night of the Gods - about explosion of Mount Tarawera
The Wake of the Long White Cloud (1958) - serial - also acted^[11]
Moonfall (radio play) (1959)
Low Voice in Rama (1960)
The Hot and Copper Sky (1962)
Flower of Blood (1991) - BBC
Day of the Galah

Novels

A Disorderly Girl (1978)
The Hot and Copper Sky (1981)

Select acting credits

Radio

Walter - The Boy Wonder (1947) - New Zealand
Dossier on Dumetrius (1949)
Deadly Nightshade (1950)
26 Hours (1952)
Night Beat
Doctor Paul
The Strange Life of Deacon Brodie
Headquarters Man
The Great Escape
Reach For The Sky
Mildred Pierce
Kitty Foyle
Saratoga Trunk
Crisis
The Truth About Blayds
Romeo and Juliet (1952)^[12]
Hop Harrigan
GM Hour - Behold We Live (1953)
Blind Man's Bluff (1954)^[13]

Stage

The Comedian (1952)^[14]
A Phoenix Too Frequent (1952)^[15]

References

^ Bio Archived 30 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine at official Timeslip website.
^ Vagg, Stephen (10 January 2022). "Forgotten Australian Television Plays: The Devil Makes Sunday". Filmink.
^ "Bruce Stewart Seeks Change From TV Scripts". Press. 10 October 1961. p. 13.
^ "Bruce Stewart Seeks Change From TV Scripts". Press. 10 October 1961. p. 13.
^ Philp, Peter. Drama in Silent Rooms: A History of Radio Drama in Australia from the 1920s to the 1970s. Eureka Media. p. 286-288.
^ "Worth Reporting". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 25, no. 49. 14 May 1958. p. 42. Retrieved 26 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Vagg, Stephen (13 September 2023). "Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Shadow of a Pale Horse". Filmink.
^ "DID YOU KNOW?". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 30, no. 51. 22 May 1963. p. 20. Retrieved 26 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "DID YOU KNOW?". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 31, no. 37. 12 February 1964. p. 18. Retrieved 26 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Nation of hypochondriacs". The Canberra Times. Vol. 50, no. 14, 385. 22 May 1976. p. 14. Retrieved 26 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Worth Reporting". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 25, no. 49. Australia, Australia. 14 May 1958. p. 42. Retrieved 1 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Smoky Dawson in own show". The Sun. No. 13, 347. New South Wales, Australia. 18 November 1952. p. 26 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 1 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "WEDNESDAY, February 17". The Age. No. 30, 821. Victoria, Australia. 11 February 1954. p. 7 ("THE AGE" RADIO SUPPLEMENT). Retrieved 1 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Stage Whispers". The Sunday Herald (Sydney). No. 169. New South Wales, Australia. 20 April 1952. p. 10. Retrieved 1 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Repertory Plans". The Sunday Herald (Sydney). No. 160. New South Wales, Australia. 17 February 1952. p. 9. Retrieved 1 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.