View source for N. F. Simpson

{{Short description|English playwright}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}

'''Norman Frederick Simpson''' (29 January 1919 &ndash; 27 August 2011<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/theatre-obituaries/8731685/NF-Simpson.html|title=NF Simpson|date=30 August 2011|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>) was an English playwright closely associated with the [[Theatre of the Absurd]].  To his friends he was known as Wally Simpson, in comic reference to the [[Edward VIII abdication crisis|abdication crisis]] of 1936.

==Early years==
Born in London, Simpson studied at [[Emanuel School]] before taking a job as a bank clerk. During the [[Second World War]] he served in the [[Royal Artillery]] and [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]], travelling to Italy, [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]] and [[Cyprus]]. Following studies at [[Birkbeck, University of London|Birkbeck College]] for a degree in [[English Literature]] from the [[University of London]] after the war,<ref name="Barfe">Louis Barfe [https://web.archive.org/web/20120517035602/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/n-f-simpson-absurdist-playwright-who-influenced-and-inspired-britains-comic-surrealists-of-the-1960s-and-70s-2353065.html "N F Simpson: Absurdist playwright who influenced and inspired Britain's comic surrealists of the 1960s and '70s"], ''The Independent'', 12 September 2011</ref> Simpson taught English in [[adult education]] for almost 20 years.<ref>Brett, S.: Introduction to 'Snippets', The Society of Wood Engravers, 2006</ref>

==Theatre debut==
The turning point in Simpson’s life came in 1957 when he won third prize in ''[[The Observer]]'' newspaper’s quest for new writers, headed by theatre critic [[Kenneth Tynan]].<ref>Tynan, K.: Introduction to ''The Observer Plays'', 1958</ref> ''A Resounding Tinkle'' premiered at the [[Royal Court Theatre]], London, on 1 December 1957 with [[Nigel Davenport]] as Bro Paradock and [[Wendy Craig]] as Middie Paradock. Under pressure from [[Tony Richardson]],<ref>Michael Coveney in his [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/aug/31/nf-simpson-obituary obituary] of Simpson for ''The Guardian'' (31 August 2011) has the cuts being "suggested" by the play's director, William Gaskill. Louis Barfe in ''The Independent'' has Richardson.</ref> Simpson, to his regret, truncated the play to a 50-minute one-act piece. In 1959 the first complete production of the two-act version was performed by the Cambridge Theatre Actors, under the direction of [[John Bird (actor)|John Bird]] with [[Peter Cook]] and [[Eleanor Bron]] in the leading roles.<ref>Anonymous review of London performance, ''The Times'', p3, 16 March 1959</ref> The Cambridge production toured briefly to the Royal Court, on 15 March 1960;<ref>N.F.Simpson, The Collected Plays, ''Faber & Faber'', 2013</ref> but the theatre only belatedly staged its own production of the two-act original on 17 January 2006.

==Style==
''A Resounding Tinkle'' typifies Simpson’s aversion to plot and establishes his talent for memorable one-liners and non-sequiturs. As with all of his subsequent work, the play demands absolutely straight delivery from actors.  Such an approach fosters a conviction within the audience that the characters are living in a form of reality, where the formation of a government can be arranged via door-to-door enquiries.  The extraordinary and impossible are treated as perfectly rational everyday events. This comic balance is recognised as a major influence on the early work of Peter Cook, particularly the [[E. L. Wisty]] monologues.

Many comparisons have been drawn to the work of key absurdist playwright [[Eugène Ionesco]]. However, Simpson denied any link, adding that he had never even heard of the writer when he commenced a career in nonsense. In his own view, the valid literary parallels are with [[Lewis Carroll]], [[James Thurber]] and [[P. G. Wodehouse]].<ref>''Reality Is An Illusion...'', BBC Radio 4, 5 April 2007</ref>

Simpson’s early work must also be viewed in its cultural context.  [[BBC Radio]]'s ''[[The Goon Show]]'' was widely admired, bringing surrealism to the masses for the first time. Plays such as ''A Resounding Tinkle'' arguably gentrified the idiom for London’s theatregoers, and with them the highbrow elite.

==Theatre career==
A close relationship between Simpson and the Royal Court continued after ''Tinkle'', encompassing the plays ''The Hole'' (1958),<ref name="theguardian.com">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/aug/31/nf-simpson-obituary|title=NF Simpson obituary|first=Michael|last=Coveney|newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 August 2011|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> his key work ''One Way Pendulum'' (1959) and ''The Cresta Run'' (1965).<ref name="theguardian.com"/> He wrote ''The Form'' (1961) for the [[Arts Theatre]], and contributed to the West End revues ''One To Another'' (1959), ''One Over The Eight'' (1961) and ''On The Avenue'' (1961), which variously involved [[Peter Cook]], [[John Mortimer]], [[Harold Pinter]], [[Beryl Reid]] and [[Kenneth Williams]].

Following a long break from substantial theatre writing, Simpson returned to the Royal Court in 1972 with ''Was He Anyone?'',<ref name="theguardian.com"/> which formed the basis of ''Harry Bleachbaker'', a novel published in 1976.

In November 1976, Simpson was appointed Literary Manager of the [[English Stage Company]] at the Royal Court.<ref>reported by ''The Times'', p12, 10 November 1976</ref> Having supported new work by [[Barrie Keeffe]], [[Sam Shepard]] and [[Snoo Wilson]], he left in April 1978,<ref>news item in ''Plays & Players'', p10, May 1978</ref> returning to theatre for an [[Eduardo De Filippo]] translation, ''Inner Voices'', at the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in 1983.<ref name="theguardian.com"/>

==Radio==
The [[BBC]] were at first resistant to the new wave of English [[playwrights]] that emerged in the late 1950s.  Simpson’s ''A Resounding Tinkle'' and ''The Hole'' were both rejected by the radio network controller in November 1959.<ref>Billington, M: ''The Life and Work of Harold Pinter'', Faber & Faber, 1997</ref>  ''Tinkle'' was eventually broadcast on [[the BBC Third Programme]] in July 1960, in its one-act form with [[Deryck Guyler]] and [[Alison Leggatt]] as the Paradocks.

That year saw Simpson’s first radio commission, a sketch for the [[BBC Home Service]]'s weekly revue ''Monday Night at Home''. Cold feet amongst the production team caused it to be dropped before transmission.<ref>''Monday Night at Home'' production file, BBC Written Archives Centre, Caversham</ref> Subsequently, Simpson’s radio work rarely strayed from the confines of the Third Programme, most notably the 1982 monologues ''Snippets'', read by [[Richard Vernon]].

==Film and television==
The [[Theatre of the Absurd]] arrived on television in 1961, with productions of Simpson plays on both British networks.  [[BBC TV]] produced a live performance of ''One Way Pendulum'', now lost, whilst [[Granada Television|Granada]] mounted a shortened version of ''A Resounding Tinkle'' for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].

He was invited to contribute to BBC TV’s ''[[That Was The Week That Was]]'', although his sketch, 'Televising Parliament', was dropped due to overruns in the live transmission on 16 November 1963,<ref>''That Was The Week That Was'' 2–16 November 1963 production file, BBC Written Archives Centre, Caversham</ref> and has never surfaced.
 
Hot on the heels of his ''[[Summer Holiday (1963 film)|Summer Holiday]]'' success, director [[Peter Yates]] agreed to shoot Simpson’s best known stage play, ''[[One Way Pendulum (play)|One Way Pendulum]]'' (1964). Starring [[Eric Sykes]], [[George Cole (actor)|George Cole]] and a mute [[Jonathan Miller]], Yates' rendition of the play captured Simpson’s matter-of-fact approach to nonsense but failed at the box office.

As the BBC’s Acting Assistant Head of Light Entertainment, [[Frank Muir]] invited Simpson to write for [[BBC Two|BBC2]] in 1965.<ref>correspondence between author and subject, 2006</ref> The central characters of ''Tinkle'' were expanded into seven half-hours of ''Three Rousing Tinkles'' (1966) and ''Four Tall Tinkles'' (1967), featuring Edwin Apps<ref>https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032485 Edwin Apps at the IMDB {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> and Pauline Devaney<ref>https://www.imdb.com/name/nm00222202 Pauline Devaney at the IMDB {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> as Bro and Middie.  He followed this with ''World in Ferment'' (1969), a six-part parody of current affairs programming with [[John Bird (actor)|John Bird]], [[Eleanor Bron]], [[Jack Shepherd (actor)|Jack Shepherd]] and [[Angela Thorne]], of which no episodes survive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lostshows.com/default.aspx?programme=428e9b3b-cad5-4586-bbb7-b4c3763214f7|title=Missing or incomplete episodes for programme ''World in Ferment''|website=lostshows.com|accessdate=4 June 2016}}</ref> His final series for television was the unsuccessful ''[[Charley's Grants|Charley’s Grants]]'' (1970), co-written with [[John Fortune]] and [[John Wells (satirist)|John Wells]], starring [[Hattie Jacques]], and produced by [[Ian MacNaughton]] (who produced ''[[Monty Python’s Flying Circus]]''), which is also entirely lost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lostshows.com/default.aspx?programme=ce1f7f69-e848-400b-a6ee-73d0c6bcbc30|title=Missing or incomplete episodes for programme ''Charley's Grants''|website=lostshows.com|accessdate=4 June 2016}}</ref>
 
Plays followed, including a satire on advertising, ''Thank You Very Much'' (1971), and an effective three-hander for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], ''Silver Wedding'' (1974), directed by [[Mike Newell (director)|Mike Newell]].  Simpson’s highest-profile production for television was ''Elementary, My Dear Watson'' (1973), a [[Sherlock Holmes]] parody for [[BBC One]]'s ''Comedy Playhouse'' starring [[John Cleese]] and [[Willie Rushton]].  It has been screened several times at the [[National Film Theatre]] in London.

It is frequently argued that Simpson’s work operates better in small doses (Simpson himself described his only novel called ''Man Overboard'' as one which he expected no-one to be able to read to the end), so it is natural that he should have produced so much sketch material for television.  ''World in Ferment'' lent towards this strength, and his skilful monologues for women were seen again in ''But Seriously – It’s Sheila Hancock'' (1972).  Other vehicles included [[Ned Sherrin]]'s ''The Rather Reassuring Programme'' (1977), ''Beryl Reid Says… Good Evening'' (1968) and ''The Dick Emery Show'' (1977–1980).

==Later activities==
Simpson lived in [[Cornwall]] in later life and travelled around England's canals on a narrowboat.<ref name="theguardian.com"/>

A radio documentary about his life and work, ''Reality is an Illusion Caused by Lack of N. F. Simpson'', produced by [[Curtains For Radio]] on [[BBC Radio 4]] on 5 April 2007, featured contributions from [[Eleanor Bron]], [[Jonathan Coe]], [[John Fortune]], [[Jonathan Miller|Sir Jonathan Miller]], [[Sir John Mortimer]], [[David Nobbs]], [[Ned Sherrin]], [[Eric Sykes]] and Simpson himself.

It featured material recorded at a workshop for a new play, ''If So, Then Yes'', his first full-length piece in 30 years. The Royal Court presented a rehearsed reading on 11 July 2007. The script was published in February 2009. The production made its world premiere at the [[Jermyn Street Theatre]] in September, 2010, featuring actor Roddy Maude-Roxby, who appeared in the 1959 production of Simpson's play, ''One Way Pendulum'', at the Royal Court Theatre.

''Absurdia'', a grouping of short plays by Simpson and Michael Frayn ran at the [[Donmar Warehouse]] from July to September 2007. The short version of ''A Resounding Tinkle'' and the sketch ''Gladly Otherwise'' were directed by [[Douglas Hodge]] and starred [[Peter Capaldi]]. Both scripts were republished by Faber to mark this revival.

A London revival of ''Was He Anyone?'' was staged at the [[Union Theatre (London)|Union Theatre]] during November 2007 by [http://www.obliquehouse.org.uk Oblique House].

A comprehensive season of Simpson's work for the screen &ndash; both silver and small &ndash; took place at BFI Southbank during May 2008.

''If So, Then Yes'' premiered at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London, running from 7 September to 2 October 2010. Simpson died at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on 27 August 2011, having lived in Townsend, [[Polruan]] since 2005.<ref>Death certificate</ref>

==Theatre==
*''A Resounding Tinkle'' (1957)
*''[[The Hole (1958 play)|The Hole]]'' (1958)
*''[[One To Another]]'' [sketch writer] (1959)
*''[[One Way Pendulum (play)|One Way Pendulum]] – A Farce in a New Dimension'' (1959)
*''[[The Form]]'' (1961)
*''[[On The Avenue]]'' [sketch writer] (1961)
*''[[One Over The Eight]]'' [sketch writer] (1961)
*''[[The Cresta Run (play)|The Cresta Run]]'' (1965)
*''[[How Are Your Handles?]]'' [sketches old and new] (1970)
*''[[Playback 625]]'' [with Leopoldo Maler] (1970)
*''[[The Bear (play)|The Bear]]'' by [[Anton Chekhov]] [adaptation] (1972)
*''[[Was He Anyone?]]'' (1972)
*''[[Whither the Ancient Burial Mounds of Old New Brunswick]]'' (1978)
*''Inner Voices'' by [[Eduardo De Filippo]] [adaptation] (1983)
*''One Way Pendulum'' [revival by [[Jonathan Miller]]] (1988)
*''[[Royal Court 50]]:'' ''[[A Resounding Tinkle]]'' (2006)
*''[[If So, Then Yes]]'' [reading at [[Royal Court Theatre]]] (2007)
*''Absurdia'': ''A Resounding Tinkle'' [revival by [[Douglas Hodge]]] (2007)
*''[[Was He Anyone?]]'' [revival at Union Theatre] (2007)
*''[[If So, Then Yes]]''  [premiere at Jermyn Street Theatre] (2010)

==Radio==
*''A Resounding Tinkle'' [one-act play] (1960)
*''Something Rather Effective'' [play] (1972)
*''Sketches for Radio'' [sketches] (1974)
*''Whither the Ancient Burial Mounds of Old New Brunswick'' (1979)
*''The Parrot Cage Inspector'' [monologue] (1982)
*''Snippets'' [monologue] (1982)
*''Snippets Two'' [series] (1982)

==Television==
*''One Way Pendulum'' (1961)
*''A Resounding Tinkle'' [for ''Television Playhouse''] (1961)
*''Uhu… Huh?'' [sketches for Canadian television] (1965)
*'Make-A-Man, or The Human Being: Is It Obsolete?' [for ''New Release''] (1966)
*''Three Rousing Tinkles'' [series] (1966)
*''Four Tall Tinkles'' [series] (1967)
*''Beryl Reid Says… Good Evening'' [sketches] (1968)
*''[[World in Ferment]]'' [series] (1969)
*''[[Charley's Grants|Charley’s Grants]]'' [co-writer, with [[John Wells (satirist)|John Wells]] and [[John Fortune]]] (1970)
*''Thank You Very Much'' [for ''Play For Today''] (1971)
*''But Seriously – It’s Sheila Hancock'' [sketch writer] (1972)
*'People Ltd.' [for ''Full House''] (1972)
*''Elementary, My Dear Watson'' [for ''Comedy Playhouse''] (1973)
*''Silver Wedding'' [for ''Late Night Theatre''] (1974)
*''An Upward Fall'' [for ''Crown Court''] (1977)
*[[Dick Emery|''The Dick Emery Show'']] [sketch writer] (1977–1980)
*'One of Our St Bernard Dogs Is Missing' [poem, for ''Closedown''] (1977)
*''A Rather Reassuring Programme'' [sketch writer] (1977)
*''Wainwright’s Law'' [scene writer for educational series] (1980)

==Films==
*''[[One Way Pendulum (film)]]'' [screenplay] (1964)
*''[[Diamonds for Breakfast (film)|Diamonds for Breakfast]]'' [contributing writer] (1968)

==Recordings==
*''He’s Innocent of Watergate'' [sketch writer] (1974)

==Publications==
*''A Resounding Tinkle'' [one-act] (1958)
*''The Hole'' (1958)
*''The Observer Plays'' [featuring two-act ''Tinkle''] (1958)
*''New English Dramatists'' [featuring two-act ''Tinkle''] (1960)
*''One Way Pendulum: A Farce in a New Dimension'' (1960)
*'The Overcoat' [short story for ''Man About Town'' magazine, illustrated by [[Peter Blake (artist)|Peter Blake]]] (1960)
*''Sketches from One To Another'' (1960)
*'The Strawlined Hydrant' [short story for ''Vogue'' magazine] (1960)
*''The Form'' (1961)
*''New Directions: Five One-Act Plays in the Modern Idiom'' [featuring one-act ''Tinkle''] (1961)
*''The Hole, and Other Plays & Sketches'' (1964)
*''The Long and the Short and the Tall'' [featuring one-act ''Tinkle''] (1964)
*''The New British Drama'' [featuring ''One Way Pendulum''] (1964)
*''The Cresta Run'' (1966)
*''A Resounding Tinkle'' [two-act] (1968)
*''Some Tall Tinkles'' [selected television scripts] (1968)
*''Was He Anyone?'' (1973)
*''Harry Bleachbaker: A Novel'' (1976)
*''Play Ten'' [featuring two short plays] (1977)
*''Inner Voices'' by [[Eduardo De Filippo]] [translation] (1983)
*''Snippets'' (2006)
*''A Resounding Tinkle'' [two-act, also featuring 'Gladly Otherwise'] (2007)
*''If So, Then Yes'' (2009)
*''"Most of What Follows is a Complete Waste of Time" - Monologues, Dialogues, Sketches and Other Writings'' (2013)
*''Collected Plays'' (2013)

==Unproduced or unfinished works==
*''Crates'' [stage play] (1957)
*'Out There By All Means But Not in Here If You Don't Mind' [sketch] (1960)
*'Televising Parliament' [sketch] (1963)
*''A Seasonal Swing'' [television play] (pre-1965)
*''The Consultant'' [television play] (1965)
*''The Row'' [television play] (1965)
*''Afternoon Tea (In A High-Ceilinged Room)'' [television play] (1975), [radio play] (1978)
*''Napoli Milionaria'' by [[Eduardo De Filippo]] [translation, used as basis for [[Peter Tinniswood]]'s 1991 script produced at the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*N. F. Simpson, ''Snippets'' with afterword by Simon Brett, The Society of Wood Engravers, 2006
*[[Kenneth Tynan]], ''Tynan on Theatre'', Pelican, 1961

==External links==
*[http://www.samuelfrench-london.co.uk Samuel French], publisher of key works
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090707005545/http://errata-4dx.com/errata_ivdx_book_list.html Errata], publisher of ''If So, Then Yes'' (2009)
*[http://www.woodengravers.co.uk The Society of Wood Engravers], publisher of ''Snippets'' (2006)
*[http://library.mcmaster.ca/archives/findaids/fonds/s/simpson.htm The William Ready Division Of Archives and Research Collections], N.F. Simpson Manuscripts Collection
*[http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS032-003368740 N.F. Simpson Papers] at the [[British Library]]
* [https://www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/guides/Playwrights N. F. Simpson Collection] at the [[Harry Ransom Center]] 

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[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from London]]
[[Category:Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:People educated at Emanuel School]]
[[Category:Writers from London]]
[[Category:Theatre of the Absurd]]
[[Category:English male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century English dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century English male writers]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery soldiers]]
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