Nicholas Palmer was born on October 19th, 1937 in London and gained experience as a theatre manager before successfully applying to become an assistant floor manager at Associated Television (ATV). In this role he learnt the technical side of television play production which he would use to inform his later scriptwriting. Palmer was only twenty one when he adapted the Noel Coward play ‘Private Lives’ for ITV Television Playhouse (16th January 1959). It was, and still is, quite an achievement to have your name on a popular, prime time TV production as a writer at such a young age. ATV deemed the play enough of a success to give Palmer another project and the result was the ITV Play of the Week – ‘A Man Involved’ (8th December 1959), adapted from the novel by Edward Grierson. Further script credits during this period include ‘The Jason Group’ (3rd January 1961), a business drama for the ITV Play of the Week strand. This was later adapted by Palmer for a stage version which was produced by Farnham Repertory Company in September 1962.
During 1965
Palmer also had a script for the BBC Sherlock
Holmes series starring Douglas Wilmer as Holmes and Nigel Stock as Doctor
Watson. Palmer had adapted the story ‘The Beryl Coronet’ (10th April 1965), the first time the story had been
filmed since the silent cinema era, and this version is considered a highlight
of the Wilmer TV series. Palmer’s script was later adapted for a six episode
West German TV iteration of Sherlock
Holmes. His script, ‘Das Beryll-Diadem’ (11th February 1968),
was produced by the German company Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) and featured
Eric Schellow as Sherlock Holmes and Paul Edwin Roth as Doctor Watson. The
series was technically a remake of the 1964 BBC series with scripts for this
series by Palmer and a group of other British TV scriptwriters including Giles
Cooper, Vincent Tilsey and Anthony Read. The scripts were translated and
adapted by a group of German writers before filming commenced.
Back at ATV Palmer was heavily involved with the production of the new Ted Willis creation Virgin of the Secret Service, starring Clinton Greyn as Captain Robert Virgin, an Edwardian version of James Bond for the small screen. Virgin travelled the globe fighting enemies of The British Empire with his loyal batman Fred Doublett played by John Cater. All heroes need a nemesis and Virgin’s was the evil Von Brauner and his equally dastardly aide Strieback. Palmer was given the task of not only launching the series with his script ‘Dark Deeds of the North West Frontier’ (28th March 1968) but also undertaking the role of script editor in an official capacity for the first time. He also wrote a second script, ‘The Professor Goes West’ (13th June 1968), before the series ended for good a week later.
Palmer’s next script was an episode of the offbeat ITC action adventure series Strange Report which starred Anthony Quayle as Adam Strange, a retired Scotland Yard criminologist who investigates bizarre occurrences and mysteries in the midst of Swinging Sixties London. Strange is aided by two young sidekicks; Hamlyn Gynt portrayed by Kaz Garas and Evelyn McLean played by a post-Doctor Who Anneke Wills. Palmer wrote the episode ‘Report 7931: Sniper – When Is Your Cousin Not?’ (14th December 1969). Palmer had recently been promoted by ATV to the role of producer and was engaged to oversee the production of the first season of the police procedural drama Fraud Squad. Created by Ivor Jay, script editor for Coronation Street, the series followed the work of Detective Inspector Gamble (Patrick O’Connell) and Detective Sergeant Vicky Hicks (Joanna Van Gyseghem) who investigated tricksters and fraudsters in all levels of society. The series is historically notable for being one of the earliest TV dramas to have a female police officer in a lead capacity. The first season ran for thirteen episodes and was transmitted between 20th May 1969 and 12th August 1969. A second season, with Palmer again on script editing duties, was broadcast 19th September 1970 to 12th December 1970.
Palmer’s
next producer role was Suspicion, an
umbrella title for themed anthology drama, which ran for nine episodes between
23rd November 1971 and 25th January 1972. ‘Murrain’ actor Marjorie Yates would feature in
the first episode, ‘Plain Jane’ (23rd November 1971) whilst Bernard
Horsfall, later to feature in the Beasts
episode ‘The Dummy’, appeared in the second episode, ‘Off Season’ (30th
November 1971). Episode three, ‘I’ll Go Along With That’ (7th
December 1971), had Anthony Bate. With so many actors later to feature in Beasts featuring in Palmer’s work it was
evident that he was making notes for any future projects requiring his casting
input.
Palmer penned ‘Reunion’ (8th July 1972) and ‘Crossfire’ (21st July 1973), episodes of the popular police drama New Scotland Yard, before entering one of his busiest work periods as he juggled producer assignments with script editing duties on several productions. As a producer Palmer was charged with overseeing an instalment of Late Night Theatre – ‘We’re Strangers Here’ (1st August 1973), written by Eric Chappell who would later create the sitcom Rising Damp. He then produced a further season of the drama anthology Love Story with notable episodes including ‘Walter’ (20th November 1973) directed by Richard Bramall who would later direct the technically challenging Beasts episode ‘Special Offer’. ‘As You Were’ (18th December 1973) was directed by Piers Haggard who had directed the British folk horror film Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971) and later the final Quatermass (1979) TV series.
At the same time as being the producer to the above shows Palmer was also employed as the script editor of a new ATV police drama, Hunter’s Walk. During this period Palmer forged working relationships with several people who would go on to work on ‘Murrain’ and Beasts including actor David Simeon and director / producer John Cooper. The first season of Hunter’s Walk ran for thirteen episodes transmitted between June and August 1973. A second season of another thirteen episodes was broadcast April to July 1974. Palmer would also script two episodes of the first season; ‘Outcast’ (18th June 1973) and ‘Vanishing Trick’ (1st July 1973).
During 1973
Palmer was appointed the Single Plays Producer for ATV and in this role he
would commission writers and oversee the production of many stand-alone
productions and instalments of anthology strands such as Beasts. His next credit as a producer was for an episode of The ITV Play – ‘Mary, Mary’ (8th
April 1974) featuring an early role for the actor Nigel Havers. Written by
Susan Pleat the play attempted to offer a sympathetic look at a woman who snatches
babies. A further producer credit was for the one-off production They Disappear When They Lie Down (11th
June 1974) which featured future Professionals
star Lewis Collins in an early TV role. More single play producer credits
followed including ITV Sunday Night
Theatre – ‘Willy’ (3rd June 1973) which provided roles for Paul
Copley and Anna Massey, ITV Sunday Night
Theatre – ‘Hopcraft into Europe’ (23rd September 1973) which cast
Arthur Lowe and Clive Revill and ITV
Sunday Night Drama – ‘Harry Lifters’ (17th November 1974)
amongst others. One of the notable single plays Palmer produced during this
period was Comets Among The Stars (10th
December 1974) about Professor J J R Macleod and Frederick Grant Banting who
won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1923 for their work on insulin. Ralph
Richardson and Nigel Havers starred.
Piano Smashers of the Golden Sun (2nd July 1974) was a
one-off feature length drama produced by Palmer and scripted by Willis Hall. The
Golden Sun of the title was a pub situated between a modern high rise block and
a slum area which ran an annual piano smashing competition. One of Palmer’s
most high profile and notable projects for 1975 was to serve as producer on all
seven episodes of Against the Crowd,
an umbrella title for a themed series of individual plays. The series would
provide a varied output around the theme of the one against the many, of which ‘Murrain’ was one, from an eclectic mix of
writers and directors. Palmer himself penned the opening episode, ‘Tell It to
the Chancellor’ (13th July 1975), whilst other writers included Fay
Wheldon with ‘Poor Baby’ (20th July 1975) and Kinglsey Amis with ‘We
Are Guilty’ (17th August 1975). Palmer’s most notable producer credit for 1975
has to be the play Jenny Can’t Work Any
Faster (8th December 1975) which starred Pauline Quirke as a
young autistic girl. This role would directly lead to Quirke being cast in the Beasts episode ‘Special Offer’. Palmer also
had a play he had written produced for the theatre during the year. The farce How It Can Ruin Your Health was staged
the Westcliffe Palace theatre during February 1975.
Palmer’s
first transmitted credit for 1976, although it was filmed way back in December
1974, was an ITV Sunday Night Drama
instalment – ‘Afternoon Dancing’ (28th March 1976) telling the story
of two old ladies who go dancing each week and what happens after one of them
dies. This was followed by a couple on one-off dramas; ‘Barney’s Last Battle’ (2nd
May 1976) written by Ted Willis and ‘Chicken’ (29th August 1976)
starring the superlative Ian Bannen as Keith Morse, a business man known as
“the butcher” after making 5000 men redundant. However, his major work for the
year was Beasts with all six episodes
filled with actors and technicians Palmer previously worked with and trusted. Post-Beasts Nicholas had a producer credit on
‘Two Stars for Comfort’ (6th June 1977) written by Rumpole of the Bailey creator John
Mortimer to mark the Queen’s silver jubilee. Kenneth More and Judy Parfitt
starred. Nicholas was also the producer on two episodes of The Sunday Drama strand. ‘Why Here?’[2]
(7th August 1977) was the story of group of people with learning
difficulties who set up home in a suburban street and how this impacts on the
neighbours. The other Sunday Drama
episode was ‘Blue Skies from Now On’ (20th
November 1977).
The following year Palmer returned to script writing and wrote a single episode
of the anthology series Scorpio Tales,
‘Crimes of Persuasion’ (27th May 1978), directed by Shaun O’Riordan
and starring Anthony Bate as a MP who intends to reintroduce the death penalty
in a dark tale of revenge. This was followed by Heartland, a series of single plays around the theme of romance,
which ran for two seasons during 1979 and 1980. Palmer also produced the
intriguing sounding ‘Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind’ (19th May 1981) for
the ITV Playhouse drama anthology. The
play, written by Brian Phelan, featured a production assistant returning from
having worked on a documentary about Sowetto. When the editing begins the
production assistant finds it has a strange effect on her.
For the remainder of his career Palmer tended to concentrate on one-off dramas
rather than instalments of umbrella titled anthologies of plays. His credits
include The Balance of Nature (14th
August 1983), On the Shelf (1984) and
the ill-conceived bizarre science fiction themed musical, Facelift (8th April 1984), starring Martin Shaw. One of
the more fondly recalled productions of Palmer’s later career is Connie made by Central Independent
Television. Palmer produced the Stephanie Beacham starring series set in the
world of the Midlands clothing industry which ran for thirteen episodes during
the summer of 1985. The programme was a satire on the excesses of the 1980s
created by Ron Hutchinson. The theme song, written by the playwright Willy
Russell (yes he really did!), was sung by Rebecca Storm and reached the giddy
heights of number twenty two in the UK charts. The anti-Thatcherite tone of the
series reflected Palmer’s own political beliefs.
His final
transmitted work as a script writer was an episode of the thriller anthology Unnatural Causes. Palmer was reunited
with his ‘Murrain’ and Beasts colleague
John Cooper who directed the episode ‘Partner’s (13th December
1986). As the series producer Palmer also commissioned Nigel Kneale for ‘Ladies
Night’ (6th December 1986), an intriguing play which sees a
traditional gentleman’s men club thrown into chaos when women are allowed in
during “ladies night.” One member of the club is so incensed by the incursion
that he results to murder…
The following year Palmer was again working with Nigel Kneale once more on a
one-off drama called Gentry (1987) which starred Roger Daltrey as
part of a gang of crooks searching an empty house for the money they hid there
years before. His final producer credit was for the one-off drama Made in Spain (20th June
1989) which told the events of five women arriving in Spain after their
husbands are arrested. He was made redundant in 1989 from Central Television though
in his final years he was offered a residency at the BBC as a script supervisor
for their flagship drama Casualty and
acted as an executive producer on the series Chandler and Co (1994 – 1995).
Palmer knew quality writing and was able to help bring to the screen not only
some of Nigel Kneale’s greatest work in the field of horror but also commissions
which reflected Kneale’s lesser known, earlier social realism work. Palmer was
always aware of the viewing public and considered himself as one of the viewer’s
when commissioning plays or productions. He was able to often commission
without the modern committee style ways of making drama we see in modern
television and so was able to take creative risks – “he was own executive,
assistant, associate and producer, as well as story editor, and could keep the
time short between commission and production.”[3]
Palmer died on
6th May 1995 at the relative young age of only fifty seven, possibly
from the impact of diabetes on his general health and well-being. He was
married twice and was the father of two daughters.
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