John Wells

John Wells

Wells started in cabaret at Oxford and began his television career as a writer on That Was The Week That Was, the 1960s weekly satire show that launched the careers of David Frost and Millicent Martin, among others, and also appeared in the television programme Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life, as well as in The Secret Policeman's Other Ball. Besides making cameo appearances in films such as Casino Royale (1967) and Rentadick (1972), television dramas like Casanova (1987), an episode of Lovejoy (1991) and comedy shows like Yes Minister, he also wrote television scripts and screenplays, such as Princess Caraboo (1994). In 1971, with John Fortune, he published the comedy classic A Melon for Ecstasy, about a man who consummates his love affair with a tree. Wells played the headmaster of Thursgood's Preparatory School in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979). Wells was one of the original contributors to the satirical magazine Private Eye and contributed to Mrs Wilson's Diary, the long-running spoof journal of the wife of Prime Minister Harold Wilson. From 1979 he repeated that success with Dear Bill, a series of letters (co-written with Richard Ingrams) supposedly sent by Denis Thatcher, husband of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, to Bill Deedes. Wells developed the feature into a stage farce, Anyone for Denis?, first performed in 1981, in which he played Denis Thatcher. Co-starring Angela Thorne as Mrs. Thatcher, the play was a major West End hit, toured the UK and was adapted for television.He co-wrote Alice in Wonderland, a musical adaptation of Lewis Carrol’s novel with Carl Davis, which debuted at The Lyric Theatre in the West End, London.[3] Wells also played Denis Thatcher in the Bond movie For Your Eyes Only (1981). In 1991, he and Thorne again played the Thatchers in Dunrulin, a one-off TV sitcom-like satirical look at the couple in retirement.[4] He also voiced Arnold the Elephant, Edward the Monkey and Bert in the children's TV series Charlie Chalk. In 1988, Leonard Bernstein started working on a new version of his much-revised operetta Candide. The author of the original book, Hugh Wheeler, had died, and John Wells was asked to help revise the text.[5] The first production of this "final version", by Scottish Opera, was followed by a "final revised version" in 1989, performances of which have been released on CD and DVD. An insert in the DVD ("Bernstein and Voltaire"), written by Wells, explained what Bernstein had wanted in this final revised version. Wells authored Rude Words in 1991, a history of the London Library, for the institution's 150th anniversary. In 1997, Wells appeared in the BBC situation comedy Chalk as ineffectual headmaster Richard Nixon.[6] His fellow cast members do not recall him being ill on set, but he was too unwell to participate in the second series.[7] Wells' last book, House of Lords, was a best-seller and published a year before his death in 1998. The book is a historical and humorous study of the British peerage system.

  • Title: John Wells
  • Popularity: 1.691
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1936-11-17
  • Place of Birth: Ashford, Kent, UK
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As:
img

John Wells Movies

  • 1981
    imgMovies

    For Your Eyes Only

    For Your Eyes Only

    6.526 1981 HD

    A British spy ship has sunk and on board was a hi-tech encryption device. James Bond is sent to find the device that holds British launching...

    img
  • 1982
    imgMovies

    Anyone for Denis

    Anyone for Denis

    1 1982 HD

    Anyone for Denis? is a British video-taped television version of the stage play of the same name broadcast by the ITV network on 28 December 1982....

    img
  • 1985
    imgMovies

    Revolution

    Revolution

    5.3 1985 HD

    New York trapper Tom Dobb becomes an unwilling participant in the American Revolution after his son Ned is drafted into the Army by the villainous...

    img
  • 1985
    imgMovies

    Dutch Girls

    Dutch Girls

    4.4 1985 HD

    In this sophomoric comedy, a lusty adolescent British hockey team heads for Holland where they find something far more interesting than tulips and...

    img
  • 1976
    imgMovies

    Let's Sleep On it

    Let's Sleep On it

    1 1976 HD

    A BAFTA award nominated feature telling the story of the making of a sales film about beds.

    img
  • 1967
    imgMovies

    The Bobo

    The Bobo

    6 1967 HD

    Unsuccessful singing bullfighter Juan arrives in Barcelona to try his luck in a big town. He finally persuades a devious local impresario to book...

    img
  • 1972
    imgMovies

    Rentadick

    Rentadick

    4.4 1972 HD

    Armitage runs a chemical company that is on the verge of producing a gas that causes temporary disability. Clearly the military want it but it is...

    img
  • 1968
    imgMovies

    30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia!

    30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia!

    4.2 1968 HD

    A 29-year old aspiring composer—still single and without any romantic prospects—vows to both marry and write a hit musical before he...

    img
  • 1982
    imgMovies

    The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

    The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

    6 1982 HD

    Following the success of the 1979 show and the financial benefits accruing to Amnesty from the spin-off movie, TV special and record albums –...

    img
  • 1988
    imgMovies

    Consuming Passions

    Consuming Passions

    8 1988 HD

    Adapted from a play written by two Monty Python vets, this toothy satire launches with a tragic accident at Chumley's chocolate factory when hapless...

    img
  • 1965
    imgMovies

    The Flying Alberts (Brucey Lacey edit)

    The Flying Alberts (Brucey Lacey edit)

    1 1965 HD

    The Alberts (Bruce Lacey, Tony Gray and his brother Dougie Gray) attempt to take off. There are two edits of this film, both with their own distinct...

    img
  • 1984
    imgMovies

    Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

    Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

    6.339 1984 HD

    A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their...

    img
  • 1967
    imgMovies

    Casino Royale

    Casino Royale

    5.3 1967 HD

    Sir James Bond is called back out of retirement to stop SMERSH. In order to trick SMERSH, James thinks up the ultimate plan - that every agent will...

    img
  • 1970
    imgMovies

    Every Home Should Have One

    Every Home Should Have One

    4.6 1970 HD

    Teddy works for a large advertising company. Given the seemingly impossible task of selling frozen porridge, he decides to produce commercials that...

    img
  • 1978
    imgMovies

    The Light Princess

    The Light Princess

    7 1978 HD

    Based on a short story by George MacDonald, a princess experiences constant weightlessness.

    img
  • 1976
    imgMovies

    Stones

    Stones

    1 1976 HD

    From BBC2 Playhouse's The Mind Beyond series. Professor Reeve wonders about strange events that seem to be connected to Stonehenge (Source: BBC).

    img
  • 1985
    imgMovies

    Love's Labour's Lost

    Love's Labour's Lost

    7 1985 HD

    When the King of Navarre and three of his cronies swear to spend all their days in study and not to look at any girls, they've forgotten that the...

    img
  • 1994
    imgMovies

    Princess Caraboo

    Princess Caraboo

    5.4 1994 HD

    Bristol, England, early 19th century. A beautiful young stranger who speaks a weird language is tried for the crime of begging. But when a man claims...

    img
  • 1980
    imgMovies

    The Mystery of the Disappearing Schoolgirls

    The Mystery of the Disappearing Schoolgirls

    1 1980 HD

    The reputation of the Academy for the Daughters of Respectable Monarchs has, of course, always been of the highest order... then suddenly Signor...

    img
  • 1973
    imgMovies

    The Cobblers of Umbridge

    The Cobblers of Umbridge

    1 1973 HD

    img
  • 1968
    imgMovies

    30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia!

    30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia!

    4.2 1968 HD

    img
  • 1982
    imgMovies

    Anyone for Denis

    Anyone for Denis

    1 1982 HD

    img
  • 1994
    imgMovies

    Princess Caraboo

    Princess Caraboo

    5.4 1994 HD

    img
  • 1972
    imgMovies

    Rentadick

    Rentadick

    4.4 1972 HD

    img
  • 1969
    imgS5 E6

    Q...

    Q...

    7.2 1969 HD

    Q... was a surreal television comedy sketch show from Spike Milligan which ran from 1969 to 1982 on BBC2. There were six series in all, the first...

    img
  • 1988
    imgS1 E13

    Charlie Chalk

    Charlie Chalk

    5.6 1988 HD

    Charlie Chalk is a stop motion animation series produced in 1987 in the United Kingdom by Woodland Animations, from the creators of Postman Pat and...

    img
  • 1997
    imgS2 E6

    Chalk

    Chalk

    6.8 1997 HD

    A British television sitcom set in a comprehensive school named Galfast High. Two series written by Steven Moffat were broadcast on BBC1 in 1997....

    img
  • 1975
    imgS7 E6

    Rumpole of the Bailey

    Rumpole of the Bailey

    7.063 1975 HD

    Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It stars Leo McKern as...

    img
  • 1992
    imgS6 E3

    Absolutely Fabulous

    Absolutely Fabulous

    7.5 1992 HD

    Set in the world of fashion and PR, immature fun-loving mother Edina Monsoon and her best friend Patsy drive Eddie's sensible daughter, Saffron, up...

    img
  • 1983
    imgS3 E6

    The Irish R.M.

    The Irish R.M.

    5.2 1983 HD

    The Irish R.M. refers to a series of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross, and the television comedy-drama series based on them....

    img
  • 1986
    imgS6 E10

    Lovejoy

    Lovejoy

    7.3 1986 HD

    The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a...

    img
  • 1986
    imgS2 E8

    Yes, Prime Minister

    Yes, Prime Minister

    8.4 1986 HD

    James Hacker MP the Government's bumbling minister for Administrative Affairs is propelled along the corridors of power to the very pinnacle of...

    img
  • 1978
    imgS1 E37

    BBC Television Shakespeare

    BBC Television Shakespeare

    5.2 1978 HD

    The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and...

    img
  • 1987
    imgS2 E7

    Rude Health

    Rude Health

    1 1987 HD

    img
  • 1979
    imgS1 E7

    Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

    Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

    7.523 1979 HD

    George Smiley, the aging master spy of the Cold War and once heir apparent to Control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level...

    img
  • 2023
    imgS1 E4

    100 Years of Warner Bros.

    100 Years of Warner Bros.

    7.7 2023 HD

    Tracing a century of movie and TV history, these four documentary specials explore the unparalleled global impact of Warner Bros. on art, commerce,...

    img
  • 1982
    imgS5 E6

    The Kenny Everett Television Show

    The Kenny Everett Television Show

    7 1982 HD

    Sketch comedy show starring Kenny Everett.

    img
  • 1974
    imgS2 E1

    The End Of The Pier Show

    The End Of The Pier Show

    1 1974 HD

    img
  • 1990
    imgS68 E10

    Have I Got News for You

    Have I Got News for You

    7.1 1990 HD

    Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party,...

    img
  • 1982
    imgS12 E61

    Wogan

    Wogan

    4.5 1982 HD

    Chat show hosted by Terry Wogan, featuring live studio interviews with famous and notable personalities.

    img
  • 1982
    imgS1 E1

    Anyone for Denis?

    Anyone for Denis?

    1 1982 HD

    Anyone for Denis? is a British video-taped television version of the stage play of the same name broadcast by the ITV network on 28 December 1982....

    img
  • 1987
    imgS1 E6

    Filthy Rich & Catflap

    Filthy Rich & Catflap

    6.6 1987 HD

    Richie causes trouble in his pursuit of TV fame with Eddie, his alcoholic minder, and Filthy, his sponging agent.

    img