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Ben Travers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ben Travers CBE (12 November 1886 - 18 December 1980) was a British playwright most famous for his farces.
Born in the London borough of Hendon, Travers was educated at Charterhouse (where today there is a theatre named for him), followed by a brief spell in business. He served in the RFC and RNAS during the First World War and also rejoined the RAF in 1939 as Squadron Leader.
Travers' first play "The Dippers" was produced in 1922 by Sir Charles Hawtrey. It was followed by his celebrated series of Farces staged at the Aldwych Theatre, and a number of well-received serious plays. Travers also wrote 5 novels, two autobiographies and a book of cricket reminiscences. In 1970 the BBC produced the farces Rookery Nook, A Cuckoo In The Nest, Turkey Time, A Cup Of Kindness, Plunder, Dirty Work and She Follows Me About for television. At the age of 83, Travers rewrote the plays to concentrate on plot twists and verbal misunderstandings, rather than the slapstick and split-second timing that typified the stage versions.
On his ninetieth birthday he was interviewed on the radio and asked "Didn't he feel that at 90 he was a bit old to be writing sex romps". To this he replied quick-as-a-flash "Ah but you see, I have an awfully good memory".
In 1976, he was presented with a Special Standard Drama Award for his services to the Theatre, and he received the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.