John Howard Davies - Revision history

Kurt at 19:22, 23 December 2022

2022-12-23T19:22:13Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:22, 23 December 2022
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	{{short description\|English actor, director and producer (1939–2011)}}		{{short description\|English actor, director and producer (1939–2011)}}
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2013}}~~
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| name = John Howard Davies		\| name = John Howard Davies
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	\| children = 2		\| children = 2
	}}		}}
	'''John Howard Davies''' (9 March 1939{{spaced ndash}}22 August 2011)<ref name="Telegraph">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/8718897/John-Howard-Davies.html Obituary: John Howard Davies], ''Daily Telegraph'', 23 August 2011</ref> was an English director, producer and former [[child actor]]. He became famous for appearing in the title role of [[David Lean]]'s film adaptation of ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)\|Oliver Twist]]'' (1948). After joining the BBC as a production assistant in 1966, Davies became a hugely influential television director and producer, specialising in comedy.		'''John Howard Davies''' (9 March 1939{{spaced ndash}}22 August 2011)<ref name="Telegraph">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/8718897/John-Howard-Davies.html Obituary: John Howard Davies], ''Daily Telegraph'', 23 August 2011</ref> was an English director, producer and former [[w:child actor\|child actor]]. He became famous for appearing in the title role of [[w:David Lean\|David Lean]]'s film adaptation of ''[[w:Oliver Twist (1948 film)\|Oliver Twist]]'' (1948). After joining the BBC as a production assistant in 1966, Davies became a hugely influential television director and producer, specialising in comedy.

	Davies played a key role in British television comedy across four decades, working variously as the commissioning producer, producer or director on many of the most successful comedy shows of the era, including ''[[The World of Beachcomber]]'', ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'', ''[[All Gas and Gaiters]]'', ''[[The Benny Hill Show]]'', ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', ''[[The Goodies]]'', ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'', ''[[Not the Nine O'Clock News]]'', ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', ''[[Yes Minister]]'', ''[[Blackadder]]'' and ''[[Mr. Bean]]''. Davies was the producer of all four seasons of the hit [[BBC]] sitcom ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)\|The Good Life]]'', and was also responsible for ending [[Benny Hill]]'s television career in the late 1980s.~~{{cn\|date=March 2022}}~~		Davies played a key role in British television comedy across four decades, working variously as the commissioning producer, producer or director on many of the most successful comedy shows of the era, including ''[[w:The World of Beachcomber\|The World of Beachcomber]]'', ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'', ''[[All Gas and Gaiters]]'', ''[[The Benny Hill Show]]'', ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', ''[[The Goodies]]'', ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'', ''[[Not the Nine O'Clock News]]'', ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', ''[[Yes Minister]]'', ''[[Blackadder]]'' and ''[[Mr. Bean]]''. Davies was the producer of all four seasons of the hit [[w:BBC\|BBC]] sitcom ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)\|The Good Life]]'', and was also responsible for ending [[Benny Hill]]'s television career in the late 1980s.

	==Biography==		==Biography==
	Davies was born on 9 March 1939 in [[Paddington]], [[London]], the son of [[Jack Davies (screenwriter)\|Jack Davies]], a [[film critic]] and prolific [[screenwriter\|scriptwriter]] for mainly Gainsborough and Elstree studios, and the novelist Dorothy Davies.<ref name = guardobit/>		Davies was born on 9 March 1939 in [[w:Paddington\|Paddington]], [[w:London\|London]], the son of [[w:Jack Davies (screenwriter)\|Jack Davies]], a [[w:film critic\|film critic]] and prolific [[w:screenwriter\|scriptwriter]] for mainly Gainsborough and Elstree studios, and the novelist Dorothy Davies.<ref name = guardobit/>

	==Child actor==		==Child actor==
	Known to his friends as JHD, his credits as a [[child actor]] include the title role at the age of nine in [[David Lean]]'s production ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)\|Oliver Twist]]'' (1948), followed by ''[[The Rocking Horse Winner (film)\|The Rocking Horse Winner]]'' (1949), ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)\|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' (1951) and a few episodes of the TV series ''[[The Adventures of William Tell\|William Tell]]'' (1958).<ref>{{cite news \|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18463641 \|title="JUNIOR ANGEL" AS FILM OLIVER TWIST. \|newspaper=[[The Sunday Herald (Sydney)\|The Sunday Herald]] \|location=Sydney \|date=30 January 1949 \|access-date=7 July 2012 \|page=5 Supplement: Magazine Section \|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>		Known to his friends as JHD, his credits as a [[w:child actor\|child actor]] include the title role at the age of nine in [[w:David Lean\|David Lean]]'s production ''[[w:Oliver Twist (1948 film)\|Oliver Twist]]'' (1948), followed by ''[[w:The Rocking Horse Winner (film)\|The Rocking Horse Winner]]'' (1949), ''[[w:Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)\|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' (1951) and a few episodes of the TV series ''[[w:The Adventures of William Tell\|William Tell]]'' (1958).<ref>{{cite news \|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18463641 \|title="JUNIOR ANGEL" AS FILM OLIVER TWIST. \|newspaper=[[w:The Sunday Herald (Sydney)\|The Sunday Herald]] \|location=Sydney \|date=30 January 1949 \|access-date=7 July 2012 \|page=5 Supplement: Magazine Section \|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

	After a basic education at [[Haileybury and Imperial Service College\|Haileybury School]],<ref name = guardobit/> he gained further education in [[Grenoble]], France, followed by [[national service]] in the [[Royal Navy\|Navy]].<ref name="Telegraph2">{{cite news		After a basic education at [[w:Haileybury and Imperial Service College\|Haileybury School]],<ref name = guardobit/> he gained further education in [[w:Grenoble\|Grenoble]], France, followed by [[w:national service\|national service]] in the [[w:Royal Navy\|Navy]].<ref name="Telegraph2">{{cite news
	\|title=John Howard Davies		\|title=John Howard Davies
	\|date=24 August 2011		\|date=24 August 2011
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	==Adult career==		==Adult career==
	After being discharged from the Navy, Davies worked in the [[City of London]] financial sector, and then as a carpet salesman. He relocated to [[Melbourne, Australia]], where he returned to acting and met his first wife, Leonie, when they both appeared in ''[[The Sound of Music]]''. He was stage manager for ''The Sound of Music'' for two years touring Australia and New Zealand.<ref name="Gaughan">{{cite news\|first=Gavin\|last=Gaughan\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-howard-davies-child-star-of-david-leans-oliver-twist-who-became-head-of-comedy-at-the-bbc-2343216.html\|title=Obituary: John Howard Davies\|newspaper=[[The Independent]]\|publisher=Independent Print Ltd.\|location=London, England\|date=25 August 2011}}</ref>		After being discharged from the Navy, Davies worked in the [[w:City of London\|City of London]] financial sector, and then as a carpet salesman. He relocated to [[w:Melbourne, Australia\|Melbourne]], where he returned to acting and met his first wife, Leonie, when they both appeared in ''[[w:The Sound of Music\|The Sound of Music]]''. He was stage manager for ''The Sound of Music'' for two years touring Australia and New Zealand.<ref name="Gaughan">{{cite news\|first=Gavin\|last=Gaughan\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-howard-davies-child-star-of-david-leans-oliver-twist-who-became-head-of-comedy-at-the-bbc-2343216.html\|title=Obituary: John Howard Davies\|newspaper=[[w:The Independent\|The Independent]]\|publisher=Independent Print Ltd.\|location=London, England\|date=25 August 2011}}</ref>

	He is best known for his adult career as a director and producer of several highly successful [[British sitcom]]s. Returning to the UK, Davies became a [[BBC]] production assistant during 1966, and was promoted to producer in 1968.<ref name="Oliver">{{cite web\|first=John\|last=Oliver\|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/501222/index.html\|title=Davies, John Howard (1939–)\|website=BFI.org\|access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref> During this early period Davies worked on sketch shows such as ''[[The World of Beachcomber]]'' (1968), he produced and directed the first four episodes of ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' (1969) (as well as defending the series against its detractors within the BBC), and he produced and directed the first two seasons of ''[[The Goodies (TV series)\|The Goodies]]'' (1970–72), including the classic "Kitten Kong" episode, which won the "Silver Rose of Montreaux" Eurovision TV award. He directed the young [[Anthony Hopkins]] in the first episode of the Biography series in "Danton", written by [[Arden Winch]], and also worked on ''[[All Gas and Gaiters]]'' (1969–70) and the seventh series of ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'' in 1972.		He is best known for his adult career as a director and producer of several highly successful [[w:British sitcom\|British sitcom]]s. Returning to the UK, Davies became a [[w:BBC\|BBC]] production assistant during 1966, and was promoted to producer in 1968.<ref name="Oliver">{{cite web\|first=John\|last=Oliver\|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/501222/index.html\|title=Davies, John Howard (1939–)\|website=BFI.org\|access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref> During this early period Davies worked on sketch shows such as ''[[w:The World of Beachcomber\|The World of Beachcomber]]'' (1968), he produced and directed the first four episodes of ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' (1969) (as well as defending the series against its detractors within the BBC), and he produced and directed the first two seasons of ''[[The Goodies (TV series)\|The Goodies]]'' (1970–72), including the classic "Kitten Kong" episode, which won the "Silver Rose of Montreaux" Eurovision TV award. He directed the young [[w:Anthony Hopkins\|Anthony Hopkins]] in the first episode of the Biography series in "Danton", written by [[w:Arden Winch\|Arden Winch]], and also worked on ''[[All Gas and Gaiters]]'' (1969–70) and the seventh series of ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'' in 1972.

	He briefly left the BBC to become managing director of EMI Television Productions in 1973,<ref name="Telegraph"/> but soon returned to the corporation.<ref name="Oliver"/> Davies produced and directed the first series of ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' (1975). Casting [[Prunella Scales]] as [[Sybil Fawlty]] was Davies' idea, as the actress originally sought turned down the part; he is also credited with the idea of having the comedic changes to the lettering on the hotel sign in each episode, as well as the slapstick device of having Basil hit Manuel on the head with a spoon.<ref name="Telegraph"/> Davies was producer for all four series of ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)\|The Good Life]]'' (1975–78).<ref>{{cite ODNB\|first=Christopher\|last=Webber\|title=Davies, John Howard (1939–2011)\|date= Jan 2015\|id= 104018\|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/104018.html}}</ref>		He briefly left the BBC to become managing director of EMI Television Productions in 1973,<ref name="Telegraph"/> but soon returned to the corporation.<ref name="Oliver"/> Davies produced and directed the first series of ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' (1975). Casting [[w:Prunella Scales\|Prunella Scales]] as [[Sybil Fawlty]] was Davies' idea, as the actress originally sought turned down the part; he is also credited with the idea of having the comedic changes to the lettering on the hotel sign in each episode, as well as the slapstick device of having Basil hit Manuel on the head with a spoon.<ref name="Telegraph"/> Davies was producer for all four series of ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)\|The Good Life]]'' (1975–78).<ref>{{cite ODNB\|first=Christopher\|last=Webber\|title=Davies, John Howard (1939–2011)\|date= Jan 2015\|id= 104018\|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/104018.html}}</ref>

	He was the [[BBC]]'s Head of Comedy from 1977 to 1982, then Head of Light Entertainment, before joining [[Thames Television]] in 1985. Thames was then an [[ITV (TV network)\|ITV]] contractor, for which Davies was head of [[light entertainment]] from 1988.<ref name="Gaughan"/> During the last role he was cited by the [[news media\|popular press]] as the man who fired comedian [[Benny Hill]] when the company decided not to renew his contract<ref name = guardobit>{{cite news\|first=Matthew\|last=Sweet\|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/24/john-howard-davies-obituary\|title=Obituary: John Howard Davies\|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]\|date=24 August 2011}}</ref> after a connection lasting 20 years. He told Hill's biographer [[Mark Lewisohn]], "It's very dangerous to have a show on ITV that doesn't appeal to women, because they hold the purse strings, in a sense."<ref name="Gaughan"/>		He was the [[w:BBC\|BBC]]'s Head of Comedy from 1977 to 1982, then Head of Light Entertainment, before joining [[w:Thames Television\|Thames Television]] in 1985. Thames was then an [[w:ITV (TV network)\|ITV]] contractor, for which Davies was head of [[w:light entertainment\|light entertainment]] from 1988.<ref name="Gaughan"/> During the last role he was cited by the [[w:news media\|popular press]] as the man who fired comedian [[Benny Hill]] when the company decided not to renew his contract<ref name = guardobit>{{cite news\|first=Matthew\|last=Sweet\|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/24/john-howard-davies-obituary\|title=Obituary: John Howard Davies\|newspaper=[[w:The Guardian\|The Guardian]]\|date=24 August 2011}}</ref> after a connection lasting 20 years. He told Hill's biographer [[w:Mark Lewisohn\|Mark Lewisohn]], "It's very dangerous to have a show on ITV that doesn't appeal to women, because they hold the purse strings, in a sense."<ref name="Gaughan"/>

	Davies subsequently produced ''[[No Job for a Lady]]'' (1990–1992) and ''[[Mr. Bean]]'' (1990), before returning to the BBC later in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14634360\|title=Fawlty Towers producer John Howard Davies dies at 72\|website=[[BBC News]]\|date=23 August 2011}}</ref> His final work for the BBC was directing the Easter Special of ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'' in 1996.		Davies subsequently produced ''[[No Job for a Lady]]'' (1990–1992) and ''[[Mr. Bean]]'' (1990), before returning to the BBC later in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14634360\|title=Fawlty Towers producer John Howard Davies dies at 72\|website=[[BBC News]]\|date=23 August 2011}}</ref> His final work for the BBC was directing the Easter Special of ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'' in 1996.

Kurt: /* Film */

2022-12-23T19:12:51Z

Film

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	! Year !! Title !! Role !! {{Tooltip\|Ref.\|Reference}}		! Year !! Title !! Role !! {{Tooltip\|Ref.\|Reference}}
	\|-		\|-
	\| 1948 \|\| ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)\|Oliver Twist]]'' \|\| [[Oliver Twist (character)\|Oliver Twist]] \|\| <ref name = guardobit/>		\| 1948 \|\| ''[[w:Oliver Twist (1948 film)\|Oliver Twist]]'' \|\| [[w:Oliver Twist (character)\|Oliver Twist]] \|\| <ref name = guardobit/>
	\|-		\|-
	\| 1949 \|\| ''[[The Rocking Horse Winner (film)\|The Rocking Horse Winner]]'' \|\| Paul Grahame \|\| <ref name = guardobit/>		\| 1949 \|\| ''[[w:The Rocking Horse Winner (film)\|The Rocking Horse Winner]]'' \|\| Paul Grahame \|\| <ref name = guardobit/>
	\|-		\|-
	\| rowspan="2"\| 1951		\| rowspan="2"\| 1951
	\| ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)\|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' \|\| [[Tom Brown (character)\|Tom Brown]] \|\| <ref name = guardobit/>		\| ''[[w:Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)\|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' \|\| [[w:Tom Brown (character)\|Tom Brown]] \|\| <ref name = guardobit/>
	\|-		\|-
	\| ''[[The Magic Box]]'' \|\| Maurice Freise-Greene \|\| <ref name = guardobit/>		\| ''[[w:The Magic Box\|The Magic Box]]'' \|\| Maurice Freise-Greene \|\| <ref name = guardobit/>
	\|-		\|-
	\|}		\|}

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Death

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	==Death==		==Death==
	Davies died from [[cancer]]<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=139880148 "TV Comedy Producer John Howard Davies Dies At 72"], NPR citing the Associated Press, 23 August 2011</ref> on 22 August 2011 at his home in [[Blewbury]], [[Oxfordshire]].		Davies died from [[w:cancer\|cancer]]<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=139880148 "TV Comedy Producer John Howard Davies Dies At 72"], NPR citing the Associated Press, 23 August 2011</ref> on 22 August 2011 at his home in [[w:Blewbury\|Blewbury]], [[w:Oxfordshire\|Oxfordshire]].

	==Filmography==		==Filmography==

Kurt at 19:09, 20 October 2022

2022-10-20T19:09:43Z

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	{{short description\|English actor, director and producer (1939–2011)}}		{{short description\|English actor, director and producer (1939–2011)}}
	~~{{other people\|\|John Davies (disambiguation){{!}}John Davies}}~~
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2013}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2013}}
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
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	\| caption = Publicity portrait, {{circa\|1951}}		\| caption = Publicity portrait, {{circa\|1951}}
	\| birth_name =		\| birth_name =
	\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|1939\|3\|9\|df=y}}		\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|1939\|03\|09\|df=y}}
	\| birth_place = [[Paddington]], [[London]], England		\| birth_place = [[w:Paddington\|Paddington]], [[w:London\|London]], England
	\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|2011\|8\|22\|1939\|3\|9\|df=y}}		\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|2011\|08\|22\|1939\|03\|09\|df=y}}
	\| death_place = [[Blewbury]], [[Oxfordshire]], England		\| death_place = [[w:Blewbury\|Blewbury]], [[w:Oxfordshire\|Oxfordshire]], England
	\| other_names = JHD		\| other_names = JHD
	\| occupation = [[Television director\|Director]], [[television producer\|producer]], [[child actor]]		\| occupation = [[w:Television director\|Director]], [[w:television producer\|producer]], [[w:child actor\|child actor]]
	\| years_active =		\| years_active =
	\| spouse = Leonie, Dale ~~(20 years)~~ <~~small></small><br~~>{{marriage\|Linda\|2005\|2011~~\|end=his death~~}}		\| spouse =
			*{{marriage\|Leonie Dale\|1958\|<!-- Unknown -->}}
			*{{marriage\|Linda\|2005\|2011}}
	\| children = 2		\| children = 2
	}}		}}
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	*{{IMDb name\|203791}}		*{{IMDb name\|203791}}
	*[http://tviv.org/John_Howard_Davies The TV IV – John Howard Davies]		*[http://tviv.org/John_Howard_Davies The TV IV – John Howard Davies]

	~~{{Authority control}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, John Howard}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, John Howard}}

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{{short description|English actor, director and producer (1939–2011)}}
{{other people||John Davies (disambiguation){{!}}John Davies}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Howard Davies
| image = John Howard Davies c. 1951.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Publicity portrait, {{circa|1951}}
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|3|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Paddington]], [[London]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|8|22|1939|3|9|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Blewbury]], [[Oxfordshire]], England
| other_names = JHD
| occupation = [[Television director|Director]], [[television producer|producer]], [[child actor]]
| years_active =
| spouse = Leonie, Dale (20 years) <small></small><br>{{marriage|Linda|2005|2011|end=his death}}
| children = 2
}}
'''John Howard Davies''' (9 March 1939{{spaced ndash}}22 August 2011)<ref name="Telegraph">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/8718897/John-Howard-Davies.html Obituary: John Howard Davies], ''Daily Telegraph'', 23 August 2011</ref> was an English director, producer and former [[child actor]]. He became famous for appearing in the title role of [[David Lean]]'s film adaptation of ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)|Oliver Twist]]'' (1948). After joining the BBC as a production assistant in 1966, Davies became a hugely influential television director and producer, specialising in comedy.

Davies played a key role in British television comedy across four decades, working variously as the commissioning producer, producer or director on many of the most successful comedy shows of the era, including ''[[The World of Beachcomber]]'', ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'', ''[[All Gas and Gaiters]]'', ''[[The Benny Hill Show]]'', ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', ''[[The Goodies]]'', ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'', ''[[Not the Nine O'Clock News]]'', ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', ''[[Yes Minister]]'', ''[[Blackadder]]'' and ''[[Mr. Bean]]''. Davies was the producer of all four seasons of the hit [[BBC]] sitcom ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)|The Good Life]]'', and was also responsible for ending [[Benny Hill]]'s television career in the late 1980s.{{cn|date=March 2022}}

==Biography==
Davies was born on 9 March 1939 in [[Paddington]], [[London]], the son of [[Jack Davies (screenwriter)|Jack Davies]], a [[film critic]] and prolific [[screenwriter|scriptwriter]] for mainly Gainsborough and Elstree studios, and the novelist Dorothy Davies.<ref name = guardobit/>

==Child actor==
Known to his friends as JHD, his credits as a [[child actor]] include the title role at the age of nine in [[David Lean]]'s production ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)|Oliver Twist]]'' (1948), followed by ''[[The Rocking Horse Winner (film)|The Rocking Horse Winner]]'' (1949), ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' (1951) and a few episodes of the TV series ''[[The Adventures of William Tell|William Tell]]'' (1958).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18463641 |title="JUNIOR ANGEL" AS FILM OLIVER TWIST. |newspaper=[[The Sunday Herald (Sydney)|The Sunday Herald]] |location=Sydney |date=30 January 1949 |access-date=7 July 2012 |page=5 Supplement: Magazine Section |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

After a basic education at [[Haileybury and Imperial Service College|Haileybury School]],<ref name = guardobit/> he gained further education in [[Grenoble]], France, followed by [[national service]] in the [[Royal Navy|Navy]].<ref name="Telegraph2">{{cite news
|title=John Howard Davies
|date=24 August 2011
|work=The Daily Telegraph
|pages=29 (Obituaries)
}}</ref>

==Adult career==
After being discharged from the Navy, Davies worked in the [[City of London]] financial sector, and then as a carpet salesman. He relocated to [[Melbourne, Australia]], where he returned to acting and met his first wife, Leonie, when they both appeared in ''[[The Sound of Music]]''. He was stage manager for ''The Sound of Music'' for two years touring Australia and New Zealand.<ref name="Gaughan">{{cite news|first=Gavin|last=Gaughan|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-howard-davies-child-star-of-david-leans-oliver-twist-who-became-head-of-comedy-at-the-bbc-2343216.html|title=Obituary: John Howard Davies|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|publisher=Independent Print Ltd.|location=London, England|date=25 August 2011}}</ref>

He is best known for his adult career as a director and producer of several highly successful [[British sitcom]]s. Returning to the UK, Davies became a [[BBC]] production assistant during 1966, and was promoted to producer in 1968.<ref name="Oliver">{{cite web|first=John|last=Oliver|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/501222/index.html|title=Davies, John Howard (1939–)|website=BFI.org|access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref> During this early period Davies worked on sketch shows such as ''[[The World of Beachcomber]]'' (1968), he produced and directed the first four episodes of ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' (1969) (as well as defending the series against its detractors within the BBC), and he produced and directed the first two seasons of ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'' (1970–72), including the classic "Kitten Kong" episode, which won the "Silver Rose of Montreaux" Eurovision TV award. He directed the young [[Anthony Hopkins]] in the first episode of the Biography series in "Danton", written by [[Arden Winch]], and also worked on ''[[All Gas and Gaiters]]'' (1969–70) and the seventh series of ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'' in 1972.

He briefly left the BBC to become managing director of EMI Television Productions in 1973,<ref name="Telegraph"/> but soon returned to the corporation.<ref name="Oliver"/> Davies produced and directed the first series of ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' (1975). Casting [[Prunella Scales]] as [[Sybil Fawlty]] was Davies' idea, as the actress originally sought turned down the part; he is also credited with the idea of having the comedic changes to the lettering on the hotel sign in each episode, as well as the slapstick device of having Basil hit Manuel on the head with a spoon.<ref name="Telegraph"/> Davies was producer for all four series of ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)|The Good Life]]'' (1975–78).<ref>{{cite ODNB|first=Christopher|last=Webber|title=Davies, John Howard (1939–2011)|date= Jan 2015|id= 104018|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/104018.html}}</ref>

He was the [[BBC]]'s Head of Comedy from 1977 to 1982, then Head of Light Entertainment, before joining [[Thames Television]] in 1985. Thames was then an [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] contractor, for which Davies was head of [[light entertainment]] from 1988.<ref name="Gaughan"/> During the last role he was cited by the [[news media|popular press]] as the man who fired comedian [[Benny Hill]] when the company decided not to renew his contract<ref name = guardobit>{{cite news|first=Matthew|last=Sweet|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/24/john-howard-davies-obituary|title=Obituary: John Howard Davies|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=24 August 2011}}</ref> after a connection lasting 20 years. He told Hill's biographer [[Mark Lewisohn]], "It's very dangerous to have a show on ITV that doesn't appeal to women, because they hold the purse strings, in a sense."<ref name="Gaughan"/>

Davies subsequently produced ''[[No Job for a Lady]]'' (1990–1992) and ''[[Mr. Bean]]'' (1990), before returning to the BBC later in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14634360|title=Fawlty Towers producer John Howard Davies dies at 72|website=[[BBC News]]|date=23 August 2011}}</ref> His final work for the BBC was directing the Easter Special of ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'' in 1996.

==Death==
Davies died from [[cancer]]<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=139880148 "TV Comedy Producer John Howard Davies Dies At 72"], NPR citing the Associated Press, 23 August 2011</ref> on 22 August 2011 at his home in [[Blewbury]], [[Oxfordshire]].

==Filmography==

===Film===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| 1948 || ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)|Oliver Twist]]'' || [[Oliver Twist (character)|Oliver Twist]] || <ref name = guardobit/>
|-
| 1949 || ''[[The Rocking Horse Winner (film)|The Rocking Horse Winner]]'' || Paul Grahame || <ref name = guardobit/>
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1951
| ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' || [[Tom Brown (character)|Tom Brown]] || <ref name = guardobit/>
|-
| ''[[The Magic Box]]'' || Maurice Freise-Greene || <ref name = guardobit/>
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*John Holmstrom, ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 211.

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|203791}}
*[http://tviv.org/John_Howard_Davies The TV IV – John Howard Davies]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, John Howard}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:BBC executives]]
[[Category:BBC television producers]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:English male child actors]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English television directors]]
[[Category:English television producers]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College]]
[[Category:People from Blewbury]]