12 Facts About Johnny Speight

Johnny Speight was an English television scriptwriter of many classic British sitcoms.

John Johnny Speight was born into an Irish Catholic family in Canning Town, West Ham, Essex.

Johnny Speight left school at 14, and after a series of odd jobs, tried his hand at writing, looking to George Bernard Shaw as inspiration.

Johnny Speight was one of many writers on that series which included Sykes, John Antrobus and Spike Milligan.

Johnny Speight created the iconic working class tramp figure played by Arthur Haynes in the latter's long-running and top-rating ATV comedy series.

In 1965, Johnny Speight wrote a BBC TV pilot which became the 1966 series Till Death Us Do Part featuring Warren Mitchell as Alf Garnett, a reactionary Conservative-voting working-class man with a chip on his shoulder and an angry word on everything.

Johnny Speight played "Barmey Harry" in the second film spin-off, The Alf Garnett Saga, in 1972.

Johnny Speight's later series Curry and Chips was a more controversial sitcom from LWT for the ITV channel, soon cancelled on the instructions of the Independent Broadcasting Authority.

In 1988 Johnny Speight wrote a set of special short sketches for inclusion in London's Museum of the Moving Image in a feature called "Ask Alf".

Johnny Speight's work brought him financial success, but despite driving a Rolls-Royce he remained a life-long socialist.

Johnny Speight was a subject of the television programme This Is Your Life in May 1970 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.

In 1998, Johnny Speight died of pancreatic cancer, aged 78 at his home in Chorleywood.