This Is Your Life: Alan Herbert

Sir Alan HERBERT (1890-1971)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Sir Alan Patrick Herbert, novelist, playwright, poet and law reform activist, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews on-board the HMS President, the Headquarter ship of the London division of the Royal Naval Reserve, docked downstream from London’s Westminster Bridge.

After studying law at Oxford University he served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. His first literary success was The Secret Battle, a story of front-line warfare. In 1924 Herbert joined Punch Magazine and two years later had his first theatrical success, with the play Riverside Nights. As a witty lyricist, he wrote many highly successful comic operas and musicals. He also published the novels The Water Gipsies, Holy Deadlock and What a Word.

Herbert became the Independent MP for Oxford University in 1935. As a campaigner for reform of the marriage and divorce laws, he played an important role in the introduction of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1937, which radically amended English divorce laws.

programme details...

Edition No: 147
Subject No: 147
Broadcast live: Mon 16 Jan 1961
Broadcast time: 7.30-8.00pm
Venue: BBC Television Theatre
Series: 6
Edition: 18

on the guest list...

Carl Burgess
Brigadier B B Rackham CBE MC
Giles Playfair
Lord Boothby
Sid Callow
Rose Campbell
Cecil Campbell
Edward Elsbury
Vivian Ellis
Sir Gerald Barry
50 members of the Royal Naval Mine-Watching service
E V Knox
Evelyn Laye

production team...

Researcher: Shirley Macnab
Writer: Shirley Macnab
Director: Michael Goodwin
Producer: T Leslie Jackson

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

with thanks to Tony Bennett - whose grandmother Emma Bennett was a member of the Royal Navy Mine-Watching service - for his contribution to this page

related pages...

The Written Word

putting pen to paper

Robert Boothby

Evelyn Laye

Surrounded by the Royal Navy Mine-Watching service Eamonn Andrews hands Sir Alan Herbert the book of his 'life'