| Code | DS/UK/502 |
| Person Name | Willingale; Betty (1927-2021); Script Editor, Television Producer |
| Dates | 1927-2021 |
| Dates and Places | Born in Rotherhithe, London, 1927.
Died in Battersea, London, 2021. |
| Activity | Work:
Betty Willingale began working for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the library at Bush House (International division), 1944.
She later worked in the BBC Script Unit in the Script Library.
She was Script Editor for the BBC drama, 1962-1988, first for the producer Campbell Logan and later with Martin Lisemore, including on adaptations of 'I, Claudius,' 1976, 'Murder Most English,' 1976, and with Jonathan Powell on 'Wuthering Heights,' 1978, 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' 1979, 'Pride and Prejudice, 1980'
She then became a Producer in her own right for the BBC, 1983-1988, including on 'Mansfield Park,' 1983 and 'Fortunes of War,' 1987.
After retiring from the BBC she worked as a consultant for Carnival Films, 1988-1992, with independent producer Brian Eastman including on 'Jeeves and Wooster,' 1990, for ITV.
For Carnival, she also worked as a Script Editor for 'Agatha Christie's Poirot', 1988-1990. Most notibly, she also worked a Producer for 'Midsomer Murders,' 1996-2009, starring John Nettles, broadcast on ITV.
As an interviewee, Betty made a number of television appearances herself:
2005, 'Drama Connections (I, Claudius)', Brendan O’Hara, BBC
2006, 'Super Sleuths' ('Midsommer Murders', etc), ITV
[?2007, 'The Hunt for Middle England', Collette Camden, 2007]
2010, 'Bafta Tribute Special Award', Jonathan Powell interviewer
2010, 'The People’s Detective', ITV
2013, 'The Crime Thriller Club', ITV
Interviewed for the the British Entertainment History Project, BECTU
Interview date(s): 5 Mar 2003
Interviewer/s: Darrol Blake, Rick Harley
Https://historyproject.org.uk
https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/betty-willingale |
| Published Works | Script Editor for the BBC:
1962 Compact
1963 Rupert of Henzau 6 Episodes
1964 Silas Marner, 6 Episodes
1964 Smuggler’s Bay, 6 Episodes
1964 The Children of the New Forest
1965 The Count of Monte Cristo, 13 Episodes
1965 Alexander Graham Bell, 6 Episodes
1965 A Tale of Two Cities, 10 Episodes
1965 Poison Island, 6 Episodes
1965 Heiress of Garth, 6 Episodes
1965 Hereward the Wake, 16 Episodes
1966 David Copperfield, 13 Episodes
1970 Boy Meets Girl, 6 Episodes Of 21
1968 Treasure Island, 6 Episodes
1969 Dombey and Son, 13 Episodes
1975 North and South, 4 Episodes
1975 How Green was my Valley, 6 Episodes
1976 Our Mutual Friend, 7 Episodes
1976 I, Claudius, 3 Episodes
1978 The Birds Fall Down, 5 Episodes
1976 Murder Most English, 7 Episodes
1977 A Christmas Carol, 2 Episodes
1978 The Mayor of Casterbridge, 6 Episodes
1978 Wuthering Heights, 5 Episodes
1979 Crime and Punishment, 3 Episodes
1979 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 7 Episodes
1979 Testament of Youth, 5 Episodes
1980 Pride and Prejudice, 5 Episodes
1980 Therese Raquin, 3 Episodes
1980 We, the Accused, 5 Episodes
1982 Sons and Lovers, 7 Episodes
1982 The Bell, 4 Episodes
1982 The Woman in White, 5 Episodes
1980 Smiley’s People, 7 Episodes
1982 Barchester Chronicles, 6 Episodes
1983 Old Men at the Zoo, 5 Episodes
1985 Bleak House, 7 Episodes
Producer for the BBC
1983 Mansfield Park, 6 Episodes
1986 Tender is the Night, 7 Episodes
1987 Fortunes of War, 12 Episodes
Consultant for Carnival, for ITV
1988-90 Forever Green, 12 Episodes
1988-92 Jeeves and Wooster, 21 Episodes
1992 Harnessing Peacocks
Script Editor for Carnival, for ITV
1988-90 Agatha Christie’s Poirot, 10 Episodes
Producer, for ITV
1995 The Vacillations of Poppy Carew
1996-2009 Midsomer Murders, 75 Episodes
|
| RefNo | Title |
| BW/1 | Work for the BBC |
| BW/1/1 | Readers Reports and script proposals |
| BW/1/1/1 | Reader Reports A |
| BW/1/1/2 | Reader Reports B |
| BW/1/2 | Correspondence on BBC Productions |
| BW/1/2/2 | 'I, Claudius,' 1976 |
| BW/1/2/3 | 'Mayor of Casterbridge', 1978 |
| BW/1/2/4 | 'The Barchester Chronicles', 1982 |
| BW/1/2/5 | 'Mansfield Park', 1983 |
| BW/3/26 | Draft letter from Betty Willingale to Waveney District council on behalf of Mr Adnams |
| BW/1/2/6 | 'Bleak House,' 1985 |
| BW/1/2/7 | 'Tender is the Night', 1985 |
| BW/1/2/8 | 'Fortunes of War,' 1987 |
| BW/1/3 | Other BBC Correspondence and ephemera |
| BW/1/3/1 | 'Instructions' |
| BW/1/3/10 | Press cutting, obituary to Edmund Wolf, Director of Programmes at the BBC |
| BW/1/3/11 | Eulogy for Michael Barry |
| BW/1/3/2 | Transcript, 'As broadcast': 'In Memoriam' |
| BW/1/3/3 | Letter from Vincent [Tilsely] to Betty Willingale |
| BW/1/3/4 | Poem, 'Trumpeter' by Herbert Corby |
| BW/1/3/5 | Letter from Huw Weldon (BBC Television Centre) |
| BW/1/3/6 | Article by Sydney Newman, Head of Drama Group, Television, titled, 'Plays for BBC-TV' |
| BW/1/3/7 | Letter from 'Pamela' to 'Alison' |
| BW/1/3/8 | Various items of correspondence from the BBC in 1988 (Betty's year of retirement) |
| BW/1/3/9 | Letter from 'Craig' at BBC Television to Betty Willingale |
| BW/2 | Work for ITV |
| BW/2/2 | 'Jeeves and Wooster,' 1990 |
| BW/2/3 | 'Harnessing Peacocks.' 1993 |
| BW/2/4 | 'The Vacillations of Poppy Carew,' 1995 |
| BW/2/5 | 'Midsomer Murders,' 1997 |
| BW/3 | Correspondence |
| BW/3/1 | Press cuttings and correspondence on the closure of the BBC Script Unit |
| BW/3/9 | Letter from Beatrix Collingham to 'Madame la Patronne' |
| BW/3/10 | Letter from Ian Curteis to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/12 | Letter from Rebecca Eaton to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/13 | Letter from Tim Fell, at Landmark Productions, to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/15 | Letter from John [John Foster] to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/16 | 4 postcards from Shelagh Fraser |
| BW/3/17 | Correspondence from Richard Harris |
| BW/3/18 | Letter from Ian Jones to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/21 | Correspondence with Alan Plater |
| BW/3/22 | Letter, undated, from 'JP' [Jonathan Powell] to Betty |
| BW/3/23 | Letter from Gillian [?Reynolds] to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/24 | Letter from Teresa Ransom to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/25 | Letter from Paul Vaughan to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/27 | Letter from Tim West to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/28 | Correspondence from the Writer's Guild to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/29 | Letter from 'Betty S' to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/30 | Round Robin letter from 'Shirley, John, Justine, Kaitlin, Sophie, Biggles and the cats' to Betty WIllingale. |
| BW/2/1 | Notebook with notes on various projects including 'Forever Green, (1988-1990)' 'Jeeves and Wooster (1988-1992),' and 'Maigret (1992)' |
| BW/3/32 | Postcard from 'Martin' to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/2 | Letter from Peter Barber-Fleming, at Saltire Film and Television Productions, to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/34 | One page of a letter from an unknown relative/friend to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/35 | Loose press cuttings and notes |
| BW/3/3 | Letter from Taner Baybars to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/4 | Letters from John Bowen to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/6 | Correspondence from Jeremy Brock to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/5 | Printed 'thankyou' from the British Library |
| BW/3/7 | Letter from Andrew Brown to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/8 | Letter from Antony Brown to Betty Willingale |
| BW/4 | Photographs |
| BW/4/1 | Loose photographs |
| BW/4/2 | Framed photograph, of Serena Scott Thomas and Pater Davison, from 'Harnessing Peacocks', 1992 |
| BW/5 | Awards and memorabilia |
| BW/5/1 | Broadcasting Press Guild TV Award for 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' |
| BW/5/2 | Framed drawing, celebrating the TV adaptation of Mansfield Park, by Jensen |
| BW/5/3 | 'Certificate of Nomination' for The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, (BAFTA) for 'Bleak House' (The Best Drama Series) |
| BW/5/4 | Framed award, Broadcasting Press Guild Television Awards, 1987, for 'Fortunes of War' (Best Drama Series or Serial) |
| BW/5/5 | 'Certificate of Nomination' for The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, (BAFTA) for 'Fortunes of War', (Best Drama Series) |
| BW/5/7 | Framed photograph, '34th Monte Carlo Television Festival: Nymphe D'Or , "Harnessing Peacocks"', (Best Television Film) |
| BW/5/6 | Press cuttings relating to RTS [Royal Television Society] Awards, 1988 and 1993 |
| BW/5/8 | Folder of material relating to the BAFTA celebration of the work and career of Betty Willingale |
| BW/6 | Books |
| BW/7 | Audio Visual |
| BW/8 | Material about Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/14 | Letter from Norma Flint to Betty Willingale |
| BW/3/20 | Correspondence from the Monte-Carlo film festival, 1998 |
| BW/1/1/3 | Reader Reports C |
| BW/1/1/4 | Reader Reports D |
| BW/1/1/5 | Reader Reports E-G |
| BW/1/1/6 | Reader Reports H |
| BW/1/1/7 | Reader Reports I-J |
| BW/1/1/8 | Reader Reports K-L |
| BW/1/1/9 | Reader Reports M-N |
| BW/1/1/10 | Reader Reports O-R |
| BW/1/1/11 | Reader Reports S |
| BW/1/1/12 | Reader Reports T |
| BW/1/1/13 | Reader Reports U-V |
| BW/1/1/14 | Reader Reports W |
| BW/1/1/15 | Reader Reports Z |
| BW/1/2/1 | 'Little Dorrit,' 1975 |
| BW | Betty Willingale Archive |