Iain Pattinson

Iain Pattinson (2 January 1953 – 14 February 2021) was a British scriptwriter. His work included writing the chairman's script for the long-running BBC Radio 4 panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, delivered by the programme's veteran chairman Humphrey Lyttelton from 1992 until Lyttelton's death in 2008. Pattinson continued to write the scripts for subsequent chairmen, including Jack Dee, for a further 11 years.[1]

Early life and education

Pattinson was born in Sidcup. He attended Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, leaving before his A levels.[1]

His father Geoffrey (1924–2018) worked in shipping; a D-Day veteran who served in the 9th Parachute Battalion, Geoffrey's portrait was painted by Jonathan Yeo for the Royal Collection in 2015.[2][3]

Career

After leaving school, Pattinson worked at Shell, eventually becoming a marketing executive at the company before leaving to take up comedy scriptwriting.[1][4]

Scripts

Pattinson's scripts are well known for their use of double entendre, often centred around the supposed sexual proclivities of the chairman's fictitious assistant, Samantha: "Samantha is off to see a chef gentleman friend who is renowned for his fine-quality offal dishes. While she's very keen on his kidneys in red wine and his oxtail in beer, Samantha says it's difficult to beat his famous tongue in cider."[5] They also played on whatever location the show was being recorded, such as "By the 1890s, Wimbledon was well established as a commuter town with regular horse buses running to the city. However, when the electric tramline arrived in 1907, the horses went to London on that instead."[1] Dee said Pattinson's "unique brilliance was his ability to combine the absurd with the plausible."[6]

Pattinson was also a writer on many other well-known TV and radio light entertainment programmes, including Week Ending, The News Quiz, Would I Lie to You? and Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment, as well as the author of several books.[1][7]

He died of leukaemia, survived by his mother Audrey and his sister Edwina.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Iain Pattinson obituary". The Guardian. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  2. ↑ Obituary, Red Beret, No.2, April 2019, p.6
  3. ↑ Geoffrey Pattinson (1924-2018) 2015, RCIN 408484, Royal Collection Trust
  4. ↑ "Last Word". BBC Radio 4. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Iain Pattinson's tribute to Humphrey Lyttelton". The Guardian. 20 October 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Tributes paid to comedy writer Iain Pattinson following his death aged 68". Belfast Telegraph. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  7. ↑ List of credits at pbjmanagement
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