Peter Vincent, who has died aged 91, was a television scriptwriter who put words into the mouths of some of Britain’s biggest comedy names, including Tommy Cooper, Dick Emery, Jimmy Tarbuck, Les Dawson, Kenneth Williams and Russ Abbot. He enjoyed particularly fruitful collaborations with Dave Allen and the stars of The Two Ronnies, Corbett and Barker.
Like Dick Vosburgh, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Barry Cryer and David Nobbs, Vincent moved on to The Two Ronnies after writing for David Frost’s ITV satirical series Frost on Sunday (1968-70), which featured Corbett and Barker in its ensemble cast before they were catapulted into their own show on the BBC. Vincent contributed sketches, and some of Corbett’s famously long-winded monologues, to all 12 series of The Two Ronnies (1971-87), although not the 1987 Christmas special, their swansong.
Another monologue he wrote, in partnership with Cryer and typical of the quirky humour so loved by Barker, was titled Nows at Ton. In the guise of a news presenter, Barker read out stories produced by a faulty typewriter that printed Os instead of Es. “It was quite short and only took about 10 minutes to write,” Vincent told Barker’s biographer, Richard Webber. “It’s a corny idea, but I’m sure it came from personal experience, because typewriters often play up like that.”
As well as writing for the hugely popular show, Vincent took over from Nobbs as script editor for several years (1972-76). This involved finding new writers and creating a shortlist of items for the popular opening and closing spoof news spots that bookended the comedy sketches, playlets, songs and parodies. These snippets were submitted by regular writers and outsiders, and Vincent picked about 20 each week to hand over to Corbett, Barker and the producer, Terry Hughes, who would often reject half of them.
“Lots of writers sent material, but getting them right was very difficult,” Vincent said. “I used to call David Renwick and would put in just about everything he sent, because they were so good. David Nobbs was very good, too.”
Barker himself claimed responsibility for 75% of the programme’s scripts, under the pseudonym Gerald Wiley. Vincent – and his successor as script editor, Ian Davidson – sometimes had to placate the original writers when their work was rewritten by the star or when, at other times, he simply “borrowed” their material.
His association with Allen began as one of two principal scriptwriters on the BBC series Dave Allen at Large (1971-79) and continued through various specials and the ITV show Dave Allen (1993-94). He eventually became the main collaborator of the Irish comedian, who delivered jokes in a relaxed style, often sitting down with a cigarette and glass of ginger ale, masquerading as whiskey, to hand.
Venting suppressed fury at political hypocrisy and religious authority was at the root of the humour, but Vincent was constantly seeking new targets.
Their work on The Two Ronnies led Vincent and Davidson to create the BBC sitcom Sorry!, starring Corbett as Timothy Lumsden, a frustrated fortysomething librarian tied to his domineering mother’s apron strings, and they scripted all seven series (1981-88). Barbara Lott was the mother who goes to great lengths to see off potential daughters-in-law and keeps in check her husband (William Moore), whose catchphrase, “Language, Timothy!”, is met with Timothy’s response of “Sorry!”
Vincent was born in Ruislip, Middlesex, to Elizabeth (nee Peyton) and her husband, Stanley Vincent, a Royal Flying Corps, then RAF, officer reputed to have been the only fighter pilot to have shot down enemy aircraft in both world wars. Peter himself did national service in the RAF on leaving Lancing college. In 1957, he graduated in history from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he wrote for the Footlights Club revues – sometimes in collaboration with the future Liberal MP John Pardoe – for performers such as Jonathan Miller and Daniel Massey.
Vincent started his working life teaching in a Littlehampton secondary school, then became a lecturer at Brighton technical college. His break came when the scriptwriter David McKellar gave him the chance to write for the anarchic BBC radio revue-style series I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again (from 1965 to 1966), with the future Goodies TV stars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie among the cast.
Switching to television in 1968 for Frost on Saturday and Frost on Sunday was a natural progression. He then wrote material for many entertainment shows with top stars such as Harry Secombe, Bruce Forsyth and Stanley Baxter.
Vincent teamed up with Davidson again to create another sitcom, Comrade Dad (1984-86), which starred George Cole as a Londoner under Russian occupation, and contribute scripts to All at No 20 (1986-87), with Maureen Lipman, and The Brittas Empire (1991-97), with Chris Barrie. He and Peter Robinson created Hilary (1984-86), which starred Marti Caine as a divorced TV chat show researcher.
Vincent and Davidson also wrote the BBC radio sitcom When the Dog Dies (2010-14), which reunited them with Corbett, who played Sandy Hopper, a widower under pressure from his grown-up children to downsize.
In 1959, Vincent married Patricia Lloyd; she died in 2016. He is survived by their daughter, Miranda, son, Bosie, and four grandsons, Sam, Alvy, Fin and Ned.
• Peter Stapleton Vincent, writer, born 11 February 1933; died 2 July 2024
