In 1960 John became the first freelance writer to be contracted to write Coronation Street, and later became editor and producer.
He went on to become Granada’s most prolific writer and created , wrote and edited many of the companies longest running serials and series.…more>>
John passed away in 2022 having reached the age of ninety seven – he was still writing – OBITUARY – AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Quotes from John’s files:
NEW YORK TIMES on A FAMILY AT WAR ” A lesson in quality for the US…..intelligent, informative and thoroughly engrossing.”
GRANADA TELEVISION
“We all owe you a huge debt. Apart from your magnificent pioneering of a new television form; apart from your Herculean single -handed feat of creating two huge social panoramas, apart from the creation of a huge gallery of characters, you have also magnificently proved that television doesn’t have to be rubbish”.
STAN BARSTOW on SAM
“It brings great dignity to the medium and spurs us all on to do better”.
SIR DENIS FORMAN
“A Family at War was the most cost effective television series ever made
DAVID LIDDIMENT, former head of ITV, The Guardian
On the subject of Granada drama; “In the 60’s a generation of locally based writers like John Finch, Jack Rosenthal and Harry Kershaw created a template for modern drama that still works today”.
SIR DENIS FORMAN, former chairman and managing director of Granada. Dedicating his book Persona Granada, Andre Deutsch 1998;
“To John – one of the founders of Granada’s great tradition in television drama”.