Cause of death Lung cancer Children Andrew Main Wilson Education Colfe's School | Role Radio producer Name Dennis Wilson | |
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Born 1 May 1924 ( 1924-05-01 ) Dulwich, London Occupation Radio and television producer Died January 20, 1997, Surrey, United Kingdom Spouse Sylvia Main Wilson (m. 1955) Awards British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Programme Nominations British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy | ||
Dennis Main Wilson (1 May 1924 – 20 January 1997) was a British producer of radio and television programmes, mainly for the BBC.
After wartime work for the German Service of the BBC, he worked in comedy. He was producer of the The Goon Show's first two series. Owing to his fondness for alcohol, the Goons nicknamed him 'Dennis Main Drain'. Subsequently he produced the first four series of Hancock's Half Hour on radio before leaving to train in television. Till Death Us Do Part, also for the BBC, is his best remembered television work.
Main Wilson has been described by Screenonline as "arguably the most important and influential of all comedy producers/directors in British radio and television".
Other shows he produced include Sykes and a... with Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, Here's Harry with Harry Worth, It's Marty starring Marty Feldman and The Rag Trade (which he also directed). He had less success with Private Eye TV, an attempt to turn the magazine Private Eye into a television programme.
In 1976, a scene-shifter at the BBC handed him a script he had written. Main Wilson turned it into Citizen Smith. The scene-shifter was John Sullivan, who later wrote Just Good Friends, Dear John and Only Fools and Horses. Main Wilson gave TV breaks to Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Griff Rhys Jones and Emma Thompson.
Main Wilson died of lung cancer at the age of 72.
His son, Andrew Main Wilson, became chief executive officer of the Association of MBAs (AMBA) on 17 August 2013. Until March 2013 Andrew Main Wilson was chief operating officer of the Institute of Directors.