Name Douglas Watkinson | Books Haggard Hawk | |
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Douglas Arthur Watkinson (born 5 July 1945) is an English novelist, playwright and screenwriter, specializing in crime and mystery. His books feature the hard-bitten, soft-centred Nathan Hawk, a police officer who was 'required to retire' and now works as a private detective. Known for his wit and fiery temper, Hawk is on his fifth case. The first four books are entitled Haggard Hawk, Easy Prey, Scattered Remains and Evil Turn.
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Career
Watkinson has written literally hundreds of scripts for television, contributing to Lovejoy, Boon, Juliet Bravo, Agatha Christie's Poirot and Midsomer Murders. He also wrote the first daytime drama to be produced in the UK, For Maddie with Love. He has written four stage plays; Let's Do It My Way, Caesar and Me, The Dragon's Tail and The Wall
Background and personal life
Watkinson was born into an army family and his father served throughout World War II and beyond. He was killed in Palestine by The Stern Gang in 1947. His death is the inspiration for Watkinson's most recent play The Wall, in which a middle aged man visits a military cemetery in Ramleh, Israel and meets a young British soldier who turns out to be his father. Educated at Haberdashers' Aske's, Watkinson later attended East 15 Acting School, where his first plays were performed. Whilst there he met his wife Lesley and they now live in Buckinghamshire with two German Shepherd dogs. Their four grown up children have left home. He continues to write from a shed in the garden.
Writing
Watkinson began his career writing the backs of record sleeves for Decca and at the same time he bombarded television companies with plays. The first to be produced was a thirty-minute two-hander called Click, starring Ray Brooks and John Paul. Since then, he has never been out of work. He was the script writer for several BBC series, most notably Z Cars, Howard's Way and The Brothers. His favourite work has been Midsomer Murders, Boon (for which he wrote the establishing episode), Lovejoy, Forever Green and Maybury (which was Kenneth Branagh's first on-screen appearance).