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Michael Aitkens Michael Aitkens i(A115717 works by)
Born: Established: 1947
c
England,
c
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United Kingdom (UK),
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Western Europe, Europe,
;
Gender: Male
Arrived in Australia: ca. 1971 Departed from Australia: ca. 1989
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BiographyHistory

The creator of the BBC situation comedy Waiting for God (1990-94), Michael Aitkens is an actor and scriptwriter who has worked across film, television and theatre since the late 1960s. More than 150 of his scripts have been produced in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.

Aitkens was raised in London and educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College (Hertford). He moved to Australia in the early 1970s to develop his skills in the television industry and over the next decade established himself as an actor in numerous series and telemovies, including Homicide (1972-74), Division 4 (1972-73), Ryan (1974), Matlock Police (1975), Rush (1976), Power Without Glory (1976), Bluey (1977) and Skyways (1979) and A Toast to Melba (1980). He also began developing his writing skills, beginning with such shows as The Comedy Game (1971), Matlock Police and later with Trial by Marriage (1980).

In 1980 Aitkens travelled to Los Angeles to study at the AFI Conservatory. After graduating in 1981 he returned briefly to Australia where he worked as a writer on several series, notably A Country Practice (1982-1984), Singles (1984) and Special Squad (1985). Aitkens was also engaged as an actor on a number of shows, including A Country Practice (as Jonathon Hawthorn) and The Henderson Kids, and in films such as Run Chrissie Run (1986) and Backstage (1987). One of his last Australian scripts to be produced, 'Top Enders' was co-authored with Jackie McKimmie for the 1988 Touch the Sun anthology series. Since returning to England in the late 1980s Aitkens has worked as a writer/producer, mainly on his own original series, and is an occasional humorous newspaper columnist. In the early 2000s he formed his own independent production company, Daisylu. Aitkens has also been one of the core group of writers working on the popular series Midsomer Murders since 2006.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

form y separately published work icon A Country Practice ( dir. Igor Auzins et. al. )agent Sydney Australia : JNP Films Seven Network , 1981-1993 Z1699739 1981-1994 series - publisher film/TV

Set in a small, fictional, New South Wales country town called Wandin Valley, A Country Practice focused on the staffs of the town's medical practice and local hospital and on the families of the doctors, nurses, and patients. Many of the episodes also featured guest characters (frequently patients served by the practice) through whom various social and medical problems were explored. Although often considered a soap opera, the series was not built around an open-ended narrative; instead, the two one-hour episodes screened per week formed a self-contained narrative block, though many of the storylines were developed as sub-plots for several episodes before becoming the focus of a particular week's storyline. While the focus was on topical issues such as youth unemployment, suicide, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, and terminal illness, the program did sometimes explore culturally sensitive issues, including, for example, the Aboriginal community and their place in modern Australian society.

Among the show's principal characters were Dr Terence Elliott, local policeman Sergeant Frank Gilroy, Esme Watson, Shirley Dean Gilroy, Bob Hatfield, Vernon 'Cookie' Locke, and Matron Margaret 'Maggie' Sloan. In addition to its regularly rotating cast of characters, A Country Practice also had a cast of semi-regulars who would make appearances as the storylines permitted. Interestingly, while the series initially targeted the adult and older youth demographic, it became increasingly popular with children over the years.

1984 winner Logie Awards Most Popular Drama Program
1985 winner Logie Awards Most Popular Drama Program
1986 winner Logie Awards Most Popular Drama Program
1992 nominated Logie Awards Most Popular Drama Program
form y separately published work icon Neutral Ground Sydney : Australian Broadcasting Commission , 1978 7202765 1978 single work film/TV

'In Neutral ground Peter Sumner stars as Bruce Jefferson, an energetic advertising dynamo, and Cornelia Frances plays his estranged wife Joan, an equally dynamic magazine editor. They arrange to meet in a hotel suite, on Neutral Ground, to discuss the terms of their divorce.' ([Television guide], Canberra Times, 15 September 1978, p.34)

In 1980, a seven-episode series, Trial by Marriage was spun off from this television play: the series took place in the early days of the marriage.

1979 winner Penguin Award For best comedy program.
1979 winner Sammy Award For best comedy program.
1979 winner Logie Awards Best Television Script
Last amended 16 Mar 2012 10:55:59
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