N. J. Crisp
# N. J. Crisp

Norman James Crisp (11 December 1923 – 14 June 2005), known as a writer only by his initials and surname, N. J. Crisp, was a prolific British television writer, dramatist and novelist.

In the sixties after writing some single dramas, Crisp moved to writing for serials and turned out scripts for many BBC series including Compact, R3, Dixon of Dock Green, Dr Finlay's Casebook, Colditz and Secret Army.

In 1968, he co-created The Expert, a serial about a forensic scientist, with its producer Gerard Glaister. Four years later the pair repeated these roles with the boardroom drama The Brothers.

His 1996 play That Good Night starred Donald Sinden, Nigel Davenport, Lucy Fleming, Patrick Ryecart and Julie-Kate Olivier and was directed by Edward Hall. The film of the same title, based on Crisp's play, received its world premiere in June 2017 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. It was John Hurt's final film, and was nominated for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film.

Crisp's 1987 psychological thriller Dangerous Obsession was filmed in 1999 as Darkness Falls, starring Ray Winstone, Tim Dutton and Sherilyn Fenn. However, Crisp was so appalled at the end result and how his famously intricate plot had been turned on its head without his permission that he insisted on having his name removed from the final print.

He was married to Marguerite (née Lowe), had three sons and one daughter and five grandchildren.

## Writing credits

| Production | Notes | Broadcaster |
| - | - | - |
| The Dark Man | Television drama (1960) | BBC Television |
| BBC Sunday-Night Play | "A Kind of Strength" (1961) "The Alderman" (1962) "The Man Who Opted Out" (1962) "The Stepfather" (1962) | BBC Television |
| ITV Play of the Week | "Two on the Beach" (1961) "The Gentle Assassin" (1962) "Danger Zone" (1963) | ITV |
| 24-Hour Call | "Cry for Help" (1963) | ITV |
| Taxi! | "The Runaway" (1963) "The Accident" (1963) | BBC Television |
| Compact | "A Job for the Boy" (1963) | BBC Television |
| It's a Woman's World | "Jean" (1964) | ITV |
| Dixon of Dock Green | 66 episodes (1964–1972, 1974–1975) | BBC1 |
| The Sullavan Brothers | "The Guilty Go Free" (1965) | ITV |
| Armchair Mystery Theatre | "The Hunter" (1965) | ITV |
| The Man in Room 17 | "The Seat of Power" (1965) | ITV |
| R3 | "The Astronaut" (1964) "A State of Anxiety" (1964) "Patterns of Behaviour" (1965) "The Fratton Experiment" (1965) "Experiment in Death" (1965) | BBC1 |
| The Flying Swan | "The Cupboard" (1965) "The Contract" (1965) | BBC1 |
| Quick Before They Catch Us | "Power of Three" (1966) | BBC1 |
| Trapped | "Journey Into Nowhere" (1967) | ITV |
| The Revenue Men | 6 episodes (1967–1968) | BBC2 |
| The First Lady | "A Little Goodwill" (1968) "Yes, But Who Am I?" (1968) | BBC1 |
| Dr. Finlay's Casebook | 15 episodes (1964–1967, 1969) | BBC1 |
| The Doctors | "Episode #1.7" (1969) "Episode #1.8" (1969) | BBC1 |
| Doomwatch | "Project Sahara" (co-written with Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler, 1970) | BBC1 |
| Codename | "Target" (1970) | BBC2 |
| With Love in Mind | Feature film (1970) | N/A |
| Owen, M.D. | 6 episodes (1971–1972) | BBC1 |
| The Long Chase | 13 episodes (1972) | BBC1 |
| The Man Who Was Hunting Himself | Television miniseries (1973) | BBC1 |
| Spy Trap | 7 episodes (1972–1973) | BBC1 |
| Orson Welles Great Mysteries | "The Power of Fear" (1973) "Ice Storm" (1974) | ITV |
| Colditz | "Welcome to Colditz" (1972) "Bribery and Corruption" (1972) "Arrival of a Hero" (1974) "The Gambler" (1974) "Death Sentence" (1974) | BBC1 |
| You're on Your Own | 6 episodes (co-written with Gerard Glaister, 1975) | BBC1 |
| Oil Strike North | "The Floating Bomb" (1975) "Shore Leave" (1975) "The Fatal Hours: Part 1" (1975) "The Fatal Hours: Part 2" (1975) | BBC1 |
| Dangerous Knowledge | 6 episodes (1976) | ITV |
| The Expert | 62 episodes (1968–1976) | BBC1 |
| The Brothers | 92 episodes (1972–1976) | BBC1 |
| The Gotland Deal | First book in the 'Sidney Kenyon' series (1976) | Novel |
| Jubilee | "Ramsey" (1977) | BBC1 |
| The Odd Job Man | Hardback Edition (1977) | Novel |
| The Mackinnons | "Man from the Past" (1977) "Working Weekend" (1977) "The Ex-Mrs. Mackinnon" (1977) "A New Life" (1977) | BBC1 |
| Secret Army | 9 episodes (1977–1979) | BBC1 |
| The London Deal | Second book in the 'Sidney Kenyon' series (1978) | Novel |
| Enemy at the Door | "The Librarian" (1978) "The Jerrybag" (1978) "Post Mortem" (1980) "The Right Blood" (1980) | ITV |
| A Family Affair | Published the same year as his BBC TV Drama (1979) | Novel |
| A Family Affair | 10 episodes (1979) | BBC1 |
| Jet Set | Theatre Royal, Bath (1979–1980) | Stage Play |
| Buccaneer | 13 episodes (1980) | BBC1 |
| Festival | Hardback edition (1981) | Novel |
| Squadron | "Independence Day" (1982) | BBC1 |
| The Brink | Hardback edition (1982) | Novel |
| Yesterday's Gone | Hardback edition (1983) | Novel |
| The Odd Job Man | Television miniseries (1984) | BBC1 |
| Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death | Television film (co-written with Anthony Hinds, 1984) | Channel 4 |
| Fighting Chance | Apollo (Shaftesbury Avenue), London (1985–1985) | Stage Play |
| Murder Elite | Feature film (1985) | N/A |
| Strike It Rich! | "Suspicions" (1986) "Extraordinary General Meeting" (1986) | BBC1 |
| In the Long Run | The first book in the 'Stephen Haden' series (1987) | Novel |
| The Ninth Circle | The second book in the 'Stephen Haden' series (1988) | Novel |
| Dangerous Obsession | Theatre Royal, Bath (1989–1990) | Stage play |
| Sunday Pursuit | Short film (1990) | HTV |
| Coup de Foudre | "Retour" (co-written with Jean Curtelin, 1991) | Canal+ France 2 |
| Suspicions | Full Length play, Drama (1992) | Stage play |
| That Good Night | Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford (1996) | Stage play |
| That Good Night | World premiere in June 2017 Released in UK cinemas on 11 May 2018 | Film |
