Tudor Gates

Tudor Gates (2 January 1930 - 14 January 2007) was an English screenwriter and trade unionist.

Biography

Born in 1930, he was involved in stage management by the early 1950s and began scriptwriting in his spare time. After "The Guv'nor" was broadcast on television in 1956, he took to writing full time. [http://www.bectu.org.uk/news/gen/ng0264.html BECTU News - Tudor Gates dies at 76] ] He worked on the screenplay for "Barbarella", "" and a number of Hammer Film Productions, including the The Karnstein Trilogy. He also wrote for several TV series, including "The Sweeney" and "The Avengers". [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0309633/ IMDb - Tudor Gates] ]

In the 1966 UK general election, Gates stood as the Liberal Party candidate in Bethnal Green, and in 1970 he stood in the Isle of Thanet, placing a distant third on both occasions. In February 1974, he came second in Bethnal Green and Bow, losing votes but again coming second in October.

Turning to the stage again in the mid-1970s, Gates wrote "Who Saw Him Die?", "Aurelia" and "Who Killed Agatha Christie?". [ [http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsG/GatesTudor.htm doollee.com - Gates Tudor] ]

A lifelong trade unionist, Gates became the President of the Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians and supported their merger with the Broadcasting and Entertainment Trades Alliance which formed the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU), of which he served as vice president until 2004. A controversial figure, he twice took his union to court, using legislation passed by the Conservative Party in the 1980s. He stood unsuccessfully for the Presidency of BECTU in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

References