Roy Minton (28 August 1933 – 17 August 2024) was an English playwright and screenwriter best known for Scum and his other work with Alan Clarke. He is notable for having written over 30 one-off scripts for London Weekend Television, Rediffusion, BBC, ATV, Granada, Thames Television and Yorkshire Television, including Sling Your Hook, Horace, Funny Farm, Scum, Goodnight Albert, and The Hunting of Lionel Crane.

Minton translated and performed several of his plays overseas and at festivals in the UK, including a reading of his play for Scum at the Royal Shakespeare Company, London; and Gradual Decline at the Riverside Studios London.

Minton also wrote the screenplay for Scrubbers, a film from which he disassociated himself. He felt the original screenplay had been "savaged" during his absence overseas, and described the final production as "arguably the worst film ever made."

Background

Minton was born Roy Davies, in Nottingham, England on 28 August 1933. He won a two-year scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Minton worked as an actor prior to writing full-time.^[1] He was winner of a BBC playwriting competition, received the Art Council Award and was resident dramatist at the Nottingham Playhouse.

Minton later lived in north London, and worked towards an autobiography. He died on 17 August 2024, at the age of 90.^[1]

Works

Further reading

• Bovver One-act play. Prompt Series, Hutchinson.
• Scum novel adapted from the film script. Hutchinson/Arrow Books

Awards

• Arts Council Award

References

External links

• Roy Minton at IMDb
• Roy Minton’s Blog.
• Scum (TV drama) at the BFI's Screenonline
• 625.org biography