Likely Lads creator and Allanian Ian La Frenais returns to Dame Allan's Schools

WRITER Ian La Frenais – creator of some of the most iconic comedy shows on television – returned to Dame Allan’s where he was a pupil in the ‘50s, to inspire some of the Schools’ budding creative writers.

La Frenais, whose famous partnership with Dick Clement has seen the creation of much-loved TV sitcoms including Porridge, The Likely Lads and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, came back to talk with senior pupils interested in scriptwriting, creative writing and production.

The writer, who like Clement now lives in LA, spoke fondly of his time at school. “Growing up in Whitley Bay and my happy schooldays at Dame Allan’s defined me as a person. While I live and work in the ‘craziness’ that is Hollywood, the values I hold dear are rooted in my upbringing,” he said.

“I’m proud to be from the North East, it’s a place that means a lot to me, and it’s why many of the scripts I’ve written are set here.”   

Born in Monkseaton, La Frenais went to primary school in Whitley Bay before attending Dame Allan’s Boys’ School, where he was a keen rugby player and often involved backstage in theatre productions.

During Tuesday’s visit he was taken on a tour of the school’s Fenham site by Sixth Form pupils Arwen and Annabel, and shown the new Jubilee Building.

“It’s great to come back. While some of the original buildings look physically the same on the outside, it’s incredible to see the transformation inside and be shown the new development, with its fantastic space for art,” he said.

“The students here are really switched on and knowledgeable; it’s been a real pleasure.”  

Despite his huge success, La Frenais had no idea what career path he would take while at Dame Allan’s. He admitted: “I accidentally got into scriptwriting in my 20s thanks to a series of chance meetings – it wasn’t something I thought about doing during my schooldays. However, I remember leaving Dame Allan’s open to opportunity. I definitely wouldn’t have experienced the success I’ve had, had it not been for my move from school into the army.”

After finishing school in 1954, he went on to complete his National Service in the British Army. He credits that time for developing his observational powers and his ability to write about people and ‘real’ life so convincingly. “It helped me to develop characters and create backstories that gained an audience’s empathy and captured their imagination,” he said.  

La Frenais and Clement have co-written a number of films, including The Commitments, which won the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy, Excess Baggage, and the DreamWorks / Aardman animation Flushed Away.

Aside from his collaborations with Clement, La Frenais, who was made an OBE in the Queen’s 2007 Birthday Honours list, created and co-created many other TV series including Lovejoy and BBC detective series Spender.

Now in his eighties, he has no plans to retire from writing. He told pupils: “To be in this business you need to be fiercely passionate – passionate about your ideas, passionate about your writing and passionate about the industry.

“It is the passion inside that keeps you going. If I can give you any advice it would be this… serve the universe best, doing what you love most.”

Principal Will Scott said: “It was an honour to welcome Ian back to Dame Allan’s and listen as he regaled us with stories from both his schooldays and his long and successful career as a writer.

“We have many pupils interested in, and very capable of, a future career in creative arts, writing and drama, and we are very grateful to Ian for imparting his wisdom and answering their questions with good grace and humour.”