John Chapman initially trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After three years on stage, he decided to turn his skills away from the spoken word and towards the text itself. His first play DRY ROT opened at the Whitehall Theatre, London in 1954. It proved to be a resounding success and ran for three and a half years, a total of 1,475 performances. As a result he decided to concentrate on his playwriting. His next play SIMPLE SPYMEN also ran for over three years and was followed by THE BRIDES OF MARCH, DIPLOMATIC BAGGAGE and OH CLARENCE John is well known for his collaborations with Carla Lane on THE LIVER BIRDS and Ray Cooney in the ever popular comedies, MOVE OVER MRS. MARKMAN, MY GIDDY AUNT, NOT NOW DARLING and THERE GOES THE BRIDE.
