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End credit oddities

When is a writer not a writer? (August 2019)

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RD
rdd Founding member
Though wasn’t Tony Warren’s credit on Coronation Street originally (and I mean until relatively recently!) different - “Based on an idea” or suchlike?
SP
Spencer
rdd posted:
Though wasn’t Tony Warren’s credit on Coronation Street originally (and I mean until relatively recently!) different - “Based on an idea” or suchlike?


I think it only changed after his death in 2016. To me, ‘Created by’ sounds much stronger, and better recognises Tony Warren’s contribution to the programme than ‘Based on an idea by’.

That said, I did quite like Spitting Image’s ‘Based on an original lunch with Martin Lambie-Nairn‘. Laughing
SP
Steve in Pudsey
According to a thread on DS it changed in 2010.
BR
Brekkie
I guess someone can have the idea and someone go on to "create" that idea.
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
Dad's Army was "based on an idea by Jimmy Perry" (see credits) and the Dad's Army show was written by both David Croft and Perry, while Croft produced the series.
JO
Jonwo
Scott & Bailey was based on an idea by Suranne Jones and Sally Lindsay and created by Sally Wainwright and Diane Taylor but I'm not sure if Suranne and Sally were credited though.
JA
james-2001
I know historically in the US, the "created by" credit went to whoever wrote the pilot episode, even if they didn't really have much to do with the development of the show, or had much, if any, involvement after the pilot. But it meant writers were often eager to write pilot episodes so they'd get that credit (and presumably residuals too) on every episode if the show went to a series. So, for example, every episode of Bewitched has "created by Sol Saks", even though he didn't develop the show, or write any episodes after the pilot, but he got his name on all 250-odd episodes as a result. Similar with Bernard Fein on Hogan's Heroes.
Last edited by james-2001 on 23 August 2019 10:55pm
BR
Brekkie
That is odd.
WH
Whataday Founding member
I think it only changed after his death in 2016. To me, ‘Created by’ sounds much stronger, and better recognises Tony Warren’s contribution to the programme than ‘Based on an idea by’.


I believe the reason it was "Based on an idea by" rather than "Created by" is that Warren was a Granada staff writer when he came up with Corrie. So technically the show was considered to be created by Granada.

It wasn't until the late 70s that Warren was paid an annual ex-gratia payment for his role in creating the programme.
MI
Michael
Daleks "originated" by Terry Nation

Caroline Aherne thanked her then boyfriend Alexis Denisof (aka Wesley from Buffy and Angel, nowadays married to Alyson Hannigan) in the credits of The Royle Family.

Phil Mealey's young daughter created a dance for her father's character to do in an episode of Early Doors (he was celebrating his wife coming back to him) and was given a choreography credit.

The dog who played "Timmy" in the original Southern production of the Famous Five books was credited by both his given name and his owning family's surname: "Toddy Woodgate".
VM
VMPhil
Rostrum Camera
KEN MORSE

Videotape Editor
MYKOLA PAWLUK
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
I'm just going to leave this here...


(also mentions MYKOLA PAWLUK if you wanted to know who they were... Wink)

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