Christopher Matthew
{{short description|British writer and broadcaster (born 1939)}}
{{for|persons of a similar name|Chris Matthews (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Christopher Matthew
| image = Christopher Matthew, London, 2010.jpg
| image_size =
| alt = Christopher Matthew, London, 2010
| caption =
| genre = Books, radio, television
| birth_name = Christopher Charles Forrest Matthew
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1939|5|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = Lewisham, South London, England
| occupation = Writer, broadcaster
| language = English
| education = The King's School, Canterbury
St Peter's College, Oxford
| notableworks = Now We Are Sixty, Diary of a Somebody
| spouse = Wendy
| partner =
| children = Two sons, one stepdaughter
| awards =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| website = {{URL|christophermatthew.co.uk}}
}}
Christopher Charles Forrest Matthew (born 8 May 1939) is a British writer{{cite web |url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/m/14083/Christopher%20Charles%20Forrest+MATTHEW.aspx |title=Christopher Matthew, Esq Authorised Biography – Debrett's People of Today, Christopher Matthew, Esq Profile |website=www.debretts.com |access-date=27 January 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130220021149/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/m/14083/Christopher%20Charles%20Forrest+MATTHEW.aspx |archive-date=20 February 2013 |url-status=dead}} and broadcaster. He is the author of Now We Are Sixty, inspired by the poems of A. A. Milne in the book Now We Are Six, and the chronicler of the life and times of the hapless hero, Simon Crisp, in Diary of a Somebody.
Early life
Matthew was born in Lewisham, South London.Who's Who, 2013, p. 1548 As a child he lived in Merle Common, Surrey, and then in nearby Oxted. He spent most of his teenage years in Burnham Market in Norfolk. He was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, and read English at St Peter's College, Oxford.{{Cite web|url=http://www.spc.ox.ac.uk/text/321/notable_alumni.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716225542/http://www.spc.ox.ac.uk/text/321/notable_alumni.html|url-status=dead|title=St Peter's College, Oxford University – Notable Alumni|archivedate=16 July 2012}}
Career
After a year spent teaching in a girls' finishing school in Switzerland, Matthew worked as a copywriter in various London advertising agencies including JWT, before becoming a full-time writer in 1970.
His books include Diary of a Somebody, Loosely Engaged, The Long-Haired Boy (adapted for TV as A Perfect Hero, starring Nigel Havers), an annotated edition with Benny Green of Three Men in a Boat, The Junket Man, How to Survive Middle Age, Family Matters, The Amber Room,Review by Douglas Hurd, The Daily Telegraph, London, 11 February 1995 A Nightingale Sang in Fernhurst Road, Now We Are Sixty,{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3721068.stm|title=Homer tops poetry bestseller list|date=7 October 2004|website=News.bbc.co.uk|accessdate=5 August 2019}} Knocking On, Now We Are Sixty (and a Bit), Summoned by Balls, When We Were Fifty, The Man Who Dropped the Le Creuset on His Toe and Other Bourgeois Mishaps, and Dog Treats: An Assortment of Mutts, Mongrels, Puppies and Pooches.
As a journalist, he has been a travel writer for The Sunday Times, a restaurant critic for Vogue, a property correspondent for Punch, and a television and book reviewer for the Daily Mail.
He has written short stories for BBC Radio 4 and his radio plays include A Portrait of Richard Hillary, Madonna's Plumber,{{Cite web|url=http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/m/ma/madonna_s_plumber.html|title=Madonna's Plumber|website=Radiolistings.co.uk|accessdate=5 August 2019}} and A Nightingale Sang in Fernhurst Road.
He contributed scripts to the ITV series, The Good Guys with Nigel Havers and Keith Barron, and a stage play, Summoned by Betjeman, starring Robert Daws, was performed at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, the Royal Theatre, Northampton, and Clwyd Theatr Cymru.
In 1983 Matthew, Tim Rice and Benny Green recreated Jerome K. Jerome's classic Thames journey in Three More Men in a Boat for BBC Television.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78032e30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003070718/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78032e30|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 October 2018|title=Three more Men in a Boat (1983)|website=Bfi.org.uk|accessdate=5 August 2019}}
He has appeared many times over the years on BBC Radio 4 – among other things as chairman of The Travelling Show, presenter of Something to Declare, Points of Departure and Plain Tales from the Rhododendrons, and panellist on Quote Unquote. For several years he worked with Alan Coren on Freedom Pass{{Cite web|url=http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/f/fr/freedom_pass.html|title=Freedom Pass|website=Radiolistings.co.uk|accessdate=5 August 2019}} (nominated for a Sony Award), and with Des Lynam on Touchline Tales.{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-11-29/des-lynam-and-christopher-matthew-our-most-memorable-moments-watching-sport/|title=Des Lynam and Christopher Matthew: our most memorable moments watching sport|website=Radio Times|accessdate=5 August 2019}} In 2012 he recorded a special Freedom Pass episode with Terry Waite,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2012/52/freedom_pass_special.html|title=BBC - Freedom Pass Special - Media Centre|website=Bbc.co.uk|accessdate=5 August 2019|archive-date=7 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807214059/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2012/52/freedom_pass_special.html|url-status=dead}} and in 2013 he and Martin Jarvis journeyed back to their childhood homes in Grey Shorts and Sandals.{{Cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/cpqkvd/grey-shorts-and-sandals |title=Grey Shorts and Sandals | Radio Times |access-date=11 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413131301/http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/cpqkvd/grey-shorts-and-sandals |archive-date=13 April 2014 |url-status=dead }} Most recently he presented a three-hour celebration of the life of Alan Coren – The Sage of Cricklewood – for Pier Productions on BBC Radio 4 Extra.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/tv-radio/2014/radio-review-sage-cricklewood-alan-coren-4-extra-portraying-real-lives/|title=Radio review: The Sage of Cricklewood – Alan Coren on 4 Extra; Portraying Real Lives | TV & radio|first=Nick|last=Smurthwaite|date=31 March 2014}}
Personal life
Bibliography
- A Different World: Stories of Great Hotels, Paddington Press (1974)
- Diary of a Somebody, Hutchinson (1978)
- Loosely Engaged, Hutchinson (1980)
- The Long-Haired Boy, Hamish Hamilton (1980)
- The Crisp Report, Hutchinson (1981)
- Three Men in a Boat (annotated edition with Benny Green), Pavilion Books (1982)
- The Junket Man, Arrow (1983)
- How to Survive Middle Age, Pavilion Books (1983)
- Family Matters, Hodder & Stoughton (1987)
- The Amber Room, Sinclair-Stevenson (1995)
- A Nightingale Sang in Fernhurst Road, John Murray (1998)
- Now We Are Sixty, John Murray (1999)
- Knocking On, John Murray (2001)
- Now We Are Sixty (and a Bit), John Murray (2003)
- Summoned by Balls, John Murray (2005)
- When We Were Fifty, John Murray (2007)
- The Man Who Dropped the Le Creuset on His Toe and Other Bourgeois Mishaps, Little, Brown (2013)
- Dog Treats: An Assortment of Mutts, Mongrels, Puppies and Pooches, Little, Brown (2014)
- A Bus Pass Named Desire, Little, Brown (2016)
- The Old Man and the Knee: How to be a Golden Oldie, Little, Brown (2017)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/search/results/14083/Christopher%20Charles%20Forrest%20MATTHEW.aspx Christopher Matthew at Debrett's]
- {{IMDb name|1442102}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130116092513/http://www.jonathanpegg.com/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=278 Christopher Matthew at Jonathan Pegg Literary Agency]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthew, Christopher}}
Category:Alumni of St Peter's College, Oxford
Category:British male journalists
Category:English radio personalities