• Menu

    What’s it going to be then, eh?

    The International Anthony Burgess Foundation
    About Anthony Burgess
    • Anthony Burgess
    • Timeline
    • A Clockwork Orange
    • The Music of Anthony Burgess
    • Anthony Burgess and Shakespeare
    • Twentieth Century Dystopian Fiction
    • Earthly Powers: A Resource for Reading Groups
    • One Hand Clapping: A Resource for Reading Groups
    • The Burgess Foundation Podcasts
    The Foundation
    • About the Foundation
    • Reading Room
    • Café Bar
    • Become a Friend
    • Venue hire
    • Join our mailing list
    • Contact
    What’s On
    • Event listings
    • Burgess Centenary
    • Burgess Prize
    • News and Blog
    The International Anthony Burgess Foundation
  • What’s it going to be then, eh?

    OPENING TIMES
    Cafe Bar Monday - Friday 10.00am - 3.00pm
    Reading Room Monday - Friday 10.00am - 4.00pm
    Office Hours Monday - Friday 10.00am - 4.00pm
    HOW TO FIND US
    Engine House
    Chorlton Mill
    3 Cambridge Street
    Manchester
    M1 5BY
    Nearest train station Oxford Road More information
    Next event
    Concert: Etherow Reeds – turning up the bass Wed 27 Feb 2019 7:30 pm £3.00 More information
  • The International Anthony Burgess Foundation
  • What’s it going to be then, eh?

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation
NEWS AND BLOG POSTS

Observer/Burgess Prize: Burgess on Television

  • Graham Foster

  • 22nd November 2016
  • category

  • Blog Posts
  • tagged as

  • Journalism
  • Observer/Burgess Prize
  • Television

burgess-on-tvDespite his literary persona, Anthony Burgess did not think the world of television below him. Not only was Burgess a television reviewer for The Listener, for which he wrote weekly columns between 1963 and 1968, but he also produced scripts for television throughout much of his career. Most notably, he was employed by Lew Grade to write the script for Jesus of Nazareth (1977), the mini series directed by Franco Zeffirelli. This was preceded by the script for another Biblical epic, Moses the Lawgiver (1974), starring Burt Lancaster. Burgess’s writing for television began with the BBC teleplay By the Waters of Leman, a short drama about Byron and Shelley in Geneva. It was broadcast in November 1966 and Burgess subsequently fictionalised its production in Beard’s Roman Women (1976). He wrote for television until the mid-1980s, when he produced the script for A.D. Anno Domini (1985).

This article, originally written for Corriere della Sera in 1986, details Burgess’s not altogether happy experience of judging the 24th International Television Festival of Monte Carlo. It’s an experience he describes as ‘like a prolonged convalescence in which you were forced to waste your time looking at the idiot’s lantern’.

For more information on the Observer/Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism, click here. 

  • Share | 
  • Print
Related Blog posts
The Irwell Edition: ABBA ABBA Graham Foster
The Observer / Anthony Burgess Prize for Journalism – shortlist announced! Burgess Foundation
The Reading Lists of David Bowie and Anthony Burgess Graham Foster
Anthony Burgess on Christmas carols Andrew Biswell
SEE ALL NEWS AND BLOG POSTS
Go to home page
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Go to home page
Follow us

© 2019 International Anthony Burgess Foundation

Charity no. 1102623

International Anthony Burgess Foundation
Engine House Chorlton Mill 3 Cambridge Street M1 5BY
  • Site map
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • Designed by Instruct
  • Built by OH Digital