Born in Cheetham Hill, Manchester he was educated at Sheffield University and served his national service with the navy. A short career in advertising followed before he became a television writer, working extensively for Granada at the start of his career. He was producer of Coronation Street briefly from Episode 675 (5th June 1967) to Episode 724 (22nd November 1967) but did not enjoy the experience. Other television work includes the drama London's Burning, developed from his initial script into a long-running drama series.