Claim: Maurice Leitch's first novel was The Liberty Lad and second novel was Poor Lazarus he then joined BBC.
Evidence: His first novel was The Liberty Lad, published in 1965. His second novel, Poor Lazarus was awarded the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1969, and Silver's City won the Whitbread Prize in 1981. In 1970, he moved to London to become a producer in the BBC's Radio drama department.