# Maurice Gran

Maurice Bernard Gran (born 26 October 1949 in London, England) is an English writer and one half of scriptwriting duo Marks and Gran. He co-wrote the sitcoms The New Statesman, Birds of a Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart with Laurence Marks. Their theatre works include Dreamboats and Petticoats, Save the Last Dance for Me and Dreamboats and Miniskirts.

## Biography

Born to a Jewish family, Gran lived in Finsbury Park Road as a child and his father was the manager of a fabric shop in Soho. He attended William Ellis School, a grammar school for boys in Highgate. He then rose to be the manager of the Job Centre in Tottenham, whilst writing scripts with Laurence Marks which they submitted to the BBC.
The duo had begun writing together after they met at a discussion group for writers that was held within the British Drama League. They were given the opportunity to write a radio show for Frankie Howerd after a chance meeting with Barry Took. Gran is also the co-author of Prudence at Number 10, a satirical diary supposedly written by Gordon Brown's P.A.

## Writing credits

| Production | Notes | Broadcaster |
| The Marti Caine Show | 5 episodes (1980) | BBC2 |
| Roots | 6 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1981) | ITV |
| Holding the Fort | 20 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1980–1982) | ITV |
| Shine on Harvey Moon | 25 episodes (1982, 1984–1985, 1995) | ITV |
| Roll Over Beethoven | 12 episodes (1985) | ITV |
| Relative Strangers | 3 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1985–1987) | Channel 4 |
| The Bretts | 3 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1987) | ITV |
| Alan B'Stard Closes Down the BBC | Comic Relief special (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1988) | BBC1 |
| Young, Gifted and Broke | 7 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1989) | ITV |
| Snakes and Ladders | 7 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1989) | Channel 4 |
| Birds of a Feather | 129 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1989–1994, 1996–1998, 2014–2017, 2020) | BBC1/ITV |
| Bullseye! | Feature film (co-written with Leslie Bricusse, Laurence Marks, Nick Mead and Michael Winner, 1990) | N/A |
| So You Think You've Got Troubles | 6 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1991) | BBC1 |
| Screen One | "Wall of Silence" (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1993) | BBC1 |
| Get Back | 10 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1992–1993) | BBC1 |
| Love Hurts | 30 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1992–1994) | BBC1 |
| The New Statesman | 29 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1987–1992) | ITV BBC1 |
| A. B'Stard Exposed | Television film (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1994) | BBC1 |
| Goodnight Sweetheart | 59 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1993–1999, 2016) | BBC1 |
| Mosley | 4 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks and Nicholas Mosley, 1998) | Channel 4 |
| Unfinished Business | 12 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1998–1999) | BBC One |
| Starting Out | 8 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 1999) | BBC One |
| Believe Nothing | 6 episodes (co-written with Laurence Marks, 2002) | ITV |
| The Last Laugh | "Pilot" (co-written with Laurence Marks, 2005) | BBC Three |
| Mumbai Calling | "Pilot" (co-written with Laurence Marks and Sanjeev Bhaskar, 2007) | ITV |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Work | Category | Result | Reference |
| 1990 | British Academy Television Awards | The New Statesman | Best Comedy Series (with Tony Charles, Geoffrey Sax and Laurence Marks) | Nominated |
| 1991 | British Academy Television Awards | The New Statesman | Best Comedy Series (with Tony Charles, Geoffrey Sax and Laurence Marks) | Won |