Acclaimed TV writer Plater dies aged 75

AWARD-WINNING screen and stage writer Alan Plater died yesterday after losing a battle with cancer. He was 75.

In a career that spanned half a century, his work included Z Cars, The Beiderbecke Affair, Fortunes of War, Last of the Blonde Bombshells, Barchester Chronicles, A Very British Coup and Lewis.

Plater, who lived in north London, had almost 300 assorted credits in radio, television, theatre and films to his name. He also wrote six novels.

He received awards from Bafta, the Broadcasting Press Guild and the Royal Television Society, plus an International Emmy.

His agent, Alexandra Cann, described him as a "highly esteemed writer".

Plater, who received the Dennis Potter Bafta in 2005, trained as an architect in Newcastle before becoming a writer.