This is the third Christmas Eve spent in the company of convicts Gilbert and Crosby (the first two being Kidnapped at Christmas and Christmas Crackers). Our lovable heroes are back in prison again with Warders Mullins and MacBain.|2 women, 7 men
Willis Hall was an English playwright and radio and television writer who drew on his working class Leeds roots in much of his material.
His most famous creation was probably Billy Liar (1960), co-written with life-long friend and collaborator Keith Waterhouse, and based on the latter's novel. His rise to fame had come from his play about British soldiers in the Malayan jungle The Long and the Short and the Tall.
He wrote more than a dozen children's books, including a series about a family called the Hollins who meet a vegetarian vampire called Count Alucard. He also wrote a book, Henry Hollins and the Dinosaur. His membership in the Magic Circle was a source of inspiration for these books. He also wrote 40 radio and television plays, as well as contributing to many TV series, including The Return of the Antelope and Minder.
He wrote a musical about the scarecrow Worzel Gummidge, and others based on the books Treasure Island and The Wind in the Willows. He also wrote Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure.