Beware of Johnny Washington

Francis Henry Durbridge was born 25th November 1912 in Hull. In 1938, Durbridge created the character Paul Temple, a crime novelist and detective. In addition to the Paul Temple series, Durbridge wrote other mysteries for radio and television. Durbridge also forged a successful career as a writer for the stage with seven plays, and wrote 43 novels, many of which were adapted from his scripts, sometimes with the help of others. Durbridge married Norah Lawley in 1940, they had two sons. He died at his home in Barnes, aged 85 on 11th April 1998.