Brighouse, Harold

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1882

Born

Brighouse was born 26^th July 1882 in Eccles, Lancashire.

1880s and 1890s

Schooling

Attended Manchester Grammar School.

~1899

Left school

Brighouse left education to join a shipping merchant’s office as a textile buyer.

1907

Married

Brighouse married Emily Lynes, who he later had a daughter, Barbara, with.

1909

Published The Doorway

This was Brighouse’s first play. It was a one-act play that was performed at the Gaiety Theatre, Manchester.

1914

Published The Game

This was the first of the ‘Three Lancashire Plays’. It follows a fictional football team, the Blackton Rovers.

1914

Published The Northerners

The second of the ‘Three Lancashire Plays’, it is set in the 1820s during a period of industrial unrest. It follows the tale of a woman who marries the head of a factory while her former lover leads a rebellion against him.

1914–1918

First World War

Brighouse was declared unfit for combat and was not allowed to sign up for the army. However, he later joined what would later become the Royal Air Force, where he worked as part of the Intelligence Staff for the Air Ministry.

1916

Published Hobson’s Choice

This is Brighouse’s best-known play, which follows a shoemaker, Henry Hobson, and his contentious relationship with his three daughters.

1917

Published Fossie for Short

This was Brighouse’s first published novel.

1920

Published Zack

The third and final instalment of the ‘Three Lancashire Plays’, it is a comedy that follows the Munnings, a middle-class family in Lancashire.

1920

Film adaptation of Hobson’s Choice

A silent film was made of a recording of the play.

1923

Published The Wrong Shadow

Brighouse’s fifth novel, and the last to be published before his death.

1930–1931

Dramatic Committee Chairman

From 1930 to 1931, Brighouse served as the chairman for the Society of Authors’ dramatic committee.

1939

Film adaptation of The Followers

The play, published in 1915, was adapted into a TV film starring Austin Trevor and Marjorie Lane.

1945

Published The Inner Man

The last play Brighouse published before his death.

1953

Published What I have Had

This was Brighouse’s autobiography.

1954

Adaptation of Hobson’s Choice

This is the best-known film adaptation of Hobson’s Choice, directed by David Lean.

1958

Died

Brighouse died 25^th July 1958 in London.

1983

TV Adaptation of Hobson’s Choice

This was a TV adaptation of the play, set in America, broadcast on CBS on 21^st December.

2016

Hobson’s Choice on the West End

A West End production of the play opened at the Vaudeville Theatre, London. It featured Martin Shaw as Hobson.

About the Contributor

Megan Small

Writer for ZigZag Education

Hobson's Choice: Activity Pack for GCSE

A thought-provoking play with many literary influences, Hobson’s Choice raises important questions of class, choice and self-improvement. This activity pack tackles all the relevant skills needed for Edexcel Literature through a variety of structured and considered tasks, with emphasis on important contextual factors as well as quotation recall and analysis.