Career
After wartime work for the German Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, he worked in comedy. He was producer of the The Goon Show"s first two series. Owing to his fondness for alcohol, the Goons nicknamed him "Dennis Main Drain".
Subsequently he produced the first four series of Hancock"s Half Hour on radio before leaving to train in television
Till Death Us Do Participant, also for the British Broadcasting Corporation, is his best remembered television work. Main Wilson has been described by Screenonline as "arguably the most important and influential of all comedy producers/directors in British radio and television".
Other shows he produced include Sykes and a.. with Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, Here"s Harry with Harry Worth, lieutenant"s Marty starring Marty Feldman and The Rag Trade (which he also directed). He had less success with Private Eye television, an attempt to turn the magazine Private Eye into a television programme.
In 1976, a scene-shifter at the British Broadcasting Corporation handed him a script he had written.
Main Wilson turned it into Citizen Smith. Main Wilson gave television breaks to Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Griff Rhys Jones and Emma Thompson. Main Wilson died of lung cancer at the age of 72.
Until March 2013 Andrew Main Wilson was chief operating officer of the Institute of Directors.
