Background
Mitchell was born in Epping, Essex, and educated at Winchester College, where he won the English Verse and Duncan Reading Prizes.
Mitchell was born in Epping, Essex, and educated at Winchester College, where he won the English Verse and Duncan Reading Prizes.
Winchester and Wadham College, Oxford.
He is best known as the writer of the play and film Another Country, and as a screenwriter for television, producing many original plays and series episodes, including at least ten for Inspector Morse. He did his national service in submarines 1953-1955 as a Sub Lieutenant Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He then went to Oxford, where he received a Bachelor with first class honours in 1958. This was followed by a period as a Harkness Fellow in the United States of America (1959-1961).
Since 1962 he has been a freelance writer
In the late 1960s, Mitchell co-wrote the teleplay Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) with Ray Davies of The Kinks. lieutenant was never produced, though it gave rise to the band"s concept album.
He recently recalled the aborted project: "Arthur had a most unhappy history. lieutenant was originally meant to be a.. sort of rock opera, and we got as far as casting (excellent director and actors) and finding locations and were about to go when the producer went to a production meeting without a proper budget, tried to flannel his way through it, was immediately sussed and the production pulled.
I have never been able to forgive the manitoba"
He has also written the screenplay for five movies, starting by co-writing Arabesque (1966), and including the 1984 film adaptation of Another Country, Wilde, and Vincent & Theo.
In 2007 he wrote the BBC4 drama Consenting Adults about Sir John Wolfenden and his celebrated 1957 report.
Literature Panel, Arts Council 1966-1969, Welsh Arts Council since 1988.