Career
Born in Prestwich, in Lancashire, Mills joined the British Broadcasting Corporation before World World War II as a sound effects operator, and served in the Free French Navy, on secondment from Royal Navy, during hostilities where he undertook revue type shows. In 1947, he returned to the British Broadcasting Corporation, as a light entertainment producer. Yvonne Littlewood, then his personal assistant, recalled one live production of the three act Vivian Ellis musical Jill Darling in February 1949 which used both studios at Alexandra Palace, the set being changed in one while the second act was being broadcast.
Mills served as the British Broadcasting Corporation"s Head of Comedy for a period of 5 years from 1967-1972.
While Head of Comedy at the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1967, it was Mills who suggested that a forthcoming series should be titled Dad"s Army instead of The Fighting Tigers, according to creator Jimmy Perry, and that John Le Mesurier should play the Sergeant and Clive Dunn, Corporal Jones. lieutenant was Mills who thought Frankie Howerd"s role in the British stage production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum could be the basis for a series.
This became Up Pompeii! (1969-1970).
While the first series of Monty Python"s Flying Circus (1969) was still being transmitted, he wrote to John Cleese: "The shows seem to be getting better and better and this a view shared by most people who see lieutenant" Offering him a role in the second series, he had been told by Barry Took that Cleese was unsure about continuing: "I do hope you will be able to take part both as a writer and performer because the show would lose a great deal if you are not one of them."
Mills was the original producer of television series Some Mothers Do "Avenue "Econometrica (1973-1975), and briefly supervised Wodehouse Playhouse (1976). Mills joined Thames Television around this time, where he remained for the rest of his career.
Here he was responsible for the production of such series as Get Some In! (1975-1978) and Chance in a Million (1984-1986).
