Alfred James Shaughnessy, sometimes known as "Freddy Shaughnessy", was an English scriptwriter and producer best known for being the script editor of Upstairs, Downstairs.
Background
Alfred Shaughnessy was born in London, his father, the Honorary Alfred Shaughnessy, having died while serving with the Canadian army two months before. His grandfather Thomas Shaughnessy was an American-born Canadian railway administrator, who was created Baron Shaughnessy in 1916, and his mother was a second cousin of James K. Polk, the 11th United States President. He spent his early years living in Tennessee, and in 1920 his mother, Sarah Polk Bradford, married The Honorary Sir Piers Legh and he then became Equerry to the Prince of Wales, and the family moved to Norfolk Square in London.
Career
The family had a butler, cook, footman, two housemaids, a kitchen maid and a lady"s maid. The Prince of Wales later visited the house for dinner, and he drew on this when writing the Upstairs, Downstairs episode Guest of Honour. Sir Piers Legh later became Master of the Household.
Shaughnessy was educated at Summer Fields then Eton, and then went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst with the intention of joining the Grenadier Guards.
However, in 1935 he resigned on grounds of conscience once stating he didn"t wish a career dedicated "to learning to kill men". He then had an unsuccessful time at the London Stock Exchange, and had a hectic social life, with debutante balls, shooting parties and country weekends.
In the late 1930s, he began to write lyrics and sketches, but at the outbreak of war in 1939 he returned to the Army, and on Doctorate-Day landed with the Guards Armoured Division on Gold Beach. After the war ended, he got a job at Ealing Studios, and he soon began his career as a successful writer, producer and director
In 1956, he directed the film Suspended Alibi and continued to direct and produce during the 1950s and 1960s.
In the 1970s, he began to focus on script writing. His first major success was Upstairs, Downstairs. He wrote fifteen episodes, and was the script editor for 66 episodes, and was meticulous in researching facts about the era.
He later wrote episodes for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Cedar Tree, The Irish Royal Marines, All Creatures Great and Small, The Saint and Alleyn Mysteries.
Shaughnessy wrote two novels, Dearest Enemy and Hugo.