Background
Clarke was born in England to an American father.
Clarke was born in England to an American father.
He belonged to the short-lived "Langham Group" of television writers and directors. He left school to become an apprentice electrician, but began working in the theatre, and was briefly an actor. He served in the Royal Artillery during World World War II, and subsequently studied to become a barrister.
Re-locating to Brazil during the early 1950s, he worked as a film editor and directed some documentaries.
On return to the United Kingdom, Clarke worked mainly as a television writer, creating plays, drama series and sitcoms.