John Cargill Thompson

John Cargill Thompson (1 November 1938 – 13 September 2000) was a Scottish dramatist specialising in one-person plays. After the performance of his 52nd play, he was described as "Britain's most prolific playwright", surpassing Shakespeare's 37 and Alan Ayckbourn's 51.

Biography He was born in Burma on 1 November 1938, but brought up in Glasgow. He was educated at Glasgow High School and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He taught in the Drama Department of University College of North Wales, Bangor, and was senior lecturer in acting at the School of Theatre, Manchester Polytechnic, before giving up teaching to write full-time.

Many of his plays were based on the 18th-century dramatists and actors about whom he had taught. He had several successes at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, notably a double Fringe First Award in 1992 for Shylock Triumphant and Every Inch a King, about Charles Macklin and David Garrick respectively. Shylock Triumphant, about Charles Macklin Every Inch a King, about David Garrick When the Rain Stops, the tale of Mrs Noah ... and many more

Books The boys' Dumas, G. A. Henty: aspects of Victorian publishing (Carcanet, 1975, ) An introduction to fifty British plays, 1660-1900 (Pan Books, 1979) (also published by Heinemann as A reader's guide to fifty British plays, 1660-1900, 1980, )