By Stephen Wyatt

WGGB member Alan Drury (left) has died in hospital after suffering poor health for a number of years. Although he had not been an active member of the WGGB for some time, Alan made a significant contribution to its work as an energetic and knowledgeable chair of the radio committee, particularly in the negotiations around the inception of BBC Radio 7, now Radio 4 Extra.

His work was premiered at, among others, the National Theatre (with his ground-breaking monologue The Man Himself), the Royal Court, Hampstead Theatre, the Bush Theatre, the ICA, York Theatre Royal, Durham Cathedral, and on Radios 3 & 4, BBC1, ITV and C4. He was also resident dramatist at York Theatre Royal and the Royal Court and worked as literary manager for both Hampstead Theatre and BBC Radio Drama.

Drury was also a fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, the UK charity dedicated to helping writers in financial difficulty.