Harold Brighouse

Born in Eccles, Lancashire, on July 26, 1882, Harold Brighouse grew up in the industrial north of England and was educated at Manchester Grammar School. He became known as one of the key writers of the Manchester School, a group of dramatists associated with realistic, often witty plays about everyday northern life.

Brighouse’s most famous work is Hobson’s Choice, the comedy that has kept his name in public view and is still the work he is most closely linked with. University of Salford material on his archive also notes that he wrote novels and that his work often engaged with questions of gender and social class.

He died in London on July 25, 1958, one day before his seventy-sixth birthday. Today he is remembered chiefly for his lively stage writing, regional voice, and his place in early 20th-century British drama.