Today marks the centenary of the birth of the British theatre pioneer Stephen Joseph on 13 June 1921 and the Ayckbourn YouTube channel has a new video to mark the occasion.

Stephen is, indisputably, the most significant and influential figure in Alan Ayckbourn’s life and was the person responsible for encouraging Alan to both write and direct.

Not only was he responsible for encouraging Alan into these two careers we most associate with him, but his influence was so significant that after Stephen’s death in 1967, Alan took over the running of the theatre he had founded in Scarborough and was Artistic Director of it for the next 37 years, preserving Stephen’s legacy.

To mark the anniversary, Alan Ayckbourn’s Archivist Simon Murgatroyd M.A. presents a new video – Stephen Joseph: Alan Ayckbourn’s Inspiration – on the Ayckbourn YouTube channel exploring why Stephen Joseph is so important to understanding Alan Ayckbourn and why he played such a significant part in Alan’s life.

Stephen Joseph: Alan Ayckbourn’s Inspiration can be found here on the Ayckbourn channel and please help support the YouTube channel by subscribing to it.