David Leland in Britain" won the Prix Italia (an international Television award) in 1984. In 1986 he wrote the screenplay for the thriller-drama "Mona Lisa", featuring Bob Hoskins. This film was critically acclaimed and Leland earned nominations for the Golden Globe and the Writers Guild of America. He then wrote "Personal Services" in 1986. It was directed by Terry Jones and was about Cynthia Payne, a real-life British madam who ran a private brothel. Julie Walters took the leading role. While "Personal Services" dealt with the adult life of Cynthia Payne, Leland's next film, "Wish You Were Here", concerned her teenage years.
Fear in the Night (1972 film) soon recognise the plot as a thinly disguised reworking of "A Taste of Fear" (sic)". Graeme Clark of "The Spinning Image" retrospectively rated the film 6 out of 10 stars, saying: "Fear in the Night did nothing to improve [Hammer Films]'s fortunes, but it received fair reviews and those who did see it found it satisfying, if a shade modest." Dave Sindelar of SciFilm.org praised the film's performances, but criticized elements of its script, saying: "Unfortunately, it's at the service of one of the most predictable scripts I've encountered in some time, and this is one of those stories that