Ben Elton Ben Elton Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, author, playwright, actor and director. He was a part of London's alternative comedy movement of the 1980s and became a writer on series such as "The Young Ones" and "Blackadder", as well as continuing as a stand-up comedian on stage and television. His style in the 1980s was left-wing political satire. Since then he has published 15 novels and written the musicals "We Will Rock You" (2002) and "Love Never Dies" (2010), the sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera". His novels cover the dystopian, comedy, and
Comedy-drama type of comedy-drama hybrid. Examples of this genre include "All in the Family", "M*A*S*H", and "One Day at a Time". Another example was "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd", which aired from 1987 to 1991. In fact, the term "dramedy" was coined to describe the late 1980s wave of shows, including "Hooperman", "Frank's Place", and "Doogie Howser, M.D.". These early shows influenced how general TV comedies and series (especially family themed sitcoms) were developed. They often included brief dramatic interludes and more serious subject matter. An example of a successful comedy-drama series that distinguished this genre in television was