Profile of Brian Moore (25 August 1921 – 11 January 1999), the renowned Northern Irish novelist and author of acclaimed titles including The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1955) and The Emperor of Ice-cream (1965).

Brain Moore discusses the life experiences and cultural touchstones that were pivotal in his development as a writer. He shares his thoughts on the writing experience and quotes from his own novels.

For Brian Moore, becoming a writer was an act of defiance. He rebelled against the notion that he should follow a pretermined career path - in his case to become a doctor. An aptitude for French helped him get a job in North Africa during WWII and, in the process, helped him escape his parents' expectations. After the war, he would emigrate to North America.

In a candid interview, Moore describes the stifling Catholicism in which he grew up and notes that, despite growing-up opposite an Orange Hall, it wasn't until he was an adult that he "met a Protestant".

Despite his personal upbringing, Moore states that he is not in the least bit personally religious and, whilst several of his novels have a strongly anti-clerical strand - he appreciates the Protestant and Jewish cultures for their "artistic" merits.

ITV Schools was the educational television service set up in 1957 by the Independent Television Authority, broadcasting learning programmes for children ages 5 to 18 across ITV-affiliated stations. It was an example of public service broadcasting on a commerical television network. ITV moved its schools programming to Channel 4 in 1987, although ITV continued to produce programmes and the service continued to use the ITV name for another six years.The last ITV Schools programme on Channel 4 aired on Monday, 28th June, 1993.   

Produced by Ulster Television and Flying Fox Films for Channel Four Schools.

• NI Direct - PRONI
• Guardian - Obituary Brian Moore