SOURCE: "The Man in Short Trousers," in New Statesman and Society, May 3, 1996, pp. 18-19.

In the following essay, Eyre offers personal impressions of Potter, places him in television history, considers his work among his contemporaries writing for the stage, and discusses the aptness of Potter's work for the medium of television.

I first met Dennis in 1978, just before I joined the BBC as producer of Play for Today. We were in Edinburgh for the annual television conference and somebody introduced us. I remember advancing my hand and Dennis glaring at me. "I don't shake hands." No explanation, no "sorry", just this childlike, abrasive, bullying quality that's absolutely characteristic of the man and his work.

Of course, I already knew Dennis's work. One of the first TV plays that really made a mark on me was Stand Up Nigel Barton (1965). I didn't go to the theatre as a child...