RALPH PETERSON (1921–1997) was born in Adelaide and began acting as a child. He started writing for radio and film after military service in World War II. Best known as a writer and producer for television, he wrote five stage plays beginning with The Square Ring in 1951 which he adapted from a radio serial he had written for the ABC. Performed in London and Melbourne, it was later made into a film by Ealing Studios. His second play, The Night of the Ding-Dong played in Britain and the USA as well as Australia. He also wrote The Third Secretary, one of the first plays published by Currency Press in 1972, The Mating of Ulrich Dooley and The Big Boat. His forte was comedy.