1 February 1900 |
Born in Wandsworth, London. |
1913-1918 |
Attends Westminster School, London. |
1918-1919 |
Coldstream Guards. |
1919-1923 |
Merton College, Oxford. Reads English Language and
Literature. |
1923-1926 |
Secretary to Henry Arthur James, the playwright. |
1926-1936 |
Lectures in English Literature at Birkbeck College,
London University. |
1927 |
Marries Mary Attenborough. Lives in Chiswick. |
1928 |
Son, Andrew Potter born. |
1929 |
The Young Man, a novel, is published by
Jonathan Cape. |
1930 |
D.H.Lawrence: a First Study, the first book
about D.H.Lawrence, is published by Jonathan Cape. |
1931 |
Son, Julian Potter born. |
1934 |
Minnow among Tritons, the letters of Mrs
Coleridge about her husband and the Lake District poets, is
published by Nonesuch Press. |
1934 |
Selects and edits The Nonesuch Coleridge. |
1935 |
Coleridge and S.T.C., exploring the dual
nature of Coleridge, is published by Jonathan Cape. |
1936 |
Writes his first programme for the radio,
transmitted on the BBC. |
1937 |
The Muse in Chains, an attack on methods of
teaching English in Universities, is published by Jonathan Cape. |
1938 |
Joins the Savile Club, London. |
1 January 1939 |
Joins the BBC full-time as writer and producer in
Features. |
1939 - 1945 |
Moves with BBC to Evesham, then Manchester and then
back to London. Wrote and/or produced between 150 and 200 programmes
during the war. |
June 1943 |
Produces and co-writes How to Talk to Children,
the first of 29 "How" satirical radio programmes, in
collaboration with Joyce Grenfell. |
1945 - 1947 |
Dramatic critic of New Statesman and Nation. |
1945 - 1951 |
Lives in Harley Street, London. |
1946 - 1949 |
Book reviewer for News Chronicle. |
29 September 1946 |
BBC launches the Third Programme (the third radio
station). A Potter/Grenfell collaboration, How to Listen,
opens the new station. |
1947 |
Gamesmanship - the art of winning games without
actually cheating is published by Rupert Hart-Davis. |
1949 |
Leaves BBC to be Editor of The Leader, a
Hulton Press Weekly. |
1950 |
Lifemanship is published by Rupert
Hart-Davis. |
1951 |
Moves to Aldeburgh, Suffolk. Lives at Red House. |
1952 |
One-upmanship is published by Rupert
Hart-Davis. |
1954 |
An anthology, Sense of Humour, is published
by Max Reinhardt. |
1955 |
Divorced from Mary Potter. Marries Heather Jenner,
founder of the Marriage Bureau. |
1956 |
Potter on America, observations based on
lecture tours in the United States, is published by Rupert
Hart-Davis. |
1956 |
Son, Luke Potter, is born. |
1958 |
Supermanship is published by Rupert
Hart-Davis. |
1959 |
The Magic Number, a corporate history of
H.J.Heinz, is published by Max Reinhardt. |
1959 |
Steps to Immaturity, an autobiography to
the age of 20, is published by Rupert Hart-Davis. |
1965 |
Squawky, a children's book, is published by
Heinemann. |
December 1969 |
Dies in Hampstead, London, from pneumonia (following lung cancer). |
1973 |
An etymology of words from Nature, Pedigree,
is finished by Laurens Sargent after Potter's death based on his
notes, and is published by Collins in the New Naturalist series. |