Cyril Abraham

He had a period as a Bevin Boy down Bold Colliery before serving as a Marconi wireless operator in the Merchant Navy during World War II.

While still driving buses in Liverpool he met local school teacher Joan Thomas; she encouraged him to start writing by renting a typewriter for him when he could not afford to do so for himself.

[3] Abraham's writing for television included Coronation Street (1960), The Verdict is Yours (1962), Suspense (1963), The Villains (1964), No Hiding Place (1960–1964), Catch Hand (1964), Londoners (1965), King of the River (1966), Z-Cars (1967), The Expert (1968), The First Lady (1969), Dixon of Dock Green (1969), Counterstrike (1969), Paul Temple (1969–1970), Owen, M.D.

The Onedin Line first appeared as a one-off BBC Drama Playhouse production transmitted on 7 December 1970; and though thought lost, a copy of this episode was found in the American Library of Congress in September 2010.

An article in Woman magazine published in July 1973 featured an interview with Abraham in which he recalled how he came up with the very unusual family name Onedin.

[6] The books are not straightforward novelisations of the television episodes, since the author introduced additional material and also changed a number of details, though dialogue from the series that Abraham had penned himself is used.