Sid Colin (born Sidney Coblentz; 31 August 1915 – 12 December 1989) was an English scriptwriter, working for radio, television and the cinema.
Colin was born in Islington, London; his father Benjamin Coblentz was a Jewish immigrant from Vilnius in the Russian Empire, who worked in the fur trade.
As well as playing with the band in theatres and on radio broadcasts, Colin became known for interposing one-liner jokes and wisecracks in the style of Groucho Marx.
He became head writer on an established show, Navy Mixture, where he introduced new characters voiced by Jon Pertwee and Jimmy Edwards, among others.
He was then given free rein on a series starring Avril Angers, Friends and Neighbours, followed by the sitcom Dear Dotty in 1954, but neither was successful and Colin returned to radio work.
In 1968, he was appointed Head of Light Entertainment at Yorkshire Television, staying there for five years and giving comedian Les Dawson his first series of programmes.
He continued to work with the show's star, Frankie Howerd, on the spin-off films Up Pompeii, Up the Chastity Belt , and Up the Front, and finally the poorly-received sitcom Whoops Baghdad (1973).