After witnessing a huge response to his 1980 BBC play Minor Complications, Peter set up Avma with wife Cynthia and solicitor Arnold Simanowitz OBE, who served as the organisation’s first Chief Executive. Over 40 years later, Avma supports thousands of people every year who have experienced avoidable medical harm and continues to be a major influence in campaigning for improved patient safety practices.
Peter’s first BBC Play for Today was Kate, the Good Neighbour, which won the Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Film and TV Festival in 1980. He also wrote film adaptations of two novels in the 90s, both of which starred future BAFTA winners: The Hawk (1993) with Helen Mirren and The Cormorant (1995) with Ralph Fiennes.
Peter’s final works for TV included the BAFTA-nominated Fingersmith for BBC One in 2005, the TV movie A Good Murder in 2006, and the ITV crime drama Fallen Angel in 2007, starring Charles Dance and Emilia Fox. Later in life he wrote the “Tom Neave Trilogy”, a captivating series of novels set during the English Civil War. The trilogy included acclaimed titles Plague Child, Cromwell’s Blessing, and The King’s List.
Peter Ransley died on 29 January 2026, aged 94. He is survived by wife Cynthia, their son Nicholas, daughter Rebecca, and four grandchildren.
