From humble beginnings – born in Czechoslovakia and arriving in Britain as a refugee at the age of eight – Tom Stoppard rose to become one of the greatest writers of his generation. Over more than six decades, he produced a remarkable body of work encompassing theatre, film, radio and television.

Having spent his early childhood in Singapore and India during the Second World War, Sir Tom moved to England in 1946 with his mother and stepfather, his own father having been killed in Singapore.  He attended Pocklington School as a boarder from 1951 to 1954, receiving a special award for Use of English at Prizegiving in his final year. Shortly afterwards, at the age of 17, he left school to begin work as a journalist in Bristol, before moving to London in 1960 to pursue his career as a playwright.

His breakthrough came with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (debuted 1966), followed by enduring classics such as Travesties (1974), The Real Thing (1982), and Arcadia (1993). His final, semi-autobiographical work, Leopoldstadt (2020), earned him both an Olivier Award for Best New Play and later in 2023 a Tony Award for Best Play.

Beyond his stage triumphs, Sir Tom achieved notable success in film, co-writing the screenplay for Shakespeare in Love (1998), which won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He also contributed to many other highly acclaimed films, including Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun (1987), and Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina (2012).

Throughout his life, Sir Tom was widely recognised not only for his exceptional contribution to literature but also for his enduring commitment to freedom, humanity, and the power of language. He was appointed CBE in 1978, knighted in 1997, and, in 2000, became a member of the prestigious Order of Merit, a distinction limited to just 24 living members at any one time and appointed personally by the Sovereign.

In 2001, Pocklington School opened a 300-seat theatre named in his honour. Returning to cut the ribbon at the official opening on 1 May, Sir Tom addressed staff, pupils, and guests with the following reflection:

“The arts are often thought of as being some kind of special box that only special people are interested in. This is to miss the point of the arts. To understand the point of the arts you really have to imagine a society where everything to do with the arts is taken away. This theatre is not for certain people, but for the complete person. This is a theatre and a space which is everything to do with self-expression and self-fulfilment.”

Sir Tom Stoppard leaves behind a remarkable legacy, one that continues to inspire writers, audiences, and generations of pupils who follow in his footsteps.

(Rachel Dare, with thanks to Andrew Sefton of Pocklington District Heritage Trust, David Dyson of Pocklington School Archives)