Elton, Ben(jamin) Charles (1959– )

English stand-up comedian, who is also a prolific playwright, scriptwriter, and novelist. He co-wrote for the Blackadder series in the late 1980s, and wrote the police comedy The Thin Blue Line (1995 and 1997), as well as having his own television show in 1998. He has written several plays and five novels, including Blast From the Past (1998). He made his directorial debut in 2000 with the film Maybe Baby, based on his novel Inconceivable (1999). He also wrote the books for We Will Rock You (2002), a musical based around the hit songs of rock band Queen, and the Rod Stewart musical Tonight's The Night (2003).

His other works include the novel Stark (1989) and the play Popcorn(1999), which received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. He wrote the lyrics for an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Beautiful Game (2000), about a young Catholic football team in Northern Ireland.