Pioneer of early Australian commercial radio broadcasting.
Born in Adelaide to William Chapman (tutor in German at Adelaide University) and Clara Duell, Chapman was educated at Pulteney Grammar School and Prince Alfred College. In 1931, he joined radio station 5AD as a junior announcer.
Chapman wrote a wide range of radio plays and serials, primarily murder mysteries and thrillers: his obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald suggests that he had some 600 plays to his name by 1937. Among his better-known works are Jimmy Colt (a private-investigator series, later novelised), Yes What? (a schoolroom farce), Starboard Lights (dramatised stories of life at sea), and Bringing Up Sally (a domestic serial).
Chapman was also heavily involved in the pioneering of new technologies in radio, including portable tape recorders and hi-fi equipment.
Originally married to stage and radio actress Iris Hart, he later married Marjorie Haslam.
