Peter Gill, who has died aged 86, was one of the unsung heroes of British theatre. View image in fullscreen Peter Gill at the Royal Court theatre, London, with a photograph of George Devine on the wall. Photograph: Sarah Lee/the GuardianGill’s work as a playwright and director were ultimately inseparable because they were linked by an unsparing honesty. But during his time there he tirelessly championed new writers and ensured their work reached the stages of the Royal Court and the Bush. Gill carried on working as both dramatist and director but in later years became increasingly detached from the British theatre.