Kenneth Peacock Tynan (2 April 1927 – 26 July 1980) was an English theatre critic and writer. Making his initial impact as a critic at The Observer (1954–58, 1960–63), he praised Osborne’s Look Back in Anger (1956), and encouraged the emerging wave of British theatrical talent. In 1963, Tynan was appointed as the new National Theatre Company’s literary manager.
An opponent of theatre censorship, Tynan was considered by many to be the first person to say “fuck” on British television (although this is now disputed), which was controversial at the time. Later in his life, he settled in California, where he resumed his writing career.