Feely was born into a middle-class Roman Catholic family of Irish descent in
Liverpool. After leaving school, he entered Liverpool's Jesuit College where he studied English and psychology. Upon completion of his university studies, he decided to go into journalism, and got a job with a small local newspaper in
Middlesbrough. However, he quickly outgrew the publication, and moved to London where he secured a position in the faster-paced world of Fleet Street, joining the editorial staff of the
Sunday Graphic. Around this time he began to write submissions for film scripts; film director
Alfred Hitchcock purchased the rights to one of his scripts in 1955, entitled
Heartbeat. Feely ventured into television in 1959, writing several episodes of the police detective series
No Hiding Place. Following this, in 1961 he wrote two episodes for the first series of
The Avengers. He then moved on to other popular shows of the time, including
The Saint and
Thunderbirds. In the mid-1960s he became story editor for
Armchair Theatre and
Mystery and Imagination, produced by
ABC (later by
Thames Television). Feely was also instrumental in bringing James Mitchell's
Callan to the small screen, for which he is credited as associate producer. He joined the British subsidiary of
Paramount Pictures in 1967, and was partly responsible for ensuring the production of
If.... (1968), directed by
Lindsay Anderson. Following this, Feely went on to become a co-director of Everyman Films (with
Patrick McGoohan and
David Tomblin). The company's principal production was allegorical/science-fiction series
The Prisoner (1967–68), for which Feely also wrote two episodes. In the 1970s he worked on shows such as
The Persuaders!,
Arthur of the Britons,
The Protectors,
UFO,
Space: 1999,
Thriller,
Within These Walls, and
The New Avengers. He also adapted the
Henry James novel
Affairs of the Heart for television in 1974. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he also wrote episodes for the
BBC detective series
Shoestring and
Bergerac, as well as episodes of
The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game for
ITV. However, the series for which Feely is perhaps best remembered is the ITV police drama
The Gentle Touch, which he created and for which he wrote several scripts. The series was a ratings hit, running for five seasons from 1980 to 1984, and was the first British police series with a female lead character (Det. Inspector Maggie Forbes, played by
Jill Gascoine). In 1985, Feely created the
Gentle Touch spin-off series
C.A.T.S. Eyes, about a team of female private investigators who covertly work for the British
Home Office, which ran until 1987. Also in the 1980s, he co-wrote the screen adaptation of
Judith Krantz's novel ''Mistral's Daughter'', which was produced as a US television mini-series in 1984, as well as adapting two of
Barbara Cartland's novels for television:
A Hazard of Hearts in 1987, and
The Lady and the Highwayman in 1989. Aside from his work as a screenwriter, Feely also penned several novels including
Number 10: Private Lives of Six Prime Ministers, which also became an acclaimed drama series in 1983. One of his last works,
Limelight, was awarded New York's Book of the Year Prize. ==Death==