Chris Brandon (writer)

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Chris Brandon is a British television screenwriter, producer and actor. He is best known as the creator and writer of the BBC series Bloodlands .

Contents

Early life and education

Brandon was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, to a Northern Irish father and an English mother. [1] He was educated at Rockport School in Northern Ireland [2] before returning to England at 13. [1] He studied English at Trinity College Dublin and acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. [3]

Career

After graduating as an actor in 2006, Brandon worked predominantly in theatre with roles at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, [4] Sheffield Crucible, [5] Shakespeare's Globe, [6] Royal Lyceum Theatre, [7] Bush Theatre, Theatre503, [8] Finborough Theatre, [9] Wilton's Music Hall [10] and the Soho Theatre. [11] His acting work on screen includes playing Alexander Reece in Endeavour . [12] Brandon's last acting job was playing the music impresario Larry Page, manager of the Kinks, in Joe Penhall's Sunny Afternoon , at the Harold Pinter Theatre, in London's West End. [13]

In 2015, Brandon started writing on Red Rock . [14]

In 2017, Brandon's speculative pilot script for Bloodlands was picked up by Jed Mercurio and became the first show to be produced by Hat Trick Mercurio Television. [15] The show is a police thriller set in Northern Ireland. [16] [17] Series 1 first aired in 2021, to an average of 8.2 million viewers. [1] Series 2 aired in 2022. Brandon has written all 10 episodes of the two seasons.

Other works by Brandon include the 2021 Audible Originals thriller, Zoetrope, starring Daisy Ridley. [18]

Personal life

Brandon lives in north London. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lee, Jenny (2021-03-31). "Bloodlands writer Chris Brandon on Seamus Heaney, Jed Mercurio and his naked encounter with a sheep". The Irish News. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  2. "Bloodlands creator Chris Brandon on growing up in Strangford and writing first major TV series". 2021-02-20. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  3. "Christopher Brandon | Performers". Stage Faves. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  4. "Henry V @ Royal Exchange". Manchester Evening News. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  5. "Theatre review: As You Like It at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. "Cast Updates at Shakespeare's Globe". London Theatre. 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  7. "Curse of the Starving Class | The Lyceum | Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh". lyceum.org.uk. 2009-03-20. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  8. "The Charming Man at the Theatre503 from 19 Oct". London Theatre. 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  9. "Mixed Marriage – Finborough Theatre" . Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  10. "Theatre Review: The Great Gatsby @ Wilton's Music Hall". Londonist. 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  11. "Microcosm - Soho Theatre - 3 1/2 Stars". HuffPost UK. 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  12. "Endeavour: Connections to Morse and Lewis, Part 1.Pilot Episode". Morse, Lewis and Endeavour. 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  13. "Sunny Afternoon announces new cast". Hampstead Theatre. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  14. "Chris versus Goliath". Drama Quarterly. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  15. Kanter, Peter White,Jake; White, Peter; Kanter, Jake (2019-12-27). "The British Invasion: Ten Rising TV Scribes To Watch Out For In 2020". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-11-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. "Bloodlands: A thriller set in the so-called 'new Northern Ireland'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  17. "Bloodlands review: So grim – and a seriously bad advertisement for a weekend break in Belfast". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  18. "Zoetrope : Chris Brandon, Daisy Ridley, Jason Tobin, Windson Liong, Nitin Ganatra, Alice Lowe, Audible Originals: Amazon.co.uk: Audible Books & Originals". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-08.