Helen Black (writer)

Last updated
Helen Black
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, author
Known for Life and Death in the Warehouse

Helen Black is a British screenwriter and novelist, best known for her work on the BBC drama Time [1] and the film Life and Death in the Warehouse .

Contents

Career

Black grew up in Pontefract, West Yorkshire. She studied Law at Hull University and worked as a solicitor for many years, with a specialty in childcare. Her experiences would inspire her to write a series of legal thriller novels, centering on lawyer Lily Valentine, beginning with Damaged Goods (2005). [2] In 2017, Black won the Kudos North Award, for her television script Galaxy. This success led to her acquiring an agent and then writing on series such as Clink , Death in Paradise and Grantchester .

In 2022, BBC Three aired Black's film Life and Death in the Warehouse, about a pair of women working exploitative conditions in a distribution centre. Black had met Aysha Rafaele and Marco Crivellari at BBC Studios, at first developing a legal drama series. Subsequently, she was asked to work on a factual drama with director Joe Bullman, drawing from his research into the lives and mistreatment of British warehouse employees. [3] The film was nominated at the 2022 BAFTA Cymru Awards for Television Drama. [4]

Black co-wrote the second series of Time with Jimmy McGovern, set in a women's prison. On Nov 6, 2023, it was announced that Black would adapt her 'Lily Valentine' books for television. [5] On Nov 27, 2023, it was announced that Black would write the mystery-thriller The Wives for Channel 5. [6]

Filmography

YearTitleNotesBroadcaster
2019Clink1 episode 5Star
2021 Death in Paradise 1 episode BBC One
2022Life and Death in the WarehouseTV Movie BBC Three
2023 Grantchester 1 episodeITV
2023Time3 episodes BBC One
2024 Joan 1 episodeITV
TBAThe WivesCreator, all episodesChannel 5
TBALilly ValentineCreatorTBA

Novels

SeriesYearTitle
Lilly Valentine [7] [8] 2008Damaged Goods
2008Place of Safety
2009Dishonour
2011Blood Rush
2013Dark Spaces
2015Friendless Lane
2012Twenty Twelve
Liberty Chapman2017Taking Liberties
2018Bang to Rights
2019Playing Dirty
2020Hard as Nails

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda Richardson</span> English actress (born 1958)

Miranda Jane Richardson is an English actress who has worked in film, television and theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siân Phillips</span> Welsh actress (born 1933)

Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips, known professionally as Siân Phillips, is a Welsh actress. Her early career consisted primarily of stage roles, including the title roles in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler and George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan. In the 1960s, she started taking on more roles in television and film. She is particularly known for her performance as Livia in the 1976 BBC television series I, Claudius, for which she was awarded a BAFTA and a Royal Television Society award. She was nominated for a Tony Award and Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Marlene Dietrich in Marlene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell T Davies</span> Welsh screenwriter and television producer (born 1963)

Stephen Russell Davies, better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, from 2005 to 2010 and again from 2023. His other notable works include creating the series Queer as Folk (1999–2000), Bob & Rose (2001), The Second Coming (2003), Casanova (2005), Doctor Who spin-offs Torchwood (2006–2011) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011), Cucumber (2015), A Very English Scandal (2018), Years and Years (2019), It's a Sin (2021) and Nolly (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keeley Hawes</span> English actress (born 1976)

Clare Julia Hawes, known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including Our Mutual Friend (1998) and Tipping the Velvet (2002), Hawes rose to fame for her portrayal of Zoe Reynolds in the BBC series Spooks (2002–2004), followed by her co-lead performance as DI Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes (2008–2010). She is also known for her roles in Jed Mercurio's Line of Duty as DI Lindsay Denton (2014–2016) and in BBC One drama Bodyguard (2018), in which she played Home Secretary Julia Montague.

Geraldine Margaret Agnew-Somerville is an Irish-British actress. She is known for her roles in the film Gosford Park (2001) and the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011). Her other roles have included Daphne (2007), My Week with Marilyn (2011) and Grace of Monaco (2014). In 1995, Somerville was nominated for a BAFTA Award for playing Jane Penhaligon in the television series Cracker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve Myles</span> Welsh actress (born 1978)

Eve Myles is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her television roles portraying Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series Belonging (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series Torchwood (2006–2011), and Faith Howells in the bilingually produced BBC / S4C drama series Keeping Faith / Un Bore Mercher (2017–2020). She is also an accomplished theatre actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicola Walker</span> British actress (born 1970)

Nicola Jane Walker is an English actress, known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, including that of Ruth Evershed in the spy drama Spooks and DCI Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten (2015–2021). She has also worked in theatre, radio and film. She won the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and was twice nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Coleman</span> English actress (born 1986)

Jenna-Louise Coleman is an English actress. She began her television career by playing Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera Emmerdale from 2005 to 2009, followed by a recurring role in the BBC school-based drama series Waterloo Road (2009). She made her film debut with a small role in the American superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and made appearances on diverse British period miniseries, including Titanic (2012), and Death Comes to Pemberley (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Marsan</span> British actor

Edward Maurice Charles Marsan is an English actor. He won the London Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Wilson</span> British actress

Ruth Wilson is an English actress. She has played the eponymous protagonist in Jane Eyre (2006), Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama Luther, Alison Lockhart in the Showtime drama The Affair (2014–2018), and the eponymous character in Mrs Wilson (2018). From 2019 to 2022, she portrayed Marisa Coulter in the BBC/HBO fantasy series His Dark Materials, and for this role she won the 2020 BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actress. Her film credits include The Lone Ranger (2013), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), and Dark River (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Foy</span> British actress (born 1984)

Claire Elizabeth Foy is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama series The Crown (2016–2023), for which she received various accolades such as a Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aneurin Barnard</span> Welsh actor (born 1987)

Aneurin Barnard is a Welsh actor. He is known for playing Davey in Hunky Dory, Claude in The Truth About Emanuel, Bobby Willis in Cilla, Tim in Thirteen, King Richard III in The White Queen, William in Dead in a Week or Your Money Back, Gibson in Dunkirk, and Boris Pavlikovsky in The Goldfinch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuppence Middleton</span> British actress (born 1987)

Tuppence Amelia Middleton is a British actress known for her performances in film, television and theatre. In 2010, she was nominated for the London Evening Standard Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Thorne</span> English screenwriter and playwright

Jack Thorne FRSL is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer.

Sharon Morgan is a Welsh actress of stage and screen, currently based in Cardiff. She was brought up in the village of Llandyfaelog. She is best known for her work within the Welsh film and television industries and has been the recipient of three BAFTA Cymru awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgina Campbell</span> English actress (born 1992)

Georgina Alice Campbell is a British actress. She won the 2015 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for Murdered by My Boyfriend (2014), making her the first non-white actress to win that award. Her other television credits include Flowers (2016), Broadchurch (2017), the Black Mirror episode "Hang the DJ" (2017), and Krypton (2018). She starred in the films Barbarian (2022), Bird Box Barcelona (2023), T.I.M. (2023), Lovely, Dark, and Deep (2023) and The Watchers (2024).

<i>In My Skin</i> (TV series) British television series

In My Skin is a British comedy drama television series written by Kayleigh Llewellyn that premiered on BBC Three on 14 October 2018. The series was initially ordered as a short film for BBC Wales, but this later acted as the pilot episode after BBC ordered In My Skin as a full series. The series stars Gabrielle Creevy, James Wilbraham, Poppy Lee Friar, Jo Hartley, Aled ap Steffan, Di Botcher, Georgia Furlong and Rhodri Meilir. In March 2021, In My Skin was renewed for a second and final series, which premiered on 7 November 2021. The series has received critical acclaim winning the 2022 BAFTA TV Award for best drama series as well as numerous awards from ceremonies including BAFTA Cymru and the RTS Programme Awards.

Joseph Bullman is an English documentary and drama director, known for his political films, including factual dramas Killed By My Debt (2018), The Left Behind (2019) and Life and Death in the Warehouse (2022), and documentaries The Man Who Bought Mustique (2000), The Seven Sins of England (2007) and The Secret History of Our Streets (2012–14). Bullman's films have received six BAFTA nominations.

Nick Leather is a British playwright and screenwriter.

Life and Death in the Warehouse is a 2022 British television drama film, inspired by real stories of warehouse workers in Britain and the poor conditions they work in. It is written by Helen Black, and stars Poppy Lee Friar and Aimee-Ffion Edwards.

References

  1. Kahn, Ellie (2023-04-11). "Life and Death in the Warehouse writer joins BBC1's Time". Broadcast.
  2. "Helen Black". Rochelle Stevens. March 5, 2018.
  3. "Writing 'Life and Death in the Warehouse'". BBC. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  4. "BAFTA Cymru Awards: Nominations 2022". www.bafta.org. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  5. Ramachandran, Naman (November 6, 2023). "'Time 2' Writer Helen Black's 'Lilly Valentine' Book 'Damaged Goods' Set for Series Adaptation From Studio Crook (EXCLUSIVE)".
  6. "C5 orders six-part drama from Gaumont UK". November 27, 2023.
  7. "Helen Black". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  8. "Helen Black". Book Series in Order. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2024.