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Simon Ashdown is a British television writer, best known as being a BAFTA award-nominated EastEnders writer.
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Simon Ashdown is a British television writer, best known as being a BAFTA award-nominated EastEnders writer.
From 1995 to 2013, Ashdown was series consultant and lead writer on EastEnders. He was involved in the creation of the Slater family, and along with other writers, developed the characters around the actors themselves, rather than the other way round. He created the character of Max Branning and was responsible for numerous key episodes such as Ethel Skinner's death, Stacey Slater's bipolar and the "Who Killed Archie?" storyline. In 2010 he wrote the twenty fifth anniversary live episode, "EastEnders Live". More recent episodes that he has written include Pat Evans' death, Mandy Salter's second exit, Janine Butcher's temporary exit, the aftermath of David Wicks' return and the Jake Stone and Sadie Young reveal. He returned to EastEnders to write the Christmas 2017 episode which saw Tanya Branning return and Abi Branning and Lauren Branning fall from a rooftop. He then returned to write the Christmas 2018 episodes, in which Hayley Slater pushes Alfie Moon down the stairs and he then kidnaps their daughter, Cherry Slater. He returned to EastEnders in December 2019 and in September 2020, to write the climax of Linda Carter's battle with alcoholism and Chantelle Atkins's death at the hands of husband Gray Atkins, respectively. In January 2021 he wrote the episode of Ian Beale's departure and the following month, he wrote the departing episode of Max Branning.
Alongside his work on EastEnders, he also wrote and co-created, with Jeremy Dyson of The League of Gentlemen , the innovative drama Funland which was nominated for the Best Drama Serial BAFTA in 2006. He wrote the two-part drama Kitchen starring Eddie Izzard and Perfect for Film Four, directed by Rankin and starring Marc Warren. He has worked on numerous other drama series including City Central, Casualty and has acted as story consultant on numerous productions including Crash Palace for Sky and Come Fly With Me for the BBC. He recently adapted Franz Kafka's The Trial with Jeremy Dyson for the BBC.
The RTÉ series Raw is based on Kitchen and is currently in its fourth season.
| Production | Notes | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|
| EastEnders | 153 episodes (1995–2013, 2017–present) | BBC One |
| EastEnders E20 | Teen drama | BBC Two Northern Ireland & BBC Four |
| Casualty | "Nightfall" (1996) | BBC One |
| City Central | "A Night on the Town" (1998) | BBC One |
| EastEnders: Ricky & Bianca | Television film (2002) | BBC One |
| Perfect | Short film (2003) | N/A |
| Holby City | "Hair of the Dog" (2003) | BBC One |
| Funland | 11 episodes (co-written with Jeremy Dyson, 2005) | BBC Three |
| Kitchen | Television film (2007) | Channel 5 |
| Come Fly with Me | 6 episodes (story consultant, 2010–2011) | BBC One |
| "EastEnders: Phil on Remand" | Mini-episode (series consultant, 2012) | BBC Red Button |
| "EastEnders: Billy's Olympic Nightmare" | Mini-episode (series consultant, 2012) | BBC Red Button |
| "EastEnders: All I Want for Christmas" | Mini-episode (series consultant, 2012) | BBC Red Button |
| "EastEnders: T&B 4Eva" | Mini-episode (series consultant, 2012) | BBC Red Button |
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | British Academy Television Awards | Funland | Best Drama Serial (with Kenton Allen, Jeremy Dyson and Sanne Wohlenberg) | Nominated |
| 2008 | British Soap Award | EastEnders (the aftermath of Max Branning and Stacey Branning's affair) | Best Storyline (with Charlie Clements, Jo Joyner, Lacey Turner and Jake Wood) | Won |
| 2009 | British Soap Award | EastEnders (Bianca discovers Tony is a paedophile) | Best Storyline | Nominated |
| 2010 | British Soap Award | EastEnders: "Who Killed Archie?" | Best Storyline | Won |
| 2011 | British Soap Award | EastEnders (Billie Jackson's death) | Best Single Episode | Nominated |
| Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award | EastEnders: "Dot's Impossible Decision" | Best Continuing Drama | Nominated | |
| 2012 | British Soap Award | EastEnders | Special Achievement | Won |
| British Soap Award | EastEnders (Pat Evans's death) | Best Single Episode (with Pam St. Clement and Jennie Darnell) | Nominated | |
| British Soap Award | EastEnders (The Brannings deal with Tanya's cancer diagnosis) | Best Storyline | Nominated | |
| 2013 | British Soap Award | EastEnders (The demise of Derek Branning) | Best Exit (with Jamie Foreman and Jennie Darnell) | Nominated |
| British Soap Award | EastEnders (The identity of Kat's lover is revealed) | Best Single Episode (with Karl Neilson) | Nominated | |
| British Soap Award | EastEnders (The demise of Derek Branning) | Best Storyline | Nominated |
Charlie Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Derek Martin. Charlie's first appearance is in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2000. He was played by Jason McGregor in flashbacks broadcast in 2001 and Richie Daysh in a 2018 flashback. He also makes a cameo appearance in the second series of the spin-off EastEnders: E20.
Steven James Pemberton is a British actor, comedian, director and writer. He was a writer and actor for BBC's The League of Gentlemen with Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. Pemberton and Shearsmith also co-wrote and starred in the black comedy Psychoville and the anthology series Inside No. 9. His other notable television performance credits include Doctor Who, Benidorm, Blackpool, Shameless, Whitechapel, Happy Valley and Mapp & Lucia.
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Stacey Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager and extension to the already established Slater family. She was created by scriptwriter Tony Jordan with Turner in mind. Producers explored the character's backstory with the introduction of her mother, Jean Slater, who has bipolar disorder. They then paired Stacey with Bradley Branning and writers developed a series of problems for their marriage, including an abortion and Stacey's scandalous affair with Bradley's father, Max Branning.
Tanya Cross is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jo Joyner. She made her first appearance on 27 June 2006. Joyner left the show temporarily on 25 December 2009 for maternity leave. After a guest appearance, Tanya eventually returned on 27 September 2010. On 1 April 2013, it was announced that Joyner would be departing the role and she made her final appearance on 28 June 2013. Tanya returned in February 2015 for two episodes as part of the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. She later reprised the role again in 2017 for four episodes, appearing between 25 December 2017 and 16 February 2018.
Abi Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lorna Fitzgerald. She was introduced by executive producer Kate Harwood on 3 July 2006 as an extension to the Branning family, along with father Max, mother Tanya Branning and older sister Lauren Branning. Her storylines involve her friendships and relationships with Ben Mitchell and Jay Brown, her toxic friendship with Babe Smith, faking a pregnancy so that Ben would not leave her for Paul Coker, being a suspect in the murder of Lucy Beale, her affair with Lauren's fiancé, Steven Beale, and falling pregnant by him.
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Suzy Branning is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Julie Christian-Young for a brief appearance in April 1996, and Maggie O'Neill in 2008, who began filming in May that year, and she appeared from 8 July to 26 December 2008. Soon after her reintroduction in 2008, Suzy begins a relationship with Phil Mitchell and enters into a rivalry with Phil's other love interest Shirley Carter. She schemes to con Phil out of his money and after her intentions are discovered, Suzy leaves Walford.
"Who Killed Archie?" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It began on 25 December 2009, Christmas Day, when the character Archie Mitchell, played by Larry Lamb, was murdered by an unseen person. Events leading up to and following the murder put several characters in the frame, in the style of a Whodunit mystery. The culprit was kept a tight secret within the production crew as well, with only seven people knowing the identity of the killer. The murderer was revealed as Stacey Slater during a live episode titled "EastEnders Live", broadcast on 19 February 2010, the show's 25th anniversary. Turner was told thirty minutes before the broadcast that Stacey was the killer, and actors rehearsed several possible endings. Finally, a two-hander episode between Stacey and her ex-lover Max Branning on 26 March 2010 explained how she killed Archie - who had previously been the show's main antagonist prior to the character's death and murder storyline.
"EastEndersLive" is a live episode of the British television soap opera EastEnders, broadcast on BBC One on 19 February 2010. It was also simulcast to Irish viewers on RTÉ One. The episode was commissioned as part of the show's 25th anniversary celebrations, and was the first EastEnders episode to be broadcast live. It was the series' 3,952nd episode, and was written by Simon Ashdown, directed by Clive Arnold and produced by Diederick Santer. The episode concludes a "Whodunit" storyline "Who Killed Archie?", about the murder of Archie Mitchell, revealing his killer to be Stacey Slater. It also sees the exit of Charlie Clements as Stacey's husband Bradley Branning, who dies after falling from the roof of The Queen Victoria public house.
Derek Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Terence Beesley in 1996 and then Jamie Foreman from 2011 to 2012. Derek is the eldest child of Jim Branning and Reenie Branning. He first appears in episode 1282, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 29 April 1996, for his sister April Branning's wedding and departed on 2 May. The character returned as a regular in the episode broadcast on 24 November 2011, played by Foreman. In October 2012, it was announced that Foreman would be leaving EastEnders in December 2012 as part of a Christmas storyline. On 20 December 2012, it is revealed that Derek was the person who Kat Moon had an affair with. The character died of a heart attack in the episode broadcast on 25 December 2012.
John Roland Clifford Yorke is a British television producer and script editor, who was head of Channel 4 Drama 2003–2005, controller of BBC drama production 2006-2012 and MD of Company Pictures (2013-2015).
The Slater family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that have appeared since Episode 1,997, first broadcast in September 2000. The family are introduced as a central family unit, originally consisting of father Charlie Slater, grandmother Mo Harris, Charlie's daughters, Kat Slater, Lynne Slater, Little Mo Morgan and Kat's teenage daughter Zoe Slater, and Lynne's partner Garry Hobbs. A fifth sister, Belinda Peacock, was introduced one year later. The family were the eighth to be introduced in the soap's history, replacing the di Marco family who departed during the previous month. The Slaters were created by Tony Jordan and introduced by John Yorke. The Slater sisters were cast in an improvisation session. In their first years on the show, the family were involved in storylines about child sexual abuse and domestic violence.