Simon Blackwell

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Simon Blackwell
Simon Blackwell (cropped).jpg
Blackwell in 2010
Born
Simon John Blackwell

(1966-05-27) 27 May 1966 (age 57)
Alma mater Churchill College, Cambridge
OccupationScreenwriter
Years active1999–present

Simon John Blackwell (born 27 May 1966) is an English comedy writer and producer. He is best known for his work on The Thick of It , In The Loop and Veep , and for his collaborations with Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain on Peep Show , Four Lions and The Old Guys . Blackwell is the creator of the comedy series Back , starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, as well as Breeders , starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard.

Contents

Career

After graduating from Churchill College, Cambridge as a mature student and then working as a sub-editor for magazines, Blackwell started writing TV comedy in 1999 on shows such as Have I Got News For You , The Kumars at No. 42 , Alastair McGowan's Big Impression and The Armstrong and Miller Show , for which he created the duo's street-talking RAF pilot characters. [1] [2] [3] He first worked with Armando Iannucci in 2003 on the topical Channel 4 show Gash . He went on to write on all four series of Iannucci's political sitcom The Thick of It and co-wrote its spin-off film In The Loop , which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Other work with Iannucci includes 2004: The Stupid Version and Time Trumpet .

The two collaborated again on the HBO comedy Veep , with Blackwell co-writing the pilot episode and serving as writer and executive producer on the subsequent four seasons, for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards. [4]

Blackwell wrote for Chris Morris's 2010 black comedy film Four Lions , alongside Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. He had previously collaborated with them on the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show and BBC One's The Old Guys .

In 2016, Blackwell created the sitcom Back starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. It premiered on Channel 4 on 6 September 2017. [5]

In 2020, Blackwell created the dramedy Breeders , starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard. The series premiered on the American cable network FX on 2 March 2020, and on Sky One on 12 March 2020. [6]

Filmography

Television

TitleYearFunctioned asNotes
WriterProducerOther
The Jim Tavaré Show 1999Yes7 episodes
The 11 O'Clock Show 1999–2000Yes5 episodes
Bremner, Bird and Fortune 1999–2003Yes
The Big Impression 2000Yes
Way to Go 2001Yes
Aaagh! It's the Mr. Hell Show! 2001–2002Yes10 episodes
The Kumars at No. 42 2001–2002Yes
Live Floor Show 2002YesEpisode: #2.8
Dead Ringers 2002–2007Yes
Life Beyond the Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher 2003YesScript advisor
Gash 2003Yes4 episodes
Bounty Hamster 2003Yes7 episodes
The Sketch Show 2003–2004YesAdditional writer
Christmas Night with the Stars 2004YesTelevision special
The Impressionable Jon Culshaw 2004Yes6 episodes
2004: The Stupid Version 2004YesTelevision special
Monkey Trousers 2005Yes5 episodes
The Comic Side of 7 Days 2005Yes
Graham Norton's Bigger Picture 2005Yes
The Thick of It 2005–2012Yes21 episodes
Time Trumpet 2006Yes2 episodes
Hyperdrive 2007YesScript associate
Dogface 2007YesEpisode: #1.2
Moving Wallpaper 2008Yes2 episodes
Mumbai Calling 2008Yes3 episodes
Peep Show 2008–2012Yes4 episodes
The Old Guys 2009–2010YesAssociateYesAlso co-creator
The Armstrong & Miller Show 2009–2010Yes17 episodes
Whites 2010YesScript editor
Parents 2012YesScript editor
Veep 2012–2015YesExecutive13 episodes
Trying Again 2014YesCo-executiveYesAlso co-creator
Back 2017–2021YesExecutiveYesAlso creator
Breeders 2020–presentYesExecutiveAlso creator

Film

TitleYearFunctioned asNotes
WriterProducerOther
In the Loop 2009Yes
Four Lions 2010YesAdditional material
The Personal History of David Copperfield 2019Yes

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References

  1. Michael Segalov (29 February 2020). "Simon Blackwell: 'I nearly died in an old Smithfield meat market van'". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  2. Chortle Interview "The Telly Lot Are Never Going To Make Any Sketch Shows" 7 October 2009.
  3. "Simon Blackwell interview for Back". Channel 4. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. Official Emmy Site "Simon Blackwell"
  5. Leo Barraclough (15 November 2016). "'Veep' Co-Writer Simon Blackwell Pens Comedy 'Back' for Channel 4". Variety. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  6. "Breeders". www.sky.com. Retrieved 3 March 2020.