Simon Nye

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Simon Nye
Born (1958-07-29) 29 July 1958 (age 65)
Burgess Hill, Sussex, England
Occupation(s)Writer, comedy
Years active1989–present
PartnerClaudia Stumpfl

Simon Nye (born 29 July 1958) is an English screenwriter, best known for television comedy. [1] He wrote the hit sitcom Men Behaving Badly , and all of the four ITV Pantos. He co-wrote the 2006 film Flushed Away , created an adaptation of Richmal Crompton's Just William books in 2010, and wrote the drama series The Durrells . [2]

Contents

Early life

Nye was born in Burgess Hill, Sussex. Nye was educated at Collyer's School and Bedford College, University of London, where he studied French and German.

He started his writing career as a translator, publishing translations of books on Richard Wagner, Henri Matisse and Georges Braque, before turning his hand to novel writing in 1989, with Men Behaving Badly. This was followed in 1991 by Wideboy, which he later adapted into the TV show Frank Stubbs Promotes .

Career

Men Behaving Badly

Nye's TV writing career began in 1990 when he was persuaded by producer Beryl Vertue to adapt his first novel for the small screen. The first two series of Men Behaving Badly were broadcast on ITV in 1992. [3] [4] The show soon went on to achieve critical and commercial success, winning the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Situation Comedy in 1995, and the Royal Television Society Award for Best Situation Comedy/Comedy Drama in 1996. The show became the most-repeated comedy show in the 1990s.

Nye also appeared in the show, briefly playing a prospective tenant in the episode "Gary and Tony". He also played one of Gary's friends, Clive, in the episode where Gary and Dorothy plan to get married.

Other work

Though best known for sitcoms – such as Is It Legal? (starring Imelda Staunton), How Do You Want Me? (starring Charlotte Coleman and Dylan Moran), Hardware (starring Martin Freeman) and Carrie and Barry (a semi-sequel to Men Behaving Badly starring Neil Morrissey as a matured Tony in all but name) – he has also written comedy dramas such as Frank Stubbs Promotes (1993–1994), as well as literary adaptations such as The Railway Children (2000). In addition, he has written a number of comic adaptations of pantomimes including Jack and the Beanstalk (25 December 1998), Cinderella (2 January 2000), Aladdin (25 December 2000), and Dick Whittington (1 January 2002). He also wrote the short-lived 2001 sitcom The Savages , and contributed an episode to the 2010 series of Doctor Who , titled "Amy's Choice." [5] [6]

Nye also continues to write translations, focusing in recent years on dramatic works. His translation of Molière's Don Juan was first performed at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2001, and his translation of Dario Fo's Accidental Death of an Anarchist premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London in 2003. He also wrote a pilot episode Felix and Murdo, which starred Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller.

He wrote the screenplay for the 2005 BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) of My Family And Other Animals based on Gerald Durrell's Corfu Trilogy. In 2016, Nye wrote ITV's The Durrells , [7] another adaptation of the trilogy, starring Keeley Hawes as Louisa Durrell. [8]

Nye wrote a play, The Crown Jewels, about the theft of the Crown Jewels by Thomas Blood, which was performed at the Garrick Theatre in London in 2023. The part of Blood was played by Aidan McArdle, and the cast included Al Murray as King Charles II, Neil Morrissey and Mel Giedroyc.

Filmography

YearTitleDistributor
1992–1998 Men Behaving Badly ITV/BBC One
1993–1994 Frank Stubbs Promotes ITV
1995–1998 Is It Legal? ITV/Channel 4
1998–1999 How Do You Want Me? BBC Two
2000 The Railway Children ITV
2000–2001 Beast BBC One
2001 The Savages BBC One
2002–2004 Wild West BBC One
2003–2004 Hardware ITV
2004–2005 Carrie and Barry BBC One
2005 My Family And Other Animals BBC One
2009–2010 Reggie Perrin (with David Nobbs)BBC One
2010 Doctor Who Amy's Choice BBC One
2010 Just William CBBC
2014 Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This ITV
2016–2019 The Durrells ITV
2018The Sex Pistols Vs. Bill GrundySky Arts
2021 Finding Alice ITV
2021–2022 The Larkins ITV

Bibliography

Novels

Translations

Related Research Articles

<i>Men Behaving Badly</i> British sitcom first broadcast in 1992

Men Behaving Badly is a British sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang and his flatmates Dermot Povey and Tony Smart. It was first broadcast on ITV in 1992. A total of six series were made, along with a Christmas special and a trilogy of episodes that make up the feature-length "last orders".

<i>My Family and Other Animals</i> 1956 autobiography by Gerald Durrell

My Family and Other Animals (1956) is an autobiographical book by British naturalist Gerald Durrell. It tells in an exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised way of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and widowed mother on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939. It describes the life of the Durrell family in a humorous manner, and explores the fauna of the island. It is the first and most well-known of Durrell's Corfu trilogy, which also includes Birds, Beasts, and Relatives (1969) and The Garden of the Gods (1978).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Quentin</span> English actress and presenter (born 1960)

Caroline Quentin is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin became known for her television appearances: portraying Dorothy in Men Behaving Badly (1992–1998), Maddie Magellan in Jonathan Creek (1997–2000), and DCI Janine Lewis in Blue Murder (2003–2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Clunes</span> English actor

Alexander Martin Clunes OBE DL is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series Doc Martin and Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly. Clunes has narrated a number of documentaries for ITV, the first of which was Islands of Britain in 2009. He has since presented a number of documentaries centred on animals. He has also voiced Kipper the Dog in the animated series Kipper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Morrissey</span> British actor

Neil Anthony Morrissey is an English actor. He is known for his role as Tony in Men Behaving Badly. Other notable acting roles include Deputy Head Eddie Lawson in the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road, Nigel Morton in Line of Duty, and Rocky in Boon. Morrissey also provides the voice of many cartoon characters, including Bob, Roley, Lofty, Mr. Angelo Sabatini, Mr. Fothergill, Farmer Pickles and Scrufty in the original UK version of Bob the Builder.

Leslie Ash is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in C.A.T.S. Eyes (1985–1987), the BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly (1992–1998), ITV drama Where the Heart Is (2000–2003), and BBC medical drama Holby City (2009–2010). Her book My Life Behaving Badly: The Autobiography was published in 2007.

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

Clare JuliaHawes, 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. Hawes is a three-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, having been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her roles as Lindsay Denton and Julia Montague, and a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Dorothy Wick in the drama Mrs Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Macfadyen</span> English actor

David Matthew Macfadyen is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice (2005). He has starred as Tom Wambsgans in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023), for which he has received a Primetime Emmy Award and a BAFTA TV Award.

<i>Hardware</i> (TV series) British sitcom television series

Hardware is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 2003 to 2004. Starring Martin Freeman, it was written and created by Simon Nye, the creator of Men Behaving Badly and directed by Ben Kellett.

Louisa Florence Durrell, was an Anglo-Irish woman born in India during the British Raj. She was the mother of Lawrence and Gerald Durrell. She was featured in Gerald Durrell's autobiographical Corfu trilogy, which tells about the Durrells' years in Corfu from 1935 to 1939 in a somewhat fictionalized way.

<i>Comedy Connections</i> BBC docuseries

Comedy Connections is a BBC One documentary series produced by BBC Scotland that aired from 2003 to 2008. The show looked at the stories behind the production of some of Britain's comedy television programmes, showing how they tied in with the production of other comedy shows. The show featured interviews with some of the cast and crew of the subject programme, as well as footage from the series.

Emma Wray is an English television actress. She attended the Merseyside Council-funded Glenda Jackson Theatre whilst still at Park High School in Birkenhead; she went on to study Theatre Arts at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama from 1983 to 1986, and was given her first leading TV role two months after receiving her BA.

Elizabeth Carling is an English actress and singer best known for her performances in Boon, Goodnight Sweetheart, Barbara, and Casualty. In 1991 Carling was briefly engaged to Neil Morrissey, whom she met while working on the ITV drama Boon and with whom she also appeared in an episode of BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly.

<i>My Family and Other Animals</i> (film) British TV series or programme

My Family and Other Animals is a 2005 television film written by Simon Nye and directed by Sheree Folkson. The film is based on the 1956 autobiographical book of the same title written by Gerald Durrell, in which he describes a series of anecdotes relating to his family's stay on Corfu from 1935–1939, when he was aged 10–14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ade Edmondson</span> English actor, comedian, musician and writer (born 1957)

Adrian Charles Edmondson is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series The Young Ones (1982–1984) and Bottom (1991–1995), which he wrote together with his collaborator Rik Mayall. Edmondson also appeared in The Comic Strip Presents... series of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. For two episodes of this he created the spoof heavy metal band Bad News, and for another he played his nihilistic alter-ego Eddie Monsoon, an offensive South African television star.

<i>The Durrells</i> British comedy-drama series

The Durrells is a British comedy-drama television series loosely based on Gerald Durrell's three autobiographical books about his family's four years (1935–1939) on the Greek island of Corfu. It aired on ITV from 3 April 2016 to 12 May 2019. The series is written by Simon Nye, directed by Steve Barron and Roger Goldby, and produced by Christopher Hall. Lee Durrell, Gerald Durrell's widow and director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, acted as consultant. The series was partly filmed on location in Corfu, as well as at Ealing Studios and Twickenham Studios in London.

Daisy Waterstone is a British actress, best known for playing Margo Durrell in the ITV family drama The Durrells.

Finding Alice is a British television comedy-drama produced by RED Production Company in association with Bright Pictures TV, Buddy Club Productions and Genial Productions. It premiered on ITV in the UK on 17 January 2021.

Frank Stubbs Promotes is a British comedy drama series by Simon Nye, that starred Timothy Spall, Lesley Sharp, Danniella Westbrook, Choy-Ling Man, Anne Jameson, Nick Reding, Trevor Cooper and Roy Marsden. Two series were produced and developed by Noel Gay Television and Carlton Television and was broadcast on ITV between 12 July 1993 and 15 August 1994. The series was adapted from Nye's earlier novel 'Wideboy' which was published by Penguin Books in 1991. The series focusses on the misadventures of Frank Stubbs, a down-at-heel ticket tout turned promoter, whose elaborate business ideas often lead to mediocre results and cause disappointment for himself and his unfortunate clients.

References

  1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/08_august/20/cb_nye.shtml BBC Press Office biography
  2. "Early life of Gerald Durrell comes to TV screens soon". Jersey Evening Post . 24 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  3. "BBC — Comedy — Men Behaving Badly". BBC. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  4. "Men Behaving Badly return for charity sketch". BBC News. BBC. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  5. French, Dan (26 February 2010). "Doctor Who to feature pregnancy plot?". Digital Spy . Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  6. Nissim, Mayer (10 May 2010). "Q&A: Simon Nye talks 'Amy's Choice'". Digital Spy . Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  7. "U.K.'s ITV Recommissions Simon Nye's Hit Drama 'The Durrells'". 18 April 2016.
  8. O'Donovan, Gerard (3 April 2016). "Keeley Hawes is a ray of sunshine in the Durrells - review". The Telegraph.