Chris Brandon (writer)

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

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]

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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.