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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Brandon lives in north London.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Christopher Brandon | Performers". Stage Faves. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ^ "Henry V @ Royal Exchange". Manchester Evening News. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Theatre review: As You Like It at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Cast Updates at Shakespeare's Globe". London Theatre. 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Curse of the Starving Class | The Lyceum | Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh". lyceum.org.uk. 2009-03-20. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "The Charming Man at the Theatre503 from 19 Oct". London Theatre. 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Mixed Marriage – Finborough Theatre". Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Theatre Review: The Great Gatsby @ Wilton's Music Hall". Londonist. 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Microcosm - Soho Theatre - 3 1/2 Stars". HuffPost UK. 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Endeavour: Connections to Morse and Lewis, Part 1.Pilot Episode". Morse, Lewis and Endeavour. 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Sunny Afternoon announces new cast". Hampstead Theatre. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Chris versus Goliath". Drama Quarterly. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ 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) - ^ "Bloodlands: A thriller set in the so-called 'new Northern Ireland'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ "Bloodlands review: So grim – and a seriously bad advertisement for a weekend break in Belfast". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ "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.