Speakers

NEW SPEAKERS TO BE ADDED IN SPRING 2017
The London Screenwriters’ Festival features around 150 professional speakers from all aspects of the film and television business. Many have also agreed to intimate Script Chat sessions after their respective events so that you can get face time with them. New speakers are added periodically with the vast majority being confirmed late spring / early summer 2017. Get updates by signing up below.

“

The PitchFest is a fantastic opportunity for screenwriters to meet producers and companies that might lead to long-running relationships

Rob Watson, Producer, Poisson Rouge Pictures

Legend

Christopher Vogler – Hero's Journey Story Consultant

Credits include: The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers

Story consultant to the biggest names in Hollywood.

Bruce Robinson – Screenwriter and Director

Credits include: Withnail & I, The Killing Fields

Bruce Robinson is the director and screenwriter of Withnail and I, How to Get Ahead in Advertising, Jennifer 8 and The Rum Diary.

Eileen Atkins – Actress & Screenwriter

Credits: Equus, Gosford Park

Legendary British Actress Eileen is also the co-creator of the iconic television dramas Upstairs, Downstairs and The House of Elliot with Jean Marsh.

Jeb Stuart – Screenwriter

Credits include: Die Hard, The Fugitive

Jeb has been a motion picture and television screenwriter, director and producer for over 30 years and is considered one of the great action screenwriters in film history.

“

Perfect festival for any screenwriter, new or old, once you’ve been once you’ll want to keep coming back.

Daniel Williamson, Screenwriter

Headliners

Alison Owen – Producer

Credits include: Suffragette, Saving Mr Banks, Elizabeth

Alison is one of the UK’s leading film and television producers.

Paul Abbott – Screenwriter & Producer

Credits include: Shameless, State of Play, Cracker

A BAFTA award-winning TV writer, series creator and producer, Paul is one of the most UK's most revered writers working today.

Pilar Alessandra – Script Consultant and Educator

Credits include: The Coffee Break Screenwriter

Pilar's students and clients have written for Lost, Prison Break, Nip Tuck, House of Lies, CSI and Family Guy.

Scott Myers – Screenwriter, Producer and Educator

Screenwriter of 'K-9' with Jim Belushi and 'Trojan War' with Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Screenwriter and producer, head honcho at 'Go Into The Story' and Black List offical blog scribe.

Stephen Woolley – Producer

Credits include: Carol, Interview with the Vampire

Academy Award-nominated and Bafta-winning producer Stephen has produced and executive produced nearly sixty films in his storied career.

Steven Moffat – Screenwriter & Executive Producer

Credits include: Dr Who, Jekyll and Sherlock

Steven is currently lead writer and executive producer of Doctor Who, and co-creator, writer and executive producer of Sherlock.

“

You really have managed to pull off the impossible – a festival that is so much fun to attend for delegates and speakers alike

Sascha Hecks, Producer

Awards Host

Deborah Frances-White – Screenwriter & Comedian

Credits include: The Guilty Feminist

Deborah's hit podcast 'The Guilty Feminist' has had 18 million downloads in 18 months.

“

The opportunity to learn and connect is a huge draw, and this kind of collaboration is vital to the work.

Deanna Turnbull, Screenwriter

Screenwriters

Barbara Machin – Screenwriter

Credits include: Waking The Dead, The Bill

Barbara Machin is the BAFTA and EMMY award winning screenwriter who created BBC1’s worldwide selling hit series Waking The Dead.

Ashley Pharoah – Writer

Credits include: Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes

Ashley is a veteran TV writer who has created and written several long-running series for the BBC and ITV.

Andy Briggs – Screenwriter

He wrote on Judge Dredd, Freddy Vs Jason and Aquaman and has worked with Stan Lee, Robert Evans, Warner Bros. and Disney XD.

Robert Thorogood – Screenwriter

Robert is the creator and lead writer of the 8 x 60' BBC 1 television series 'Death in Paradise', his first broadcast credit.

Roland Moore – Screenwriter

Credits include: Land Girls, Rastamouse, Smack the Pony

Roland created the award-winning returning drama series Land Girls for BBC1 and has written for a range of television series.

Jed Mercurio – Screenwriter

Credits include: Line Of Duty, Cardiac Arrest

Jed's most recent credit, 'Line of Duty', is the most watched BBC2 drama series in the multichannel era.

Justin Young – Screenwriter & Producer

Credits include: Holby City, Eastenders, Casualty

Accomplished playwright and TV writer Justin is now Head Writer and Consultant Series Producer on Holby City.

Alex von Tunzelmann – Screenwriter

Credits include: Churchill, Medici: Masters of Florence

After an outstanding start with her biopic feature debut 'Churchill', Alex is definitely one to watch this year.

Bill Armstrong – Screenwriter

Credits include: Doctors, The Indian Doctor

After a successful career as a stage and film actor, Bill transitioned into writing in 2003, began work on Doctors in 2006 and has now become a core writer on the show.

Charlotte Josephine – Writer & Actress

Credits include: Blush, Bitch Boxer, Blue

Bitch Boxer writer Charlotte recently won the inaugural BBC Screenplay First Award and is currently developing a script with BBC Films.

Chris Lang – Screenwriter

Credits include: Torn, Amnesia, A Mother's Son

Chris is the writer of over 100 hours of prime time British drama including the award winning 'Unforgotten'.

Danny Brocklehurst – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Five, Ordinary Lies, Shameless, Clocking Off

Danny is a BAFTA and International Emmy winning screenwriter who has written on some of the biggest UK dramas of recent years.

Emma Reeves – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Worst Witch, The Dumping Ground

Emma is a versatile and experienced writer working across adult and children's TV drama and the stage.

Emmanuel Oberg – Screenwriter & Consultant

Credits include: Double Game

Over the last few years, Emmanuel has written and developed feature films for Working Title, Film4 and Gold Circle.

Gregory Burke – Screenwriter & Playwright

Credits include: '71, One Night In Emergency

An award winning and prominent Playwright and Screenwriter, Gregory's most recent work is the hard hitting '71 starring Jack O'Connell.

Jack Bernhardt – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Lentil Sorters

Recipient of the BBC Radio Comedy Writer's Bursary, Jack has written for a wide range of shows and regularly contributed to series such as The News Quiz and Dead Ringers.

Jess O'Brien – Screenwriter, Actor & Director

Credits include: Girl A, Dolls

Jess was named Into Film’s ‘One to Watch’ 2016 and won the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire’s Young Artist and Young Person of the Year 2016.

Jonathan Ruffle – Writer & Producer

Credits include: Tommies, Never Mind The Buzzcocks

Jonathan created, writes and produces the a four-and-a-half year real-time drama - Tommies which airs on BBC Radio this autumn.

Joseph Lidster – Screenwriter

Credits include: Torchwood, Wizards Vs. Aliens

Joseph has written scripts for radio and television, including episodes of Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Wizards Vs Aliens and Hetty Feather.

Justin Young – Screenwriter, Producer & Playwright

Credits include: Dickensian, Ripper Street

Justin is currently developing a range of new shows with top independent drama companies including Red Planet, Drama Republic, Big Talk, and Red Productions.

Kat Wood – Screenwriter & Director

Credits include: Home, Arthur & Merlin

Kat’s directorial debut, the short film 'Home' starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, makes her the first ever UK winner of the Jameson First Shot Competition.

Kate Hall – Producer

Credits include: Holby City, Hollyoaks

Kate is the Series Producer of Holby City, having previously spent over four years as Story Producer on this flagship, primetime BBC1 drama.

Mark Gatiss – Co-creator and executive producer, Sherlock

Credits include: Sherlock, Doctor Who

Mark has a long and varied career as a writer and producer behind the camera, as well as being a critically acclaimed actor and published author.

Matthew Costello – Screenwriter & Novelist

Matt has written and designed dozens of award-winning and best-selling games including The 7th Guest, Doom 3 and Rage.

Michael Hirst – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Tudors, Vikings, Elizabeth

A master of Period Drama, Michael has been a screenwriter for both film and television drama for over thirty years.

Mike Carey – Screenwriter, Novelist & Comic Book Writer

Credits include: The Girl with all the Gifts

Mike adapted the 'Girl With All the Gifts' from his own novel of the same name.

Neil McKay – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Moorside, See No Evil, Mo

Neil's most recent drama 'The Moorside', about the abduction of Shannon Matthews in Dewsbury in 2008 was broadcast on BBC to widespread critical acclaim earlier this year.

Neil Richards – Sceenwriter & Novelist

Credits include: Starship Titanic, Just Cause, The da Vince Code

Neil is a writer in TV, games, interactive and more recently novels.

Paul Kerensa – Screenwriter & Comedian

Writer for BBC1’s Miranda and Not Going Out, among countless others, Paul Kerensa’s the in-demand comic who plays comedy clubs and cathedrals.

Paul Mendelson – Screenwriter

Credits include: My Hero, Losing It

Paul is best known for his work on 'My Hero', 'May to December' and 'Neighbours from Hell'.

Richard Kurti – Screenwriter

Credits include: Wolfblood, Primeval

Richard and his writing partner Bev Doyle broke into the business by writing and selling a spec script, Newton's Law, which led to 14 further movie commissions.

Richard Warlow – Screenwriter & Showrunner

Credits include: Ripper Street, Mistresses

Richard is the Lead Writer, Creator and Executive Producer on all five series of 'Ripper Street'.

Stephen Volk – Screenwriter & Playwright

Stephen Volk is a BAFTA-winning writer best known for the controversial 1992 BBCTV "Hallowe’en hoax" Ghostwatch.

Tim Telling – Writer

Credits include: The Mash Report

Tim is the editor of the Daily Mash, the UK’s most popular original satire website, and lead writer of the hit BBC2 topical show The Mash Report.

Tobi Wilson – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Amazing World of Gumball, Dangermouse

Comedy writer Tobi is currently a Senior Writer on Cartoon Network's children's animated series The Amazing World of Gumball, now in it's 6th series.

Tom Edge – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Crown, Strike

Tom Edge is a twice BAFTA-nominated writer; he created the Netflix original comedy Lovesick and wrote on their epic drama The Crown.

Tom Kerevan – Screenwriter - Producer/Founder of Cannibal Films

Credits include: Tear Me Apart

Tom's feature debut 'Tear Me Apart' premiered at the Austin Film Festival and he is currently working on his second feature ‘Gun’.

Vinay Patel – Screenwriter & Playwright

Credits include: Murdered By My Father

BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, Screenwriter and Playwright Vinay is currently under commission to the Bush Theatre, as well as developing projects for the BBC and the BFI.

“

I have taught at many events, but none as gorgeous as the LSF - the enthusiasm and smarts of the delegates was humbling

Julie Gray, Story consultant & writing mentor

People who get stuff made

Tony Garnett – Producer

Credits include: Kes, Beautiful Thing, This Life

Tony has had a prestigious and varied career as an actor, script editor, screenwriter, director and producer.

Julian Friedmann – Film, TV and literary agent

Agent and great supporter of emerging talent.

Julian has years of experience as a literary agent and was the founder of ScriptWriter magazine.

Jeremy Howe – Drama Commissioning Editor | Radio 4

Credits include: The Archers, Bloomsday

Jeremy is responsible for commissioning over 300 titles a year for Radio 4.

Gub Neal – Producer

Credits include: Prime Suspect, Cracker, Queer As Folk

Gub is an award-winning producer who has headed up the Drama departments at both Channel 4 and Granada.

David Nicholas Wilkinson – Producer

Credits Include: The First Film, How To Change The World

David has been involved in the production/ distribution of over 100 British feature films with budgets from £20,000 to $16 million.

Andee Ryder – Producer - Misfits Entertainment

Credits include: Alleycats, McQueen

International genre for the international market place. Maintain a global focus with all projects, nothing too provincial. Broader stories that will travel and have global appeal. TV and film accepted.

Andrew Zinnes – Screenwriter

Screenwriter and documentary producer

Angus Lamont – Producer

Credits include: '71, The Girl With All the Gifts

'71 Producer Angus has been an active participant in the Scottish and UK independent film production community for more than 25 years.

Belinda Campbell – Joint Managing Director | Red Planet Pictures

Credits include: Death in Paradise, Dickensian

TV Producer Belinda oversees all of Red Planet Pictures drama development and productions.

Jeff Norton – Writer-Producer & Author

Credits include: MetaWars, Trucktown, Princess Ponies

Jeff is a writer-producer, and author of the award-winning thriller series MetaWars.

John Lloyd – Screenwriter & Producer

Credits include: Blackadder, Not The Nine O'Clock News, To The Manor Born

John is best known as the original producer of Not The Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image, Blackadder and QI.

John Yorke – MD Angel Station

Credits include: Wolf Hall, Shameless, Life On Mars

John Yorke is Managing Director of Angel Station where he works as a drama producer, consultant and lecturer on all forms of storytelling.

Julia McKenzie – Head of BBC Radio Comedy

Credits include: The Jason Byrne Show, French & Saunders

Julia produces comedies for Radio 2.

Kim Zubick – Producer and Board Director of Hartswood Films

Credits include: License to Wed, Yours, Mine & Ours

Kim is a hands-on film and TV producer. She most recently produced The Zookeeper's Wife, starring Jessica Chastain and directed by Niki Caro.

Martin Alltimes – CEO/Founder | The Imaginati Studio

Martin and Imaginati Studios are currently focused on creating games based on 'The Planet of Apes' franchise on console and PC.

Nik Powell – Producer and Director of National Film and Television School

Credits include: The Crying Game, Mona Lisa

Virgin co-founder turned Producer, Nik is the man behind some of the most successful and acclaimed British films of all time.

Robyn Slovo – Producer

Credits include: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Former exec at BBC Films and head of film at Company Pictures, Robyn is now an independent producer.

Rory Aitken – Producer

Credits include: Welcome to the Punch, Shifty, The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Rory Aitken is a producer and founding partner of Management and Production Company 42.

Ruth Caleb – Producer

Credits include: Last Resort, Tomorrow La Scala, A Poet in New York

Ruth is a multi-award winning producer. She was awarded the O.B.E. in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Drama.

Ruth Kenley-Letts – Producer

Credits include: It's a Wonderful Life

Ruth runs JK Rowling’s Bronte Film and TV and won both an Oscar and BAFTA for 'It's a Wonderful Life' directed by Peter Capaldi

Samantha Horley – Producer

Credits include: Grabbers, Miss You Already

Samantha is a prolific Producer, freelance script and development consultant and a lecturer who creates and runs training courses for emerging filmmakers.

Steve Clark-Hall – Producer

Credits include: Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows

Steve is one of the UK most experienced Producers. His Credits include 'Calendar Girls', 'RocknRolla' and Kenneth Branagh’s 'Magic Flute'.

Sue Vertue – Producer and Board Director of Hartswood Films

Credits include: The Vicar of Dibley, Sherlock

Sue is the Series Producer for the multi-award-winning hit drama Sherlock for BBC One co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

Tom Kinninmont – Producer, Screenwriter & Director

Credits include: The Carer, Colonia, Blind Revenge

Tom has been Writing, Producing and Directing drama for more than 30 years, initially for the BBC and then independently.

Will Gould – Producer

Credits include: Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street

Will is currently the Joint Managing Director of Tiger Aspect Productions, internationally recognised as one of the UK’s most successful indie TV production companies.

“

What made LSF different from so many events was that you guys clearly thought about the experience of the delegate when organising the event.

Colleen Burn, Screenwriter

Directors

Jonathan Newman – Writer & Director

Credits include: Swinging With The Finkels, Foster, Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box

Jonathan most recently directed the $25m movie Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box.

Ben A Williams – Director

Credits include: The Pass, Stonebridge

Ben's debut feature 'The Pass' was nominated for Outstanding Debut at the 2017 BAFTA Film Awards.

Colm McCarthy – Director

Credits include: Sherlock, Doctor Who, The Tudors

Most recently, Colm directed all six hours of series two of Peaky Blinders, starring Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill and Helen McCrory, and written by Steven Knight.

Craig McCall – Director and Producer

Credits include: Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff

Craig is an award winning commercial and music video director.

Giles Alderson – Director

Credits include: The Dare, World of Darkness

Award winning director Giles hosts the 'filmmakers podcast'.

Ian Bonhôte – Director/Producer - Misfits Entertainment

Credits include: Alleycats, McQueen

John Strickland – Director

Credits include: Line of Duty, Prime Suspect 2, Clocking Off

John has been nominated for a Bafta three times and has won directing awards for Rebel Heart and Bodies.

Justin Trefgarne – Producer, Writer & Director

Credits include: Narcopolis, Peter Rabbit

Justin is a writer, director and sometimes actor whose work straddles Film, TV, Video Games and Comic books.

Phil Peel – Screenwriter, Director & Producer

Credits include: Love, Last Request

Phil has produced, directed or shot over 50 shorts and his films have screened at festivals worldwide.

“

I cannot tell you how invaluable the Actors Table Read was for me - and from feedback I've heard other writers too

Sylvia-Anne Parker, Screenwriter

Actors

Ahd Kamel – Actor, Screenwriter & Director

Credits include: Collateral, Wadjda

Best known for her role in 2012's critically acclaimed, and BAFTA nominee, 'Wadjda', which is Saudi Arabia's first feature film.

Fraser Ayres – Actor

Fraser is an award winning actor, writer and CEO of The TriForce Creative Network

Neil Newbon – Actor

Credits include: Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier

Neil is an actor as well as high-profile AAA Video Games in Full Performance Capture artist.

Rebecca Root – Actor

Credits incude: Boy Meets Girl, The Danish Girl

Rebecca is best known for playing Judy in BBC Two’s ground-breaking comedy series 'Boy Meets Girl'.

Sanjeev Bhaskar – Actor & Screenwriter

Credits include: Unforgotten, The Kumars

Sanjeev gained notoriety as creator and performer of the hit series 'Goodness Gracious Me'. Currently he stars in ITV's 'Unforgotten' and will soon be seen in 'Paddington 2'.

Sarah Berger – Actress

Credits include: Murphy's Law, Doctor Who

Sarah is an actress, director and producer and the founder of the So and So Arts Club.

“

45 seconds in an elevator, pitching to Joel Schumacher was a dream come true.

Kerry-Ann Calleja McGregor, Screenwriter

People who know stuff

Lucy V Hay – Script editor | Bang2write

Bionic blogger, script editor and the voice of new writers!

Legendary for her enthusiasm and knowledge which she shares with her community at Bang2Write. Core member of the LSF team.

Linda Aronson – Practitioner and screenwriter

Author of: The 21st-Century Screenplay

Linda Aronson returns to dazzle LSF delegates with her game changing explanations of how to construct non-linear and multiple storyline films.

Hayley McKenzie – Script Editor

Credits include: Hollyoaks, Casualty, Blue Murder

Hayley McKenzie is an experienced Script Editor in UK television and feature films and the founder of Script Angel.

Chris Jones – Filmmaker and author

Credits include: Oscars shortlisted Gone Fishing, the Guerilla Handbooks and a bunch of feature films

Chris has spent his life making movies, writing books and helping others make their movies.

Eddie Hamilton A.C.E. – Editor

Eddie has over twenty features under his belt, including 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' and ’Kingsman: The Secret Service’.

Anne Edyvean – Head of BBC Writersroom

Credits include: The Break, Holby City, Casualty

Anne is the head of the BBC Writersroom, which finds and develops new writers (and some directors), and champions them across television, radio and on-line.

Charlotte Essex – Script Editor

Writer: Doctors, Script Editor: EastEnders, The Runaway

Charlotte has extensive script editing experience in development and production.

Chris Hewitt – News Editor | Empire Magazine

Chris Hewitt is the News Editor at the always OUTSTANDING Empire Magazine.

Danny West – Script Editor

Credits include: Casualty, Hooten & The Lady

Danny works as a script editor on EastEnders and has just completed his fortieth episode for the iconic soap.

Farah Abushwesha – Producer & Founder of Rocliffe

Credits include: Irreplaceable You, The Last Photograph

Farah is a BAFTA nominated producer, best selling author and founder of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writers Competition.

Henry R Swindell – Producer - Artists Studio

Henry R Swindell is a highly experienced freelance Producer and Script Editor.

Jacki Li – Creative

Jacki Li is the son of famous Chinese director Jun Li.

Jackie Malton – Story Consultant & Writer

Credits: Prime Suspect, Waking The Dead

Jackie is Ex Detective Chief Inspector Metropolitan Police and the role model for award winning series Prime Suspect.

Jo Booth – Head Trainer/Guru | Social Media Makes Sense Ltd

Jo and her team work with the screen writers of such productions as Poldark, Victoria, Endeavour, amongst many hit TV shows.

Karol Griffiths – Script Editor & Supervisor

Credits include: How I Met Your Mother, Friends

Karol Griffiths is a successful script editor and development consultant with over twenty years of experience.

Kira-Anne Pelican – Script Consultant and Researcher

Kira-Anne is an independent script consultant, a PhD researcher in Screenwriting, and visiting tutor at the Met Film School, London.

Loretta Preece – Producer, Story Producer & Script Editor

Loretta has been personally responsible for storylining over 2000 episodes of mainstream British television.

Lucy Raffety – Producer & Script Editor

Credits include: Casualty, Eastenders

Lucy instigated a Writers’ Room system at Casualty which now commissions the majority of its writers in that way.

Manuel Puro – Casting Director

Credits include: Moon, The Machine, Scar Tissue

Manuel has worked with industry heavy hitters including Guillermo del Toro, Richard Attenborough and Nic Roeg, Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn.

Mark Davis – Editor

Credits include: Taboo, Unforgotten, Sherlock, Peaky Blinders

Mark is an experienced short-form director with a successful background in cutting long-form drama for BBC, ITV and Channel Four.

Rebecca Roughan – Development Co-Ordinator | 42

In her role as development coordinator at 42, Rebecca has worked across a number of projects in development with writers including Tom Bidwell, Anna Symon and Jeff Pope.