James Stanley McGovern(born September 1949) is an English screenwriter and producer. He is best known for creating the drama seriesCracker(1993–1995), for which he received twoEdgar Awardsfrom theMystery Writers of America.He also received recognition for creating drama series such asHillsborough,The Lakes,The Street,andAccused,among others. On 8 December 2021, McGovern was conferred the Freedom of Liverpool in recognition of his life's work.
Jimmy McGovern | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Stanley McGovern September 1949 (age 75) Liverpool,England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
Early life
editMcGovern was born inLiverpoolin September 1949, the son of working-class parents Jane (née Warner) and William McGovern.[1]He was the fifth of nine children. He has astammer,for which he received no therapy and which affects him still.[2]Brought up a Catholic, he attendedSt Francis Xavier's Collegewhich moved to theWooltonsuburb of Liverpool in 1961.
Career
editTelevision
editIn 1982, McGovern started his TV career working onChannel 4's soap operaBrookside.He tackled many social issues in the course of the series, especially unemployment – which was at a post-war high at the time. In 1993, he created the drama serialCracker,about the work of a fictional criminal psychologist played byRobbie Coltrane.Made byGranada Televisionand screened onITV,the series was a critical and popular success, lasting until 1995.Crackeralso aired in the United States, on theArts and Entertainmentcable network. McGovern's writing earned him twoEdgar Awardsfrom theMystery Writers of America.In 1997 he createdThe Lakes,a drama that sharedBrookside'srealist setting and reused themes fromCracker,such as gambling addiction. In 2006, he created theBBC Onedrama,The Street;its third and final series aired in 2009.
McGovern also wrote the script for the televisiondocudramaHillsborough(1996), based on the events of thestadium disasterin 1989, which claimed the lives of 97Liverpoolfans at anFA Cupsemi-final. Among the cast of this drama wasChristopher Eccleston,who also featured inCracker,along with formerBrooksideactorRicky Tomlinson.Eccleston later said it was the most important work he'd ever done.[3]Newspapers citedHillsboroughas a factor in a new inquiry set up in 1997.[4]
In 2009, McGovern was the executive producer on the BBC One miniseriesMoving On.[5]His seriesAccusedaired from 2010 to 2012 on BBC One. It followed a similar format toThe Streetbut with a crime component. The series' writers included McGovern,Danny Brocklehurst,Alice Nutter and Shaun Duggan. It was produced by Sita Williams.[citation needed]
In 2012, McGovern and local Indigenous Australian writers fromSydneydeveloped the Australian television drama seriesRedfern Now,set among theIndigenous Australiansof the Sydney suburb ofRedfern.The six-part series follows a similar format toAccused,telling the stories of six inner-city households in one street whose lives are changed by a seemingly insignificant incident.[6]The series debuted on 1 November 2012, was produced byBlackfella Filmsand has been commissioned for a second series.[7]
In June 2021, McGovern's seriesTime,starringSean BeanandStephen Graham,aired onBBC One.The series was directed byLewis Arnold.[8]It won the BAFTA for best miniseries in 2022.
Film
editMcGovern wrote the screenplay for the 1994 drama,Priest.[9]
Stage
editMcGovern wrote the book for the musical stage showKing Cotton,which explores links between theAtlantic slave tradeandindustrialisationinNorth West England,as part of theLiverpoolEuropean Capital of Culture2008.King Cottonpremiered atthe Lowryin September 2007 before moving to theLiverpool Empire.
Views on writing
editMcGovern has described cinema scriptwriters as being treated poorly and required to produce an abundance of drafts by successive producers. McGovern has openly criticised dramas such asFootballers' Wiveslamenting the lack of quality, believable storytelling in the early 2000s.[10]He believes that television directors are underrated. He says: "I have worked twice withDavid Blair"onThe LakesandThe Street,"and I can tell you that he is the best there is. He can make a good project great... Why David hasn’t won the acclaim he deserves is a mystery to me".[11]
Filmography
edit| Programme | Date | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookside | 1982–1989 | Channel 4 | Writer of several episodes |
| Coronation Street | 1990 | ITV | Episode #1.3115 (writer) |
| Screenplay | BBC Two | Series 5, episode 11: "Needle" (writer) | |
| Traitors | TV film. Dramatisation of theGunpowder Plot(later revisited inGunpowder, Treason & Plot) (writer) | ||
| El C.I.D. | 1990–1991 | ITV | Writer of 3 episodes: "A Proper Copper", "Christmas Spirit" and "Piece of Cake" |
| The Play on One | 1991 | BBC One | 1 episode: "Gas and Candles" (writer) |
| Cracker | 1993–1996, 2006 | ITV | Creator, and writer of several episodes and 1 special (2006) |
| Priest | 1994 | - | Film, starringLinus Roache(writer) |
| Hearts and Minds | 1995 | Channel 4 | Writer of all 4 episodes |
| Go Now | BBC One | TV film, starringRobert CarlyleandJuliet Aubrey(co-writer) | |
| Hillsborough | 1996 | ITV | TV film. Dramatised reconstruction of the events of the 1989Hillsborough disaster(writer) |
| Fitz | 1997 | ABC/ ITV | 5 episodes (original teleplay) |
| The Lakes | 1997–1999 | BBC One | Creator, and writer of 10 episodes |
| Heart | 1999 | - | Film, starringSaskia ReevesandChristopher Eccleston(writer) |
| Dockers | Channel 4 | TV film. Dramatisation of theLiverpool dockers' strike (1995–98)(co-writer) | |
| Liam | 2000 | - | Film, starringIan Hart(writer) |
| Sunday | 2002 | Channel 4 | TV film. Based on the events ofBloody Sunday(writer) |
| Gunpowder, Treason & Plot | 2004 | BBC One | TV mini-series. Dramatisation of the lives ofMary, Queen of ScotsandJames I of England(writer) |
| The Street | 2006–2009 | Creator, and writer of 17 episodes | |
| Moving On | 2009–2021 | Creator, and writer of several episodes | |
| Accused | 2010–2012 | 10 episodes (writer) | |
| Common | 2014 | TV film, set in the north west of England and based on the UK's controversialjoint enterpriselaw (writer) | |
| Banished | 2015 | BBC Two | TV mini-series. Creator, and writer of all 7 episodes |
| Defendant | 2016 | France 2 | A French language remake of the British drama seriesAccused(creator) |
| Reg | BBC One | TV film. Fact-based drama about the campaign byReg Keysto obtain answers after the death of his son in theIraq War(co-writer) | |
| Broken | 2017 | Writer/co-writer of all 6 episodes | |
| Care | 2018 | TV film, starringSheridan Smith.Co-written with Gillian Juckes.[12] | |
| Anthony | 2020 | TV film | |
| Time | 2021– | TV series, starringSean BeanandStephen Graham.Writer of all 3 episodes. |
Awards and honours
edit- TwoEdgar AwardsforCracker.[citation needed]
- International Emmyfor best drama series forThe Streetin 2010 andThe Accusedin 2011.[citation needed]
- Lifetime Achievement award from theRoyal Television Societyfor his body of work.[13]
- the Freedom of Liverpoolon 8 December 2021, from Liverpool City Council, in recognition of his life's work.
BAFTAs
edit| Year | Nominated work | Category | Co-nominees | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Cracker | Drama Series | Gub Neal | Nominated | [14] |
| 1995 | — | Dennis Potter Award | — | Won | |
| 1996 | Go Now | Single Drama | Andrew Eaton,Paul Henry Powell,Michael Winterbottom | Nominated | |
| 1997 | Hillsborough | Katy Jones,Charles McDougall,Nicola Shindler | Won | ||
| 1998 | The Lakes | Drama Serial | David Blair,Charles Pattinson | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Dockers | Single Drama | Bill Anderson,Sally Hibbin | Nominated | |
| 2007 | The Street | Drama Series | David Blair,Ken Horn,Sita Williams | Won | |
| 2008 | Television Craft | — | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Drama | John Chapman,Terry McDonough,Sita Williams | Won | ||
| 2010 | David Blair,Roxy Spencer,Sita Williams | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Accused"(Tracie's Story)" | Writer Drama | Shaun Duggan | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Accused | Mini Series | Ashley Pearce,Roxy Spencer, Sita Williams | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Common | Single Drama | David Blair, Colin McKeown, Donna Molloy | Nominated |
Notes
edit- ^"Cracker writer Jimmy McGovern says he could have been IRA soldier if born in Ireland".Mirror. 24 February 2015.Retrieved24 November2015.
- ^Rees, Jasper (24 August 1997)."Jimmy's As Deep As They Come".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 8 June 2022.Retrieved21 June2021.
- ^"Christopher Eccleston says Jimmy McGovern's Hillsborough is most important work he's ever done".Liverpool Echo. 30 November 2010.Retrieved2 January2013.
- ^"Hillsborough (1996)".Screenonline.Retrieved6 March2020.
- ^"BBC - Press Office - Moving On press pack: introduction".
- ^"Industry Support – Indigenous Programs".Screen Australia. 25 October 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 22 April 2011.Retrieved2 January2013.
- ^"Renewed: Redfern Now".TV Tonight. 13 November 2012.Retrieved2 January2013.
- ^Vassell, Nicole (4 June 2021)."Time release date: Cast, plot and trailer for new BBC One series".Radio Times.Retrieved7 June2021.
- ^Echo, Liverpool (2 March 2010)."Jimmy McGovern attends FACT Priest screening".liverpoolecho.Retrieved12 May2017.
- ^"BBC NEWS - Entertainment - Cracker writer attacks ITV drama".10 March 2006.
- ^"Seeing the director's point of view".Financial Times. 27 August 2006.
- ^"BBC - Sheridan Smith, Alison Steadman and Sinead Keenan to star in Care, a new drama by Jimmy McGovern and Gillian Juckes for BBC One - Media Centre".www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^"BBC, ITV and C4 recognised across the RTS Programme Awards".IBC. 23 March 2018.
- ^"Jimmy McGovern BAFTA Awards Database".