Russell Lewis
 |
Russell Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Russell Lewis 11 September 1963 |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter and former child actor |
| Years active | 1967–present |
Russell Lewis(born 11 September 1963) is an English television writer and former actor. He created and wrote theInspector MorseprequelEndeavour(2012–2023), and the first two series ofGrace(2021–2022).
Career[edit]
Lewis was born inLondonand began his career as a child actor, first appearing in the filmsThe Looking Glass War(1970) andSunday Bloody Sunday(1971). He played the 7-year-old Winston Churchill inYoung Winston(1972), and featured in the 1973 horror filmsTales That Witness Madness(as a boy who befriends an invisible tiger) andVoices.He also starred as George Gathercole inThe Kids from 47A.He appeared as the young Lucius inI, Claudius(1976) and in an episode ofLondon's Burningin 1989.
By the mid-1980s, Lewis had begun to write for television series; his writing credits include episodes ofPerfect Scoundrels,Taggart,The Bill,Wycliffe,Inspector Morse,Kavanagh QC,The Ambassador,Monsignor Renard,Playing the Field,Without Motive,The Last Detective,Murphy's Law,SpooksandLewis.Lewis has co-written three of theSharpefilms,Sharpe's Battle,Sharpe's Challenge[1]and 2008'sSharpe's Peril.He also penned several episodes ofCadfaeland an episode ofHornblower.
In 2009, Russell adaptedAgatha Christie's novelThe Pale Horsefor the fifth series of ITV'sAgatha Christie's Marple,starringJulia McKenzie,which first aired in 2010.[2]
He devised and wrote theInspector MorseprequelEndeavourwhich was first broadcast on 2 January 2012. He wrote the pilot film and all 35 of the subsequent one-hour-thirty instalments in total, ranging from Series 1 in 2013 to Series 9 in 2023.
In 2021, Lewis recorded an Audio Commentary for the first episode ofThe Billthat he wrote, entitled "Forget-Me-Not", alongside actressLynne Miller(WPC Cathy Marshall), released onThe Bill Podcast Patreon Channel.
Lewis wroteGrace,which is based on the bestselling books by authorPeter James.[3]The first series was one standalone episode,[4]with the second series premiering on 24 April 2022.[5]
Awards[edit]
In 1993, Lewis won theWriters' Guild of Great BritainTV - Original Drama Series Award forBetween the Lines.The award was shared with the other writers of the show at the time,J.C. Wilsher,Rob Heyland,Steve Trafford and Michael Russell.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Looking Glass War | Avery's Child | |
| 1971 | Sunday Bloody Sunday | Hodson Child | |
| 1972 | Young Winston | Winston (aged 7) | |
| 1973 | The Love Ban | ||
| 1973 | Tales That Witness Madness | Paul | (segment "Mr. Tiger" ) |
| 1973 | Voices | John | |
| 1976 | The Blue Bird | Children of the Future |
References[edit]
- ^"Sharpe's Challenge writer: Russell Lewis".Sharpe Film.Retrieved2008-05-07.
- ^"Julia McKenzie back as Marple inThe Pale Horse,"Press Release by ITV, 22 February 2010Archived25 February 2010 at theWayback Machine
- ^Gamester-Newton, Becky (14 March 2021)."How we made it: Grace screenwriter Russell Lewis on filming during Covid and brilliant Brighton - exclusive interview".BT.Retrieved24 April2022.
- ^Cumming, Ed (14 March 2021)."Grace review: A cut above the average detective drama".The Independent.Retrieved24 April2022.
- ^Carr, Flora (22 April 2022)."Grace season 2 release date: Cast, trailer and news for John Simm drama".Radio Times.Retrieved24 April2022.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1963 births
- Living people
- 20th-century English screenwriters
- 21st-century English screenwriters
- 20th-century English male writers
- 21st-century English male writers
- 20th-century English male actors
- British male television writers
- English male child actors
- English male film actors
- English male screenwriters
- English male television actors
- English television writers
- Male actors from London
- Television show creators
- Writers from London