British playwright and dramatist James Graham will ship the flagship tackle of this 12 months’s Edinburgh TV Competition, the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture.
Graham’s work consists of the BAFTA and RTS-winning Sherwood, starring David Morrissey and Lesley Manville, set in opposition to the backdrop of his hometown of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire which returns to BBC later this 12 months, in addition to The Means, a collaboration with Michael Sheen and Adam Curtis. The award-winner was additionally the mastermind behind the massively fashionable Quiz starring Matthew Macfadyen and Sheen.
Current stage work consists of Olivier award-winning Expensive England starring Joseph Fiennes which debuted on the Nationwide Theatre and transferred to the West Finish earlier this 12 months and is presently being tailored right into a TV collection for BBC and his new musical Tammy Faye, written with Elton John and Jake Shears, which is quickly to debut on Broadway.
Graham has additionally penned a spread of political tasks, together with Brexit: An Uncivil Struggle starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dominic Cummings; RTS successful Coalition starring Bertie Carvel as Nick Clegg in the meanwhile he made his pivotal resolution concerning the coalition authorities in 2010; the play Better of Enemies, starring David Harewood and Zachary Quinto concerning the political debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr; and his breakout play, This Home about life within the UK’s Home of Commons of a Nineteen Seventies hung parliament.
Within the lecture, Graham shall be exploring “the function and accountability of tv drama in shaping the political agenda and illuminating social injustices.”
He mentioned: “I’m genuinely honored to be invited to ship the MacTaggart lecture this 12 months of all years, following a probably landmark election. In these tough and divided occasions, tradition and the humanities have by no means been extra vital; TV moments can nonetheless carry a nation collectively by way of shared viewing experiences whether or not it’s in a drama that brings our collective consideration to unbelievable injustices or a sporting efficiency that unites us in celebration (or disappointment!). I’m conscious that delivering this lecture is an actual second, in addition to a chance, to contemplate the long run course for the artistic industries. I’m eager to take a look at the broader function that drama, storytelling and tradition can play in politics, society, and particularly these left-behind communities.”
Graham follows an extended line of famend audio system. Earlier lecturers embrace Michaela Coel, Rupert Murdoch, Jon Snow, Elisabeth Murdoch, David Olusoga, Jack Thorne, Emily Maitlis and Louis Theroux.
The Edinburgh TV Competition takes place from Aug. 20-24.