Top UK Scriptwriters & Video Games Creators' Shortlisted for Writers' Guild Awards 2009

Top UK Scriptwriters & Video Games Creators' Shortlisted for Writers' Guild Awards 2009

LONDON, October 30/PRNewswire/ -- The Writers' Guild of Great Britain today announced the shortlists for
its 2009 Awards. The Awards recognise talented UK scriptwriters across a
range of disciplines including TV, theatre, film, radio and video games. The
winners will be revealed at a reception on Sunday 29 November 2009 together
with individual awards for Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution to
Writing for Children.

On 29 November the winners of the following categories will be announced:
Television comedy/light entertainment; television drama series; television
soap/continuing series; best feature film screenplay; feature film screenplay
- newcomer; best theatre play; best theatre play for children & young people;
radio comedy/light entertainment; radio drama & video games.

The Writers' Guild Awards are sponsored by the Authors' Licensing and
Collecting Society, BBC Writersroom, BBC Talent Rights and, H.W. Fisher &
Company who number many media organisations and trade unions amongst their
clients.

The Writers' Guild Awards are special because the work of writers is
honoured by their peers and colleagues. Dating back to 1961, the list of
Awards' recipients acts as a roll-call of the greatest British writers of the
past half century and include Alan Bennett, Jimmy McGovern, Jennifer Saunders
and Dawn French among others.

This year's event also marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the
Writers' Guild of Great Britain as an independent trade union affiliated to
the TUC.

The 2009 Awards reception will be held at the Free Word Centre in
Clerkenwell, central London. The Free Word Centre is the newly-opened home of
many well established writing and reading organisations and agencies
including English PEN, Free Word, Index on Censorship, Arvon Foundation,
Literary Consultancy, Reading Agency Apples & Snakes, Article 19, Booktrust
and Dalkey Archive.

The shortlists

Television comedy / light entertainment
Outnumbered, by Andy Hamilton & Guy Jenkin.
Peep Show, by Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong.
The IT Crowd, by Graham Linehan.

Television drama series
Being Human, by Toby Whithouse.
Doctor Who, various writers.
Little Dorrit, adapted by Andrew Davies.

Television soap / continuing series
Doctors, various writers.
Casualty, various writers.
Coronation Street, various writers.

Best feature film screenplay
The Damned United, by Peter Morgan
Hunger, by Enda Walsh, Steve McQueen.
In the Loop, by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Ianucci, Tony
Roche, (additional dialogue by Ian Martin).

Feature film screenplay - newcomer
Is Anybody There? by Peter Harness.
Shifty, by Eran Creevy.
Summer, by Hugh Ellis.

Best theatre play
Apologia, by Alexi Kaye Campbell.
At the Gates of Gaza, by Juliet Gilkes Romero.
Relocated, by Anthony Neilson.

Best theatre play for children and young people
Knock Against my Heart, by Oladipo Agboluaje.
Red Fortress, by Carl Miller.
Scarlet Ribbons, by Brendan Murray.

Radio comedy / light entertainment
The Now Show, by Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis, Laura Shavin, Jon Holmes et al.
15 Minute Musicals, by Richie Webb, David Quantick and Dave Cohen.
Bleak Expectations, by Mark Evans.
Cabin Pressure, by John Finnemore.

Radio drama
A Prayer for Owen Meany, adapted by Linda Marshall Griffin.
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, adapted by Andrew Lynch.
The Gunshot Wedding, by Katie Hims.

Video games award
Prince of Persia, by Andy Walsh.
Fable II, by Mark Hill.
Routes, by Tom Edge.

Notes for Editors

Writers' Guild of Great Britain contact information
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, 40 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4RX
Tel: +44(0)20-7833-0777
Fax: +44(0)20-7833-4777

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain is the trade union representing
writers in TV, radio, theatre, books, poetry, film, online and video games.

In TV, film, radio and theatre, the Guild is the recognised body for
negotiating minimum terms and practice agreements for writers.

The Guild also campaigns and lobbies on behalf of all writers.

Source: Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS)

Media Contact Bernie Corbett: +44(0)20-3372-8401; Writers' Guild of Great Britain contact information, The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, 40 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4RX, Tel: +44(0)20-7833-0777, Fax: +44(0)20-7833-4777

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