Nigel Williams

Nigel Williams was born in Cheshire in January 1948 and educated at Highgate School and Oriel College, Oxford. 

Nigel Williams’ plays include CLASS ENEMY, TRIAL RUN, LINE ‘EM, SUGAR AND SPICE, COUNTRY DANCING, an adaptation of LORD OF THE FLIES and HARRY & ME. 

His television and film scripts include; CHARLIE, BREAKING UP, SKALLAGRIG (winner of a BAFTA for Best Single Film for Television), IT MIGHT BE YOU and DIRTY TRICKS (an adaptation of the late Michael Dibden’s novel which won an Emmy for Best International Drama 2001), and ELIZABETH I with Helen Mirren which won the South Bank Award for Best Television Drama, three Golden Globes and two Emmy awards.

Most recently his screenplay AN INNOCENT ABROAD starring Tim Piggot-Smith as PG Wodehouse and Zoe Wanamaker as Wodehouse’s wife was transmitted on BBC4 to great acclaim. An eight-part series THE NAME OF THE ROSE starring Rupert Everett and John Turturro (RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana in partnership with Wild Bunch AG) was shown all over the world. He was also the writer of the highly praised CATHERINE THE GREAT starring Helen Mirren ( who was nominated for several awards for her performance ) which was produced by SKY and HBO.  

He also writes novels which include MY LIFE CLOSED TWICE (winner of the Somerset Maughan Award) THE WIMBLEDON POISONER, THEY CAME FROM SW19, EAST OF WIMBLEDON, SCENES FROM A POISONER’S LIFE, FORTY SOMETHING and HATCHETT AND LYCETT - on the shortlist for the Saga award -  UNFAITHFULLY YOURS and R.I.P..

He has directed many documentaries for television the most recent of which was a film about the French serial killer Francis Heaulmes entitled DANCE WITH A SERIAL KILLER.  His mini-series, an adaptation of Jack London’s novel THE SEA WOLF was filmed starring Sebastian Koch and Tim Roth for Gate Film and Television Productions in Munich who also produced his adaptation of MOBY DICK for television  (nominated for Best TV Movie or Mini Series at the Awards Circuit Community Awards)

His radio comedy drama HR, with Jonathan Pryce and Nicholas le Prevost first aired on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009 with a second series in September 2010, a third series in 2011, a fourth in 2013 and a fifth in 2014.