Stephen Bill

Stephen Bill was born in Handsworth Birmingham and was educated at Handsworth and Halesowen Grammar schools before going to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. As an actor he appeared in, amongst other films and plays, Malcolm Mowbray’s DAYS AT THE BEACH, Jack Rosenthal’s SPEND, SPEND, SPEND. PRICK UP YOUR EARS, directed by Stephen Frears and Mike Leigh’s cult classic, NUTS IN MAY.

In 1978 he won the Thames TV award to become Writer in Residence at the Crucible Theatre under Peter James and has since written extensively for both theatre and Television.

THEATRE:

WHAT THE HEART FEELS. Orange Tree Theatre, London. Nominated for Lloyds Private Banking Playwright of the Year.

CURTAINS. USA premiere in New York. Transferred to John Houseman Theatre. Won two Obie Awards.

CASSIE. Part of the Antigone Project. Royal Shakespeare Company

OVER A BARREL.  Palace Theatre, Watford. Awarded the Writers’ Guild Award for Best Regional Play.

STITCHED UP.  Octagon Theatre Bolton. Nominated for Best New Play for the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards.

HEARTLANDERS.  Birmingham City Centenary play, co-written with David Edgar and Ann Devlin.

CURTAINS. Hampstead Theatre, transferred to the West End. Awarded Drama Magazine’s award for Best Play and the Most Promising Playwright award from both London Evening Standard and the Plays and Players London Critics’ Awards.

CROSSING THE LINE.  A play about miners’ wives during the miners’ strike. Theatre Foundry touring in the Black Country.

NAKED IN THE BULL RING. Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

OVER THE BAR.  Derby Playhouse

THE BOTTOM DRAWER.  Oxford Playhouse and National tour.

PIGGYBACK RIDERS. Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

THE OLD ORDER.  Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Awarded the John Whiting Award.

FINAL WAVE. The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.

GIRL TALK. One woman show. Crucible Theatre Sheffield.

SQUEAKERS AND STRAGS.   Crucible Theatre Sheffield.

TELEVISION:

In 1995 formed the production company FAIR GAME FILMS with Alan Dossor and Irving Teitelbaum. The company originated and produced prime time drama series for the BBC.

THE LOCKSMITH.  A six-part drama series starring Warren Clark. Awarded the Samuelson City Award at the Birmingham International Film and Television Festival. Nominated for Best Drama and Best Independent Film by the Royal Television Society.

MAISIE RAINE. Two six-part series, starring Pauline Quirk. Originated and wrote all of Series One.

FAIR GAME. Directed by Alan Dossor. A film for BBC1

THE DARLING BUDS OF MAY, LE GRAND WEEKEND.  Christmas special, for ITV

BROKE.  Film for BBC1 directed by Alan Dossor starring Timothy Spall and Larry Lamb. Nominated for Writers’ Guild Award for Best Single Film.

MARJORIE AND THE PREACHER MAN.  BBC2 co-written with Jim Broadbent.

EH BRIAN IT’S A WHOPPER.  Originated and wrote the six-part, prime time, series about a Birmingham fishing club for ITV.

LYNDSEY studio drama for Thames TV.