Matthew Graham

For the Scrabble expert, see Matt Graham. For the Professional poker player, see Matt Graham (poker player).

Matthew Graham is a British television writer, and the co-creator of the BBC/Kudos Film and Television science fiction series Life on Mars, which debuted in 2006 on BBC One and has received international critical acclaim.

He began his career writing for the soap opera EastEnders and the children's drama Byker Grove, both for BBC One. In the 1990s he wrote for the popular BBC Two drama series This Life, and created and wrote the post-apocalyptic drama serial The Last Train for ITV. He has also written episodes for Spooks, Hustle and wrote "Fear Her", an episode of the 2006 series of Doctor Who.

Ashes to Ashes, a Life on Mars spin-off which he co-created with Life on Mars writer/co-creator Ashley Pharoah, was first broadcast on BBC One on 8 January 2008, to an audience of 7 million, according to overnight figures.^[1]

In the US, ABC commissioned a remake of Life on Mars, also to be called Life on Mars, developed by David E. Kelley, creator of Ally McBeal, for broadcast in the 2007/08 midseason.

In 2006 he formed Monastic Productions with the writer Ashley Pharoah (co-creator of Life on Mars). Monastic Productions are involved in the Life on Mars spin-off Ashes to Ashes and co-producing Bonekickers, a 6-part drama series about archaeology, set in Bath. Both series are productions for BBC One. Bonekickers was not renewed after the first series, but Ashes to Ashes completed its third and final series in May 2010.

In November 2010, Graham announced the production of a new television series co-created with Ashley Pharoah for ITV. Eternal Law tells the story of two angels who are sent to Earth to assist in the salvation of mankind as lawyers in a York law firm. He also confirmed that he would be returning to the world of Doctor Who in 2011, writing Episodes Five and Six of the sixth series, a two-part story entitled "The Rebel Flesh" and "The Almost People". Ashes to Ashes star Marshall Lancaster also guest starred in these episodes.

Selected filmography

Writer

• The Last Train (1999)

• Spooks
  • "Spiders" (2003)

• Hustle
  • "Picture Perfect" (2004)
  • "Confessions" (2005)

• Life on Mars
  • Series 1, Episode 1 (2006)
  • Series 1, Episode 2 (2006)
  • Series 1, Episode 3 (2006)
  • Series 1, Episode 6 (co-written with Ashley Pharoah, 2006)
  • Series 1, Episode 8 (2006)
  • Series 2, Episode 1 (2007)
  • Series 2, Episode 5 (2007)
  • Series 2, Episode 8 (2007)

• Doctor Who
  • "Fear Her" (2006)
  • "The Rebel Flesh" (2011)
  • "The Almost People" (2011)

• Ashes to Ashes
  • Series 1, Episode 1 (2008)
  • Series 1, Episode 7 (2008)
  • Series 2, Episode 2 (2009)
  • Series 2, Episode 8 (2009)
  • Series 3, Episode 1 (2010)
  • Series 3, Episode 8 (2010)

• Bonekickers
  • "Army of God" (2008)
  • "Eternal Flame" (2008)
  • "The Cradle Of Civilisation" (2008)
  • "Follow the Gleam" (2008)

References

1. ^ Ashes burns up the opposition, The Guardian, 8 February 2008

External links

• Matthew Graham at the Internet Movie Database
• Radio Wiltshire interview with Matthew Graham
• Participant in the Café of Ideas creative community based in Bath, UK
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8115817/Screenwriters-clash-over-state-of-TV-drama.html
• Matthew Graham Interview with Best British TV

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