Alex Shearer (born 25 June 1949) is a British novelist and scriptwriter. He was born in

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...

, in the north of Scotland. Alex Shearer sold his first TV script at the age of 29, after a varied career of some 30 odd jobs. He wrote for television, film, theatre and radio (including plays and short stories for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

) for 14 years, and then devoted himself to becoming a novelist. His 2003 novel ''The Speed of the Dark'' was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. ''The Greatest Store in the World'' was adapted into a television film by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. His novel ''Bootleg'' was adapted for a

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

by the BBC, and later adapted into

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

and

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

under its Japanese title ''Chocolate Underground''.News: Alex Shearer's Bootleg Novel Made into Manga, Anime
, Anime News Network, retrieved 2011-05-07

TV work

*'' Chalk and Cheese'' (1979) 6 episodes for

Thames TV Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

- featuring

Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer. Crawford is best known for playing the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Cornel ...

. Based on a 1977 pilot, ''Spasms'', also by Shearer, featuring

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...

*'' Sink or Swim'' (1980–82) 23 episodes for the BBC - a sitcom featuring

Peter Davison Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett (born 13 April 1951), known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor. He made his television acting debut in 1975 and became famous in 1978 as Tristan Farnon in the BBC's television adaptation of Jame ...

and Robert Glenister *'' Keep It in the Family'' (1981) 1 episode of Thames TV sitcom *''The Climber'' (1982) 6 episodes for the BBC - featuring Robin Nedwell *'' The Front Line'' (1983) 6 episodes for the BBC - featuring

Alan Igbon Alan Igbon (29 May 1952 – 9 December 2020) was a British actor, best known for his roles in television series such as '' The Professionals'', ''Coronation Street'' and ''Boys from the Blackstuff''. Life and career Alan Olanrewaju Igbon was ...

, filmed in

St Pauls, Bristol St Pauls (also written St Paul's) is an inner suburb of Bristol, England, lying just northeast of the city centre and west of the M32. It is bounded by the A38 (Stokes Croft), the B4051 (Ashley Road), the A4032 (Newfoundland Way) and the A404 ...

*'' The Lonelyhearts Kid'' (1984) 6 episodes for Thames TV - featuring Robert Glenister *'' The Two of Us'' (1986–90) 34 episodes for LWT - featuring

Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and is best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' (1981–2003). He was cast as Professor Alan C ...

and

Janet Dibley Janet Dibley (born 13 December 1958) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Elaine Walker in the 1980s sitcom ''The Two of Us (1986 TV series), The Two of Us'', Lorna Cartwright in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', and Elaine Cassi ...

. Subsequently, re-made in Dutch and German *'' All at No 20'' (1986–87) Various episodes of Thames TV sitcom *''

Slinger's Day ''Slinger's Day'' is a British sitcom that aired for two series from 1986 to 1987, made by Thames Television for the ITV network. It was a continuation of '' Tripper's Day'', which had originally come to a natural end after Leonard Rossiter's ...

'' (1986–87) 2 episodes of Thames TV sitcom *'' No Job for a Lady'' (1990–92) 18 episodes for Thames TV - featuring

Penelope Keith Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith (''née'' Hatfield; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms '' The Good Life'' and '' To the ...

*'' Close to Home'' (1990) 1 episode of LWT sitcom *''The Gingerbread Girl'' (1993) 6 episodes for Yorkshire TV - featuring Janet Dibley *'' Law And Disorder'' (1994) 6 episodes for Thames TV - featuring Penelope Keith *''

Delta Wave Delta waves are high amplitude neural oscillations with a frequency between 0.5 and 4 hertz. Delta waves, like other brain waves, can be recorded with electroencephalography (EEG) and are usually associated with the deep stage 3 of NREM slee ...

'' (1996) 2-part episode of a children's adventure series *'' Wilmot'' (1999-2000) 13 episodes of children's series *'' Bootleg'' (2002) 3-part children's drama for the BBC. BAFTA winner

Radio work

*'' Flying The Flag'' 1985-1990, a series featuring

Dinsdale Landen Dinsdale James Landen (4 September 1932 – 29 December 2003) was an English actor. His television appearances included starring in the shows ''Devenish'' (1977) and ''Pig in the Middle'' (1980). ''The Independent'' named him an "outstanding ac ...

, 28 episodes. Radio 4. *''The Dream Maker'' 1992 - radio version of stage play. Also remade in Germany. *''The Diabolical Gourmet'' 2005 – Radio 4 Afternoon play *''Play Chopsticks For Me'' – Radio 4 Short story *''Getting A Life'' Radio 4 short story *'' Bonding'' Radio 4 short story

Film work

*''The Greatest Store In The World'' 1999 (Bafta nomination) *'' Play Chopsticks For Me'' 2000 – Short film *''Chocolate Underground'' 2008/9 Full length animated film version of novel BOOTLEG made by Japanese company MUSE. First full length animation to be streamed episodically to mobile phones and internet in 2008, followed by theatrical release. Premiered in Tokyo, January 2009.

Stage work

*''The Morning After'' - Bath Theatre *''One More Time'' - Chichester and tour of the South West. *''Out of the Blue'' - Chichester and Edinburgh. *''Standing Room Only'' Chichester. *''The Dream Maker'' - The Orchard Theatre Company, Barnstaple, tour of the South West *''A Time And A Season'' - Theatre Royal, Plymouth *''Harry In The Moonlight'' – Northcott Theatre, Exeter

Novels

*''The Dream Maker'' (1992) *''Professor Sniff and the Lost Spring Breezes'' (1996), Gollancz *''Wilmot and Chips'' (1996), Red Fox *''The Winter Brothers and the Missing Snow'' (1997), Puffin *''Dr. Twilite and the Autumn Snooze'' (1997), Puffin *''The Summer Sisters and the Dance Disaster'' (1997), Puffin *''Box 132'' (1997), Harper Collins *''The Found'' (2005), Macmillan *''Wilmot and Pops'' (1998), Hodder *'' The Greatest Store in the World'' (1999), Hodder *''The Great Blue Yonder'' (2002), Macmillan *''The Stolen'' (2002), Macmillan *''Sea Legs'' (2003), Hodder *''Bootleg'' (2003), Macmillan *''The Crush'' (2003) *''The Speed of the Dark'' (2004), Macmillan *''The Lost'' (2004), Macmillan *''The Fugitives'' (2004),Haddock *''The Great Switcheroonie'' (2006), Hodder *''The Hunted'' (2005), Macmillan *''I Was a Schoolboy Bridegroom'' (2006),Hodder *''Land Lubbers'' (2007), Hodder *''The Invisible Man's Socks'' (2007), Macmillan *''Tins'' (2007, released in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as ''Canned'') *''The Cloud Hunters'' (2012), Hot Key *''Sky Run'' 2013 (Hot Key Books) *''This Is The Life'' 2014 (HarperCollins - Blue Door) ADULT *''The Ministry of Ghosts'' 2014 (Hot Key Books) *''A Message To The Sea'' 2016 (Piccadilly Press) *''A Message To The Sea'' – published France, Germany and Japan

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shearer, Alex Living people 1949 births British writers People from Wick, Caithness