Bryan Elsley (born 17 May 1961 in

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-ce ...

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east- central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinbur ...

) is a Scottish

television writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, best known for the co-creation of E4 teen

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

'' Skins'' with his son,

Jamie Brittain Jamie Brittain (born 14 August 1985 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish TV writer and actor. Along with his father, Bryan Elsley, he co-created the E4 teen drama '' Skins''. On 1 April 2011, Brittain announced that he would be leaving the sho ...

. Other television dramas include '' Rose and Maloney'', '' The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star'', ''

The Crow Road ''The Crow Road'' is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1992. Plot introduction The novel describes Prentice McHoan's preoccupation with death, sex, his relationship with his father, unrequited love, sibling rivalry, a mis ...

'', '' Dates'', and '' Kiss Me First''.

Early life and education

Elsley attended

Dalkeith High School Dalkeith High School is a secondary state school located in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. History Dalkeith High School was previously the historic Dalkeith Grammar School. A list of masters of the Grammar School at Dalkeith (located on the Hig ...

before going on to read English and History at the

Alcuin College Alcuin College is a college of the University of York located on Siward's Howe in the English city of York in the county of Yorkshire. It is one out of ten colleges of the university, being the nearest to the library on the Heslington West part o ...

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, where he graduated with a B.A. in 1982.

Career

While a student at the University of York, Elsley met and collaborated with

Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and '' Harry & Paul'', and for the creation an ...

. They created a

comedy duo A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases f ...

, "Dusty and Dick", and performed a sell out show at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

. Elsley took up a career in theatrical writing, and then pursued television writing after parting from Enfield. For three years, Elsley was artistic director of Pocket Theatre Cumbria, which was based at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre. At that time he was also writing episodes for TV series '' Casualty'' and '' London's Burning''. These, and his short film ''Govan Ghost Story'' (1989), opened up other opportunities for other television writing. Elsley's big break came when he was commissioned by the BBC to adapt

Iain Banks Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of '' The Wasp Facto ...

's novel ''The Crow Road'' for television. On 18 March 2010, Elsey announced via the ''Skins'' blog that the final episode of series 4 was his last as a writer for the UK series, although Elsley did return to write the opening episode for series 6 in 2012. He executive produced '' Skins U.S.'' in 2011.

Personal life

Elsley has five children and currently lives in

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Film and television work

* ''

'' (1996) * '' The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star'' (1998) * '' Nature Boy'' (1999) * ''

Complicity Complicity is the participation in a completed criminal act of an accomplice, a partner in the crime who aids or encourages ( abets) other perpetrators of that crime, and who shared with them an intent to act to complete the crime.''Criminal ...

'' (2000) * '' 40'' (2003) * '' Rose and Maloney'' (2002–2005) * '' Skins'' (2007–2013) * '' Skins U.S.'' (2011) * '' Dates'' (2013) * ''

Clique A clique ( AusE, CanE, or ), in the social sciences, is a group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity, or popula ...

'' (2016) * '' Kiss Me First'' (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elsley, Bryan 1961 births Living people People from Dalkeith Alumni of the University of York Scottish television writers