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David Pirie is a British screenwriter, film producer, film critic, and novelist. As a screenwriter, he is known for his noirish original thrillers, classic adaptations and period gothic pieces. In 1998, he was nominated for a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
for Best Drama Serial for his adaptation of
Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for ''The Woman in White (novel), The Woman in White'' (1860), a mystery novel and early sensation novel, and for ''The Moonsto ...
's 1859 novel '' The Woman in White'' into " The Woman in White" (BBC, 1997). His first book, '' A Heritage of Horror: The English Gothic Cinema 1946–1972'' (1973), was the first book-length survey of the British horror film. He has written several novels, including the ''Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes'' trilogy which includes ''The Patient's Eyes'' (2002), ''The Night Calls'' (2003), and ''The Dark Water'' (2006).


Screenwriting

Pirie's work for TV and film includes the New York TV Festival award-winning ''Rainy Day Women'' (1984), described by Mark Lawson in ''The Guardian'' as "one of the neglected masterpieces of British TV." His three-part ''
Never Come Back ''Never Come Back'' is a television crime drama mini-series created by David Pirie, and produced by the BBC. Three episodes were made and were first broadcast on BBC Two in 1990, on 21 March, 28 March, and 4 April. An edited version was broadc ...
'' (BBC, 1990) – an adaptation of an obscure wartime thriller of the same name by author John Mair – has been described as "the film noir atmosphere of 1940s cinema brought across to remarkable effect." Pirie's '' Ashenden'' (1991), which was adapted from the stories by Somerset Maugham, was not well received in the UK but praised by US critics. His three-part drama '' Natural Lies'' first aired on the BBC in 1992. He courted controversy in 1995 with '' Black Easter'', a near-future thriller for BBC2 examining an increasingly dystopian European Union fighting waves of immigration from a war on its borders: despite its popularity, it has never been repeated. He wrote '' Element of Doubt'' (1996) and worked (uncredited) on the screenplay for
Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (né Trier; born 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late-1960s as a child actor working on Danish television series ''Secret Summer'', von Trier's career has spanned more than five decad ...
's Oscar-nominated ''
Breaking the Waves ''Breaking the Waves'' is a 1996 psychological romantic melodrama film directed and co-written by Lars von Trier and starring Emily Watson in her feature film acting debut, and with Stellan Skarsgård, a frequent collaborator with von Trier. ...
'' (1996). In 1998, Pirie was nominated for a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
for Best Drama Serial for his adaptation of
Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for ''The Woman in White (novel), The Woman in White'' (1860), a mystery novel and early sensation novel, and for ''The Moonsto ...
's 1859 novel '' The Woman in White'' into " The Woman in White" (BBC, 1997). The two part film was described by ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' as "simply the best TV drama has to offer." In 2018 he co-executive produced the BBC's five-part '' The Woman in White'' TV series of the same novel, starring Jessie Buckley. Pirie took a new approach to Sherlock Holmes both in TV and later in novels with the 'Murder Rooms' cycle, of which ''Publishers Weekly'' wrote "This brilliant debut mystery from British screenwriter Pirie offers a novel twist on the Sherlock Holmes pastiche". It first saw life as a two episode pilot '' Murder Rooms'' (2000) which was partly based on Arthur Conan Doyle's early life. '' Variety'' wrote, "Writer David Pirie has crafted a clever blend of historical evidence and fiction in the grand manner of a traditional Holmes mystery." The show was the second highest rated of all dramas on BBC2 in its year, spawning the series of books and TV shows, most notably ''Murder Rooms: The Patient's Eyes'' (2001). Pirie was credited as associate producer. Pirie's two-part '' The Wyvern Mystery'' (BBC, 2000) – an adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's gothic horror-piece of the same name – has been described as "a splendid small-screen tribute to the moody-gloomy Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s." In 2003, his screenplay adaptation of
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
's '' Sad Cypress'', aired on ITV as an episode of the Poirot series, starring David Suchet. In 2009 his ITV series '' Murderland'' starring Robbie Coltrane achieved ratings that Digital Spy called "impressive" and ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' noted drew a 26% share and 6.3 million people for its opening episode, averaging 5.8 million throughout its run. As of 2014, Pirie was working on a modern remake of Henry James's '' The Turn of the Screw'', a feature version of his earliest TV production ''Rainy Day Women'' and a thriller set in the 60s ''Six Zero'' for Carnival Films the makers of ''
Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...
''.


Film critic, journalist and author

Before he became a screenwriter, Pirie worked as a film critic for such publications as ''
Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...
'' and ''
Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...
'' while for some years he was the Film Editor of the London
listings magazine A listings magazine is a magazine which is largely dedicated to information about the upcoming week's events such as broadcast programming, music, clubs, theatre and film information. The BBC's '' Radio Times'' was the world's first listings ...
'' Time Out''. He has also written for several newspapers including ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' and ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
''. His first book, '' A Heritage of Horror: The English Gothic Cinema 1946–1972'' (1973), the first book-length survey of the British horror film, has according to Kim Newman in ''Sight and Sound'' "long been regarded as a trail-blazing classic" and is described by SFX as among the small category of essential books on horror cinema. In it he analyses the films of
Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...
and Amicus, and other British horror phenomena, including the works of Michael Reeves and what Pirie referred to as Anglo-Amalgamated's " Sadean Trilogy", beginning with '' Horrors of the Black Museum'' in 1959. An updated version of Pirie's book, entitled ''A New Heritage of Horror: The English Gothic Cinema'' was published in 2008. Film-maker Martin Scorsese described it as "the best study of British horror movies and an important contribution to the study of British cinema as a whole". Pirie's other film related works include ''The Vampire Cinema'' (1975) and ''Anatomy of the Movies'' (1981, as editor). He has written several novels, including ''Mystery Story'' (1980), and the ''Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes'' trilogy which includes ''The Patient's Eyes'' (2002), ''The Night Calls'' (2003), and ''The Dark Water'' (2006). ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote of the first: "It is the combination of style and scholarship ... that gives this atmospheric yarn the heightened thrill of intellectual challenge." ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' described it as "a brilliant debut mystery ... and several passages are truly spine-chilling."


Bibliography

* ''A Heritage of Horror: The English Gothic Cinema 1946–1972'' (1975) Avon * ''The Vampire Cinema'' (1977) Hamlyn * ''Mystery Story'' (1980) Frederick Mueller * ''The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes'' trilogy: :* ''The Patient's Eyes'' (2001) Century :* ''The Night Calls'' (2003) Century :* ''The Dark Water'' (2004) Century * ''A New Heritage of Horror: The English Gothic Cinema'' (2007) I B Tauris & Co


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pirie, David 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists English screenwriters English male screenwriters English film critics English mystery writers English horror writers English film producers Living people English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English male writers English male non-fiction writers 1953 births