Gerald Gary Mercurio (born September 1966) is a British television writer, producer, director and novelist. A former hospital doctor and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

officer, Mercurio has been ranked among UK television's leading writers. In 2017, Mercurio was awarded a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

ship of the Royal Television Society and the Baird Medal by RTS Midlands. Mercurio's works for television include the series '' Line of Duty'', ''

Bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...

'', '' Bodies'' (based on his 2002 novel), '' The Grimleys'', and ''

Cardiac Arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

''. His books are '' Bodies'' (2002), '' Ascent'' (2007), '' American Adulterer'' (2009) and, for children, ''The Penguin Expedition'' (2003).

Early life

Mercurio was born in Nelson, Lancashire, but grew up in Cannock, Staffordshire. His parents were Italian immigrants, with his father working as a coal miner. He studied at the University of Birmingham Medical School. During his third year, in August 1988, he was commissioned as a pilot officer in the

Medical Branch. He received flying training with the University Air Squadron, with the intention of specialising in aviation medicine. He was promoted to flying officer in June 1991, but resigned his commission in February 1992. During practice as a hospital physician, Mercurio answered an advertisement in the '' British Medical Journal'' and, despite little writing experience, scripted 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 ...

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

'' under the pseudonym John MacUre. Subsequently he retired from medicine to pursue a writing career under his own name.

Career

1990s

Mercurio's writing debut, ''

'' (1994–96), caused controversy due to its realistic depiction of hospital life. The series was twice nominated in the Best Original Drama category by the Writers' Guild of Great Britain and topped a poll of UK medical professionals as the most realistic medical drama of all time. Mercurio served as medical adviser on the second series of ''

'', which he cites as his apprenticeship in producing/directing. Mercurio wrote and produced the science fiction drama series Invasion: Earth which ran for six episodes on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

in 1998. Jed Mercurio entered a new genre when he created '' The Grimleys'', a comedy series set in the Black Country, which ran for three series (1999–2001) on ITV.

2000s

Mercurio adapted his first novel, '' Bodies'' (2002), into an award-winning television series. Mercurio assumed the producer/ showrunner position for the first time on '' Bodies'' (2004–06), a role he has fulfilled on all his subsequent original series. ''

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 ...

'' ranked '' Bodies'' in "Shows of the Decade" 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 ...

'' placed it in "The Greatest TV Dramas of All Time." The series won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama Series, was twice nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series and Mercurio was also twice nominated as Best Drama Writer by the Royal Television Society. His critically acclaimed second novel, '' Ascent'' (2007), was ranked among the ''1000 Novels Everyone Must Read''.

2010s

Mercurio's next original drama series, '' Line of Duty'' (first broadcast 26 June 2012), premiered as

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

's then best-performing drama series in 10 years with 4.1 million viewers. A well-received second series (first broadcast 12 February 2014) resulted in the BBC commissioning two further series for production in 2015 and 2016. The first series was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama Series and earned Mercurio his third nomination as Best Drama Writer by the Royal Television Society and The Writers' Guild of Great Britain. In 2014, '' Line of Duty'' was named in the Top 50 BBC2 Shows of All-Time, and named best television drama of the year by '' The Observer'', and in 2016 ranked among the best BBC shows of all time and among the best police series of all time. In 2015, the second series won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama Series. and was nominated for four BAFTA Awards. Series 3 of '' Line of Duty'' became the most watched drama series broadcast on

in the multichannel era. Series 4 transferred to BBC One, consisting of six episodes broadcast from 26 March 2017. Mercurio's third medical drama series, '' Critical'', ran for 13 episodes on Sky1 from 24 February 2015 to predominantly positive reviews, but was cancelled on 15 July 2015 after one season. Mercurio created and wrote ''

'', serving as showrunner on the six-part series starring Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes. The series began broadcasting on BBC One on 26 August 2018, achieving the highest viewing figures for a new

drama in the multichannel era.

2020s

In 2021 Mercurio and Jimmy Mulville, via HTM Television, inked a first-look deal with 20th Television in an effort to expand into the US. In 2023, HTM created the six-part drama ''Payback'', starring Morven Christie opposite Peter Mullan, which aired on ITV and internationally. The series is written by Debbie O'Malley, and Mercurio and Mulville are credited as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

s, along with several others.

Honours

Mercurio was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to television drama.

Personal life

Mercurio's long-time partner is Elaine Cameron, a producer and script editor, and they have two children; Jack and Molly Mercurio.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1994–96) * '' The Grimleys'' (TV sitcom) (1997) * '' Invasion: Earth'' (1998) * '' The Grimleys'' (TV series) (1999–2001) * '' The Legend of the Tamworth Two'' (2004) * '' Bodies'' (2004–2006) * ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

'' (2007) * '' Strike Back'' (2010) * '' Line of Duty'' (2012–2021) * '' Critical'' (2015) * '' Lady Chatterley's Lover'' (2015) * ''

'' (2018) * '' Bloodlands'' (2021) – Executive producer * ''

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

'' (2021) – Executive producer * '' Trigger Point'' (2022) – Executive producer * '' DI Ray'' (2022) – Executive producer * '' Payback'' (2023) – Executive producer * '' Breathtaking'' (2024)

Bibliography

* '' Bodies'' (2002) * '' The Penguin Expedition'' (2003) * '' Ascent'' (2007) * '' American Adulterer'' (2009) * '' Ascent'' (graphic novel – with Wesley Robins) (2011)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mercurio, Jed 1966 births Living people 20th-century British medical doctors 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel Alumni of the University of Birmingham 21st-century British novelists British male novelists British people of Italian descent British screenwriters British showrunners British television directors British television producers Date of birth missing (living people) Fellows of the Royal Television Society Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Cannock People from Nelson, Lancashire Royal Air Force Medical Service officers British television show creators