Nicola Shindler (born 8 October 1968) is a British television producer and executive, and founder of the independent television drama production company Quay Street Productions, having founded and run

Red Production Company Red Production Company Limited was a British independent television drama production company that was founded by Nicola Shindler and owned by French production & distribution company StudioCanal. Background Red Production Company was formed i ...

from 1998 to 2020. She has won eleven

BAFTA TV Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards, are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in ...

Early life and education

Shindler was born in

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

, England, the daughter of school teacher Gay Shindler (née Kenton) and solicitor Geoffrey Shindler. She grew up in the Whitefield area of

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

. Shindler attended

Bury Grammar School Bury Grammar School is a 3–18 private day school for boys in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, that has existed since c.1570. It is now part of a group of schools for preschool, junior, senior and sixth form studies. Since 2017, when Bu ...

from 1979 to 1987. She graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in history from

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

Career

Shindler first started out working as a sales manager in the sales department at

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

, which she chose because it was the home of new writing. She eventually started working as a script reader there but realised after a couple of years that she was more interested in the process of writing and working with writers in television versus theatre. Shindler then got a job at 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 ...

as a trainee script editor. Part of the responsibilities of that job in the early days was reading scripts that had been accumulating in the basement of the BBC for over 10 years. Shindler says that it was educational and she got a reputation as a hard worker from clearing this huge backlog. Shindler worked at

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

, for whom she first came to prominence as a script editor on the drama series ''

Cracker Cracker, crackers or The Crackers may refer to: Animals * ''Hamadryas'' (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterflies * '' Sparodon'', a monotypic genus whose species is sometimes known as "Cracker" Arts and entertainment Films ...

'' (1993). She then went on to work as assistant producer on the

's ''

Our Friends in the North ''Our Friends in the North'' is a British television drama Serial (radio and television), serial produced by the BBC. It was originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC2 in early 1996. Written by Peter Flannery, it tells the story of four frie ...

'' (1996) and producer on '' Hillsborough'', a dramatised account of the 1989 football stadium disaster. All three starred actor

Christopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston (; born 16 February 1964) is an English actor whose work has encompassed Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films, television dramas, Shakespearean stage performances and science fiction, most notably the Ninth Doctor, ni ...

, who subsequently featured in several dramas for Shindler's Red Production Company. In 1998, Shindler formed Red Production Company – named after the nickname of Shindler's favourite football team,

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

– in Manchester. Its first project, with Shindler producing, was writer

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...

' gay drama serial ''

Queer as Folk ''Queer as Folk'' may refer to: * Queer as Folk (British TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000 * Queer as Folk (American TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of th ...

''. ''Queer as Folk'' gave Red a reputation as producers of noteworthy drama, and they followed this up with subsequent series for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

such as ''Love in the 21st Century'' (1999) and ''Queer as Folk 2'' (2000). Red has since produced dramas for BBC One, BBC Two, and ITV including ''Clocking Off'' (2000–03), ''Flesh and Blood'' (2002), ''Bob and Rose'' (2001) and '' The Second Coming'' (2003). In addition to the ITV series, ''

Scott & Bailey ''Scott & Bailey'' is a British police procedural series that debuted on ITV (TV network), ITV on 29 May 2011 and concluded on 27 April 2016. The series stars Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Amelia Bullmore, Nicholas Gleaves, Danny Miller (actor), ...

,'' Shindler produced the award-winning '' Happy Valley,'' which is set in the Calder Valley and environs and stars

Sarah Lancashire Sarah-Jane Abigail Lancashire (born 10 October 1964) is an English actress. Known for her work in television and theatre, she has received numerous accolades over a career spanning four decades, including three British Academy Television Award ...

Sally Wainwright Sally Anne Wainwright (born 1963) is an English television writer, producer, and director. She is known for her dramas, which are often set in her native West Yorkshire, and feature "strong female characters". Wainwright has been praised for th ...

credits Shindler with bringing ''

Last Tango in Halifax ''Last Tango in Halifax'' is a British comedy-drama series that began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 November 2012 until its final episode which was broadcast on 15 March 2020. The series stars Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid as Alan and Celia. The ...

'' to BBC TV. In December 2013, it was announced that Shindler had sold a majority stake Red Production Company to the French media company

StudioCanal StudioCanal S.A.S. (formerly known as Le Studio Canal+, Canal Plus, Canal+ Distribution, Canal+ D.A., and Canal+ Production and also known as StudioCanal International) is a French film & television production and distribution company which is a ...

. Other productions produced by Shindler at Red are 2016's '' The Five'' and 2017's '' Trust Me,'' alongside 2018's ''Come Home'' and

Harlan Coben Harlan Coben (born January 4, 1962) is an American writer of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple ...

’s ''

Safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable enclosure used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body ...

'', 2019's '' Years and Years'' from Russell T. Davies, and ''Traces'', a second series of which is due in 2021, and

’s '' The Stranger'' (2020) Further new dramas produced by executive produced by Shindler due in 2021 include '' Finding Alice'', '' It’s a Sin'', '' Ridley Road'', ''No Return'', ''Traces'' Series 2 and ''Stay Close''. In 2021, Shindler launched new scripted production company Quay Street Productions. Sited within ITV Studios, the label is based in Central Manchester and focuses on producing premium drama for the UK and international market.

Personal life

Shindler lives and works in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England. Shindler is married to writer

Matt Greenhalgh Matthew Greenhalgh is an English screenwriter from Manchester. He is best known for writing the screenplays of several biopic films, including '' Control'' (2007), ''Nowhere Boy'' (2009), '' Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool'' (2017), and ''Ba ...

, they have two daughters and a son.

Honours

* 2003: ''

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 ...

'' – Media top 100 * 2009:

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

, Honorary Doctorate of Arts * 2013:

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 ...

, ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

'' – Power List 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom * 2015: ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' – 25 Most Powerful Women in Global TV * 2016:

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

for ''Happy Valley'' * 2017: Women in Film and Television International – Women in Film and Television Award * 2019:

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

2019 Birthday Honours The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

for services to broadcasting

Awards

* 1997:

, Best Single Drama for ''Hillsborough'' – with Katy Jones, Charles McDougall, Jimmy McGovern * 1997: Munich Film Festival, VFF TV Movie Award, Best International Television Production for ''Hillsborough'' * 2001:

, Best Drama Series for ''Clocking Off'' – with Ann Harrison-Baxter, Paul Abbott * 2002:

, Best Drama Serial for ''Bob & Rose'' (nomination) – with Ann Harrison-Baxter, Russell T. Davies * 2002:

, Best Drama Series for ''Clocking Off'' (nomination) – with Juliet Charlesworth, Paul Abbott * 2003:

, Best Drama Series for ''Clocking Off'' (nomination) – with Paul Abbott, Juliet Charlesworth * 2005:

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

, RTS Television Award, Best Drama Serial for ''Conviction'' (nomination) – with Marc Munden, Bill Gallagher, Ann Harrison-Baxter, David Richards * 2008:

, Best Single Drama for ''The Mark of Cain'' – with Tony Marchant, Lynn Horsford, Marc Munden * 2008: Broadcasting Press Guild Award, Best Single Drama for ''The Mark of Cain'' (nomination) – with Tony Marchant, Marc Munden, Lynn Horsford * 2008: Monte-Carlo TV Festival, Golden Nymph for Best Television Film for ''The Mark of Cain'' – with Marc Munden, Lynn Horsford, Tony Marchant * 2010:

, Best Drama Serial for ''Unforgiven'' (nomination) – with Sally Wainwright, Karen Lewis, David Evans * 2013:

, Best Mini-Series for ''Last Tango in Halifax'' – with Sally Wainwright, Euros Lyn, Karen Lewis * 2015:

, Best Mini-Series for ''

Prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...

'' (nomination) – with Nick Murphy, Tom Sherry, Chris Lunt * 2017:

, Best Drama Series for ''Happy Valley'' – with Sally Wainwright. Juliet Charlesworth, Neasa Hardiman * 2017: BAFTA Television Craft Award, Best Drama Series for ''Happy Valley'' (nomination) – with Sally Wainwright, Juliet Charlesworth, Neasa Hardiman * 2017: Banff Rockie Award, Best Mini-Series for ''Happy Valley'' (nomination) – with Sally Wainwright, Neasa Hardiman, Juliet Charlesworth * 2017:

, RTS Television Award, Best Single Drama for ''The Mark of Cain'' (nominated) – with Marc Munden, Lynn Horsford, Tony Marchant *2018:

, RTS Northern Ireland Award, Best Drama for ''Come Home'' *2019: Creative Diversity Network Award, Commissioning for ''Butterfly'' *2019:

, RTS North West Award, Best Single Drama or Drama Series for ''Years and Years'' * 2019:

, Presented with a Special Award recognising her outstanding contribution to the television industry *2020: Broadcast Award, International Programme Sales for ''Years and Years''

Filmography

* 1993: ''

'' (TV series) – script editor (7 episodes) * 1995: ''Degrees of Error'' (TV series) – script editor * 1996: ''

'' (TV mini-series) – assistant producer (9 episodes) * 1996: '' Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgement'' (TV mini-series) – assistant producer (2 episodes) * 1996: '' Hillsborough'' (TV movie) – producer * 1999: ''Heart'' – producer * 1999: ''Love in the 21st Century'' (TV series) – creator, executive producer (6 episodes) * 1999–2000: ''

'' (TV series) – producer (10 episodes); Executive Producer (10 episodes) * 2001: ''Now You See Her'' (TV movie) – executive producer * 2001: '' Bob & Rose'' (TV series) – executive producer (6 episodes) * 2001–2002: ''

Linda Green ''Linda Green'' is a British comedy-drama television series that aired on BBC One from 30 October 2001 to 17 December 2002. It was produced for the BBC by the independent Red Production Company. The series was created by Paul Abbott, and other ...

'' (TV series) – producer (6 episodes); Executive Producer (10 episodes) * 2000–2002: ''

Clocking Off ''Clocking Off'' is a British television drama series which was broadcast on BBC One for four series from 2000 to 2003. It was produced for the BBC by the independent Red Production Company, and created by Paul Abbott. It was effectively an a ...

'' (TV series) – executive producer (21 episodes) * 2002: '' Sparkhouse'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2002: ''Flesh and Blood'' (TV movie) – executive producer * 2003: ''

Burn It Burn It may refer to: * Burn It (TV series), a 2003 British television series * Burn It (song), a 2020 song by Agust D * Burn It, a song by Fever 333, from the album Strength in Numb333rs See also * Burn It!, a 1985 album by Modern Romance * ...

'' (TV series) – executive producer * 2003: '' The Second Coming'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (2 episodes) * 2003: ''Indian Dream'' (TV movie) – executive producer * 2004: ''

Conviction In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is Guilty (law), guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a ...

'' (TV series) – executive producer (4 episodes) * 2004: '' Mine All Mine'' (TV series) – executive producer (5 episodes) * 2005: '' Dead Man Weds'' (TV series) – executive producer * 2005: ''Big Dippers'' (TV movie) – executive producer * 2005: '' Casanova'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2005: '' Jane Hall'' (TV series) – executive producer * 2006: ''Magnolia'' (TV movie) – executive producer * 2006–2007: '' New Street Law'' (TV series) – executive producer (12 episodes) * 2007: ''The Mark of Cain'' – executive producer * 2009: ''

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...

'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2010: ''Acid Burn'' (short) – executive producer * 2010: ''

A Passionate Woman ''A Passionate Woman'' is a British two-part drama miniseries that aired on BBC One from 11 to 18 April 2010. It was written by Kay Mellor, an adaptation of her 1992 stage play, inspired by her mother's life story. Plot In the 1950s Yorkshire, ...

'' (TV series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2010: '' Worried About the Boy'' (TV movie) – executive producer * 2010: '' Single Father'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (4 episodes) * 2011: ''

Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2011–2012: '' Bedlam'' (TV series) – executive producer (12 episodes) * 2011–2016: ''

'' (TV series) – executive producer (30 episodes) * 2012: ''Life Stories'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (4 episodes) * 2012: '' Love Life'' (TV series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2012: ''The Syndicate'' (TV series) – executive producer (5 episodes) * 2012: '' Hit & Miss'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (6 episodes) * 2012: '' Blackout'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2012: ''Blood'' – producer * 2012–2016: ''

'' (TV series) – executive producer (20 episodes) * 2013: '' Heading Out'' (TV series)– producer * 2013: ''The Last Witch'' (TV movie) – executive producer * 2014: ''

The Driver ''The Driver'' is a 1978 American crime film, crime thriller film written and directed by Walter Hill, and starring Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern and Isabelle Adjani. The film featured only unnamed characters, and follows a getaway driver for robberi ...

'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2014–2015: ''

'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (2 episodes) * 2014–2016: '' Happy Valley'' (TV series) – executive producer (12 episodes) * 2015: ''

Tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...

'' (TV series documentary short) – executive producer (8 episodes) * 2015: ''

Cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

'' (TV series) – executive producer (8 episodes) * 2015: '' Danny and the Human Zoo'' (TV movie) – executive producer * 2016: '' The Five'' (TV series) – executive producer (10 episodes) * 2016: ''

Paranoid Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of con ...

'' (TV mini-series) – associate producer (1 episode); Executive Producer (7 episodes) * 2016: ''

Ordinary Lies ''Ordinary Lies'' is a British television drama series that was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 March 2015. The six-part first series, written by Danny Brocklehurst, is set in a car showroom. The second, also in six-parts, is set in the warehouse ...

'' (TV series) – executive producer (6 episodes) * 2017: '' Trust Me'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (4 episodes) * 2018: '' Come Home'' (TV series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2018: '' The Detail'' (TV series) – executive producer (10 episodes) * 2018: ''

Butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (3 episodes) * 2019: '' Years and Years'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer (6 episodes) * 2019-2020: '' Traces'' (TV series) – executive producer (6 episodes) * 2020: '' The Stranger'' (TV series) - executive producer (8 episodes) * 2021: ''

It's a Sin "It's a Sin" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, '' Actually'' (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's ...

'' (TV series) – executive producer (5 episodes) * 2021: '' Finding Alice'' (TV series) – executive producer (6 episodes) * 2021: '' Ridley Road'' (TV series) – executive producer (4 episodes) * 2021: ''

No Return No Return may refer to: Film and television * No Return (1973 film), ''No Return'' (1973 film), a Soviet romantic drama * No Return (2010 film), ''No Return'' (2010 film), a Spanish-Argentine thriller * No Return (British TV series), ''No Return'' ...

'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer * 2021: '' Stay Close'' (TV mini-series) – executive producer * 2022: ''

'' (TV series) - executive producer (8 episodes)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shindler, Nicola 1968 births Living people 20th-century British businesswomen 21st-century British businesswomen Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge BBC television producers British television executives British women television producers Channel 4 people ITV people Mass media people from Manchester Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bury Grammar School (Girls) WFTV Award winners Women television executives