Nigel Williams (born 20 January 1948) is an English

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

Biography

Williams was born in Cheadle,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, England. He was educated at

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is a co-educational, fee-charging, private day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate Pre-Preparato ...

, north

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

, is married with three sons and lives in

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

, southwest London. After graduating from Oxford, Williams joined 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 general trainee, and worked as an arts producer for the corporation, eventually becoming the editor of '' Omnibus'' and ''Bookmark''.Geraldine Bedell
"All roads lead to Croydon"
''

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'' ...

'', 14 April 2002. His first novel ''My Life Closed Twice'' won the 1978

Somerset Maugham Award The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to ...

. For his screen adaptation of William Horwood's '' Skallagrigg'' (1994), Williams won a television BAFTA. Williams was also the primary scriptwriter for the second season – based on Greek myths – of the acclaimed '' Jim Henson's Storyteller'' series. Williams' most successful work has been the 2005 TV drama ''

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

'', being himself nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for his script and winning multiple awards for the film and its star,

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

Bibliography

Novels

*1977 – ''My Life Closed Twice'' (

Secker & Warburg Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press. History Secker & Warburg Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...

) *1980 – ''Jack Be Nimble'' (Secker & Warburg) *1983 – '' Johnny Jarvis'' (

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

, based on his teleplay) *1984 – ''Charlie'' ( Methuen, based on his teleplay) *1985 – ''Star Turn'' (

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

) *1987 – ''Witchcraft'', (Faber & Faber) *1988 – ''Black Magic'' ( Hutchinson Novella) *1988 – ''Breaking Up'' (Faber & Faber, based on his teleplay) *1989 – ''Buttons in the Marsh'' (Faber & Faber, based on his stageplay) *'' The Wimbledon Trilogy'' : **1990 – ''The Wimbledon Poisoner'' (Faber & Faber) **1992 – ''They Came from SW19'' (Faber & Faber) **1993 – ''East of Wimbledon'' (Faber & Faber) *1994 – ''Scenes from a Poisoner's Life'' (Faber & Faber) *1997 – ''Stalking Fiona'' (

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...

) *1999 – ''Fortysomething'' (Penguin) *2002 – ''Hatchett & Lycett'' (Penguin) *2013 – ''Unfaithfully Yours'' (Corsair) *2016 – ''Waking Up Dead''

Plays

*1974 – ''Marbles'' (

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. Artistic Directors * Brian McDermott ...

) *1976 – ''Square One'' *1976 – ''Double Talk'' (London) *1977 – ''Snowwhite Washes Whiter'' and ''Deadwood'' (Bristol) *1978 – ''

Class Enemy The terms enemy of the people and enemy of the nation are designations for the political opponents and the social-class opponents of the power group within a larger social unit, who, thus identified, can be subjected to political repression. ...

'' (

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 ...

) *1979 – ''Easy Street'' (Bristol) *1980 – ''Line 'em'' ( Cottesloe Theatre) *1980 – ''Sugar and Spice'' (Royal Court) *1980 – ''Trial Run'' (Playhouse, Oxford) *1982 – ''The Adventures of Jasper Ridley'' (Hull) *1982 – ''W.C.P.C.'' ( Half Moon Theatre) *1985 – ''My Brother's Keeper'' (Greenwich) *1985 – ''Deathwatch'' (Birmingham Rep) *1986 – ''Country Dancing'' (Other Place Theatre,

RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...

) *1987 – ''As it Was'' (Edinburgh) *1988 – ''Consequences'' (Croydon) *1988 – ''Breaking up'' *1989 – ''Buttons in the Marsh'' (

Cheltenham Festivals Cheltenham Festivals is a registered charity that aims to bring joy, spark curiosity, connect communities, and inspire change year-round with four world-class festivals in jazz, science, music, and literature, and charitable programmes for edu ...

) *1989 – ''Nativity'' (

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as n ...

) *1995 – ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is the 1954 debut novel of British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of prepubescent British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves that led to ...

'' (adaptation) (Other Place) *1996 – ''The Last Romantics'' (Greenwich) *1996 – ''Harry and Me'' (Royal Court) *2008 – ''MyFace'' ( Cottesloe Theatre) *2009 – '' HR'' (five series comedy drama 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 ...

)

Non-fiction

*1993 – '' Two and a Half Men in a Boat (Hodder and Stoughton) *1995 – '' From Wimbledon to Waco'' (Faber & Faber)

References

External links

*
"Stalking Fiona"
on ''

'' website
Nigel Williams and 'The Wimbledon Poisoner'
article on the London Fictions website {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Nigel 1948 births Living people 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists 21st-century English male writers Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford English dramatists and playwrights English humorists English male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Highgate School People from Cheadle, Greater Manchester Writers Guild of America Award winners