Stephen Wakelam

Stephen Wakelam is the author of more than 40 performed plays for television, radio and the stage, including two plays at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. He prefers the single, one-off form. In television these included Coppers with Tim Roth and Gaskin (a drama-documentary) with Paul McGann, as well as adaptations such as Circles of Deceit with Edward Fox. In radio, the last dozen or so plays have been biographical, including The Pattern of Painful Adventures, about Shakespeare, with Antony Sher;  Living with Princes,about Montaigne, with Roger Allam; and Waiting for the Boatman, about the death of Caravaggio, with David Tennant. Other subjects have included Edith Wharton, Countess Leo Tolstoy and E.M. Forster. A number can be listened to on his website.

He has tutored a number of younger writers, including (during a memorable stint at the National Theatre Studio) Martin McDonagh, Jonathan Harvey, Abi Morgan, Moira Buffini, David Eldridge and Roy Williams, without damaging their subsequent careers. He was young writers’ tutor at the Royal Court Theatre for four years, and has taught for the Arvon Foundation. He enjoys horse-racing (the Flat rather than Jumps) where the breeding side of things matters. He doesn’t bet: it’s Frankel or Sea the Stars he waits for each spring. He has written two plays, one for radio, one for television, about this enthusiasm.