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Paul Abbott

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Paul Abbott
Born (1960-02-22) February 22, 1960 (age 66)
Burnley, England
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, television producer
Years active1987–present
Known forCoronation Street, Cracker, Reckless, Touching Evil, Clocking Off, State of Play, Shameless, No Offence, Wolfe

Paul Abbott (born 22 February 1960) is a distinguished English screenwriter and television producer.

He established himself as one of the foremost British television writers through his contributions to series such as Coronation Street (1987–89, 1991–93), Cracker (1995, 1996, 1999), and by creating critically acclaimed dramas including Reckless (1997), Touching Evil (1997–1999), Clocking Off (2000–2003), State of Play (2003), Shameless (2004–13), and No Offence (2015–18).

Early life

Born in Burnley on 22 February 1960, Abbott was the seventh child in a family of eight siblings. His mother departed when he was nine years old, with his father leaving two years afterward. Following their absence, a teenage sister assumed responsibility for the household, while their mother supported the family by working three jobs. To avoid intervention by social services, Abbott’s father refrained from claiming welfare benefits. Although he frequently missed school, Abbott credited an English teacher at Sir John Thursby Community College as an early positive influence on his development.

At the age of 11, Abbott was sexually assaulted by a stranger, which led him to attempt suicide by jumping from a car park roof. After a second attempt at age 13, he was admitted to an adult psychiatric hospital and later became a voluntary inpatient. Upon release, he was placed in foster care with a stable working-class family where he experienced consistent employment and household stability for the first time. He subsequently attended Sixth Form College and joined the Burnley Writers' Circle.

In 1980, Abbott enrolled at the University of Manchester to study psychology but departed to pursue writing full-time after one of his radio plays was accepted by the BBC.

Career

At 22, Abbott entered the Radio Times drama competition and earned support from prominent British playwright Alan Bennett. His radio plays for BBC Radio 4 led to his recruitment at age 24 by ITV Granada as a script editor on Coronation Street, making him the youngest person to hold that position. He contributed to the show for eight years, beginning to write scripts from 1989 onwards, while also working on other Granada productions.

In 1988, Abbott co-wrote a drama for the Dramarama anthology and co-created the children's medical series Children's Ward, writing episodes until 1992 and briefly returning in 1996. In 1994, he produced season two of Granada's Cracker and later authored several episodes.

His major breakthrough arrived with the police drama Touching Evil (1997), starring Robson Green, which spawned sequels and inspired a 2004 American remake on USA Network. Following his work on Reckless and other Granada projects, Abbott began collaborating with independent company Red Production Company in 1999. He contributed to their Channel 4 anthology Love in the 21st Century and created the factory-based drama Clocking Off (2000) for BBC One. The series earned BAFTA and Royal Television Society awards, with Abbott receiving RTS Best Writer honors. Although it ran for four seasons, his involvement diminished over time.

In 2001, Abbott developed the comedy-drama Linda Green for BBC One; it lasted two seasons before being cancelled. He was initially set to adapt D. H. Lawrence's novel Sons and Lovers in 2000 but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts.

Expanding into political thrillers, Abbott wrote State of Play (2002), directed by David Yates and produced by Hilary Bevan Jones. In late 2003, Abbott and Bevan-Jones established the independent production company Tightrope Pictures, based in Soho, London.

Channel 4 premiered Abbott's series Shameless in 2004, loosely inspired by his upbringing in Burnley but set in modern-day Manchester. In recognition of his work, he received the honorary Dennis Potter Award for Outstanding Writing at the British Academy Television Awards in 2006. That same year, Radio Times ranked him as number five among television drama’s most influential figures—the highest position achieved by any writer.

Tightrope Pictures produced notable BBC dramas including Richard Curtis's The Girl in the Café (2005) and an adaptation of William Golding's To the Ends of the Earth (BBC Two, 2005). In 2009, Abbott served as executive producer on Universal Pictures' film adaptation of State of Play.

Abbott's series No Offence premiered on Channel 4 in May 2015. His most recent crime drama, Wolfe, aired on Sky Max in 2021.

Academic recognition

In July 2006, Abbott was named a visiting professor by the University of Salford, while Manchester Metropolitan University conferred upon him an honorary doctorate during the same month. His lecture at Salford in November 2006, titled "The 21st Century Box," explored the evolution of media and provided strategic advice for British television producers. The event was attended by Salford’s Mayor and Mayoress.

Dr. Beth Johnson from the University of Leeds completed the first comprehensive academic analysis of Abbott’s work in 2013, published by Manchester University Press. Additionally, Abbott was honored with another honorary doctorate from Keele University in 2015.

Writing credits

Production Notes Broadcaster
Dramarama
  • "Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night" (1988)
 ITV
Children's Ward
  • 32 episodes (1989–1992)
Coronation Street
  • 7 episodes as story associate (1987–1989), plus 8 episodes (1991–1993)
Medics
  • "Born Losers" (1995)
Cracker
  • "Best Boys: Part 1" (1995)
  • "Best Boys: Part 2" (1995)
  • "True Romance: Part 1" (1995)
  • "True Romance: Part 2" (1995)
  • "White Ghost" (1996)
Springhill
  • Co-creator (1996-1997)
 Channel 4/Sky One
Reckless
  • 6 episodes (1997)
 ITV
Touching Evil
  • 16 episodes (1997–1999)
Police 2020
  • Unaired pilot (1997)
Reckless: The Sequel
  • Television film (1998)
Butterfly Collectors
  • Miniseries (1999)
Cracker: Mind Over Murder
  • "First Love: Part 1" (1999)
  • "First Love: Part 2" (1999)
  • "Best Boys" (1999)
 ABC
Love in the 21st Century
  • "Reproduction" (1999)
 Channel 4
The Secret World of Michael Fry
  • 2 episodes (2000)
Best of Both Worlds
  • 3 episodes (2001)
 BBC One
Clocking Off
  • 13 episodes (2000–2002)
Linda Green
  • 7 episodes (2001–2002)
Tomorrow La Scala!
  • Feature film co-written with Francesca Joseph (2002)
 N/A
State of Play
  • 6 episodes (2003)
 BBC One
Alibi
  • Television film (2003)
 ITV
Shameless
  • 11 episodes spanning 2004–2013
 Channel 4
Mrs In-Betweeny
  • Television film (2008)
 BBC Three
Exile
  • 3 episodes (2011)
 BBC One
Hit & Miss
  • 6 episodes (2012)
 Sky Atlantic
Twenty8k
  • Feature film co-written with Jimmy Dowdall (2012)
 N/A
No Offence
  • 8 episodes between 2015 and 2018
 Channel 4
Wolfe
  • Pilot episode and producer for series beginning in 2021
 Sky Max

Awards and nominations

Year Award Work Category Result
1993 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award

Coronation Street , TV – Original Drama Series (with Martin Allen, Ken Blakeson, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Tom Elliott, Barry Hill, Stephen Mallatratt, Julian Roach, Adele Rose, Patrea Smallacombe, John Stevenson, Peter Whalley, Mark Wadlow and Phil Woods)

Won ,

1995 British Academy Television Awards

Cracker , Best Drama Series

Won ,

1996

Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award

Cracker , TV – Original Drama Series (with Jimmy McGovern)

Won ,

Edgar Allan Poe Awards

Cracker: "White Ghost" , Best Television Feature or Miniseries

Nominated ,

British Academy Television Awards

Touching Evil , Best Drama Series (with Jane Featherstone)

Nominated ,

Royal Television Society Awards

Best Writer

Nominated ,

Royal Television Society Awards

Reckless

Nominated ,

Royal Television Society Awards

Clocking Off

Won ,

Royal Television Society Awards

Clocking Off, Best Drama Series (with Nicola Shindler and Ann Harrison-Baxter)

Won ,

Television and Radio Industries Club Awards

Linda Green, Comedy (with Beryl Richards and Matthew Bird)

Won ,

Clocking Off, Best Drama Series (with Nicola Shindler and Juliet Charlesworth)

Nominated ,

Clocking Off, Best Drama Series (with Nicola Shindler and Juliet Charlesworth)

Nominated ,

State of Play, Best Drama Series (with David Yates and Hilary Bevan Jones)

Nominated ,

Dennis Potter Award, Royal Television Society Awards, Shameless, Winner,

Broadcasting Press Guild, Writer's Award, Shameless, Winner,

Prix Italia, TV Drama - Series and Serials, Shameless, Nominated, (with Mark Mylod, Dearbhla Walsh and Jonny Campbell) |

Golden Nymph Award, Monte-Carlo Television Festival, State of Play, Mini-Series - Best Script, Winner,

Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, Writer's Award, Winner,

Edgar Awards, Best Television Feature or Mini-Series Teleplay, Winner,

(Primetime Emmy Awards),

Outstanding Made for Television Movie for The Girl in the Café, shared with Richard Curtis and Hilary Bevan Jones, Winner,

(National Comedy Awards),

Best TV Comedy Drama for Shameless, Winner,

(Royal Television Society Awards),

Best Writer for Shameless, Winner,

(Royal Television Society Awards),

Best Writer nomination, Nominee,

(Banff World Media Festival),

Best Continuing Series nomination, Nominee,

(2007),

Royal Television Society Awards, Instinct, Best Drama Series with Terry McDonough, Paul Frift and Hilary Bevan Jones, Winner,

(2008),

Television and Radio Industries Club Awards nomination for Shameless, TV Drama Programme category, Nominee,

(2009),

British Academy Television Awards nomination for Shameless, Best Drama Series alongside George Faber, John Griffin and Johann Knobel, Nominee,

(2009),

TV Choice nomination for Shameless, Best Drama Series category, Nominee,

(2010),

TV Choice nomination for Shameless, Best Drama Series category again, Nominee,

(2010),

Television and Radio Industries Club Awards nomination for Shameless, TV Drama Programme category again, Nominee,

(2011),

TV Quick Awards nomination for Shameless, Best Drama Series category again, Nominee,

(2011),

National Television Awards nomination for Shameless, Most Popular Drama category, Nominee,

(2012),

British Academy Television Awards nomination for Shameless, Best Soap & Continuing Drama alongside George Faber, David Threlfall and Lawrence Till, Nominee,

(2014),

OFTA Television Awards nomination for Best Writing in a Comedy Series shared with John Wells, Nancy Pimental, Etan Frankel, Sheila Callaghan, Davey Holmes and Krista Vernoff, Nominee,

(2016),

RTS Programme Awards winner for No Offence, Best Drama Series alongside Martin Carr, Catherine Morshead and Anna Ferguson,

Winner,

-

(2016),

BAFTA Television Awards nomination for No Offence, Best Drama Series category,

Nominee,

}

References

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External links
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