James Moran (writer)
Encyclopedia
James Moran is a British
screenwriter for television and film, who wrote the horror
-comedy
Severance
. He works in the horror, comedy, science-fiction, historical fiction
and spy thriller
genres.
, Moran's first produced work came as the result of a competition run by the Sci Fi Channel
. The competition asked for writers to submit short science-fiction themed film scripts. Moran won, and his entry Cheap Rate Gravity was produced and shown both on the sci-fi channel and in front of full length movies, including Final Destination 2
.
Moran secured an agent at the PFD Literary Agency from the strength of the competition win, a spec film script, and a six-part TV drama entitled The School. He wrote the entire run of The School on spec, later saying he was unaware that generally only a pilot is written until a production company shows interest. Moran claims the series is still his favourite of his own works.
On 28 April 2009, the BBC
reported that the murder of a 17-year-old student from Norfolk
was a re-enactment of a scene written by Moran from the film Severance.
Moran has two new features in post-production now: a horror-comedy called Cockneys Vs Zombies, which was shot in March and April 2011, and a thriller called Tower Block, which was shot in July and August 2011.
, and its adult themed spin-off
, Torchwood
. He lobbied his agent for many years to get him a job on either show.
Moran's first Torchwood episode, "Sleeper
", was the second to be transmitted in the second series, and concerns a burglary that goes wrong, revealing a plot that leaves the whole planet in danger. There are many allusions to terrorism during the episode, and filming on several controlled explosions in Cardiff was almost disrupted by a real terrorist attack in Glasgow
. "Sleeper" was broadcast by BBC Two
on 23 January 2008. Moran also co-wrote the Torchwood episode, "Day Three" of "Children of Earth" with Russell T Davies which was first broadcast on 8 July 2009.
Moran's Doctor Who episode, "The Fires of Pompeii
" – set during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
– was broadcast on 12 April 2008 as part of the revived programme's 4th series.
Moran also wrote episodes for the ITV
series Primeval
, the BBC One
series Spooks
, its BBC Three
spin-off Spooks: Code 9, and the NBC
series Crusoe
.
called The Pen Is Mightier Than The Spork. Moran started writing it around the same time as he started writing the screenplay for Severance, documenting the entire process all the way to the DVD release, and up until July 2009 he still regularly updated about his current projects. He also endeavoured to answer any reader's questions and offer advice to other would-be screenwriters. He continued blogging from April 2010, with comments switched off. He can still be found on Twitter
. Moran is an atheist.
. His first published short story, Breadcrumbs, appeared in the Doctor Who anthology Short Trips: Transmissions
. His other stories were Companion in the anthology Short Trips: Christmas Around the World
, Grand Theft Planet in The Doctor Who Storybook 2009, The Haldenmor Fugue in The Doctor Who Storybook 2010, Virus in Torchwood: Consequences
, Stakes On A Plane in Torchwood Magazine
, October 2009, and Unplugged in Torchwood Magazine, December 2010.
His first audio work was a Highlander
play, The Promise, the 4th and final story in the 2nd season of the Big Finish
audios.
He has also written, and made his directorial debut on the Internet
crime thriller Girl Number 9, starring Tracy Ann Oberman and Gareth David Lloyd.
He is married to singer Jodie Kearns. She provided vocals for some of Sam Watts' music in The Sarah Jane Adventures
, including the Death of the Doctor
story.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
screenwriter for television and film, who wrote the horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
-comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
Severance
Severance (film)
Severance is a British comedy horror film, written by James Moran, directed by Christopher Smith, and starring Danny Dyer and Laura Harris. In 2009, media interest in the film was revived following the alleged copycat murder of a UK teenager.-Plot:...
. He works in the horror, comedy, science-fiction, historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
and spy thriller
Spy fiction
Spy fiction, literature concerning the forms of espionage, was a sub-genre derived from the novel during the nineteenth century, which then evolved into a discrete genre before the First World War , when governments established modern intelligence agencies in the early twentieth century...
genres.
Breaking in
Born in YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, Moran's first produced work came as the result of a competition run by the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. The competition asked for writers to submit short science-fiction themed film scripts. Moran won, and his entry Cheap Rate Gravity was produced and shown both on the sci-fi channel and in front of full length movies, including Final Destination 2
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 2 is a 2003 supernatural horror film and the sequel to the 2000 film Final Destination and was directed by David R. Ellis. It was written by Jeffrey Reddick, Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. The film stars Ali Larter, A. J. Cook, Michael Landes and Tony Todd...
.
Moran secured an agent at the PFD Literary Agency from the strength of the competition win, a spec film script, and a six-part TV drama entitled The School. He wrote the entire run of The School on spec, later saying he was unaware that generally only a pilot is written until a production company shows interest. Moran claims the series is still his favourite of his own works.
Film work
Moran scripted the 2005 film Severance, which concerns office workers on a team building trip being stalked by a masked killer. Talking about where the idea for Severance came from, Moran said "I'd been trying to think of a good horror idea, and one day had a really bad commute home – yuppies in pinstripe suits were everywhere, pushing past me, jumping the queue, and generally being the ignorant scumbags that they are. So, in a flash of temper, I decided to kill off some yuppies in a horror – take them to a cabin, and pick them off one by one. Once I'd calmed down, I thought that was a pretty good idea – take some standard, British office types, and throw them into a cabin-in-the-woods horror, see how they react. And it developed from there."On 28 April 2009, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that the murder of a 17-year-old student from Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
was a re-enactment of a scene written by Moran from the film Severance.
Moran has two new features in post-production now: a horror-comedy called Cockneys Vs Zombies, which was shot in March and April 2011, and a thriller called Tower Block, which was shot in July and August 2011.
Television work
Moran's television writing debut was writing episodes for Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, and its adult themed spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
, Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
. He lobbied his agent for many years to get him a job on either show.
Moran's first Torchwood episode, "Sleeper
Sleeper (Torchwood)
"Sleeper" is the second episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was first broadcast by BBC Two on 23 January 2008. A specially edited pre-watershed repeat was shown the following day.-Synopsis:...
", was the second to be transmitted in the second series, and concerns a burglary that goes wrong, revealing a plot that leaves the whole planet in danger. There are many allusions to terrorism during the episode, and filming on several controlled explosions in Cardiff was almost disrupted by a real terrorist attack in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. "Sleeper" was broadcast by BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on 23 January 2008. Moran also co-wrote the Torchwood episode, "Day Three" of "Children of Earth" with Russell T Davies which was first broadcast on 8 July 2009.
Moran's Doctor Who episode, "The Fires of Pompeii
The Fires of Pompeii
"The Fires of Pompeii" is the second episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 12 April 2008....
" – set during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
– was broadcast on 12 April 2008 as part of the revived programme's 4th series.
Moran also wrote episodes for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
series Primeval
Primeval
Primeval or primæval may refer to:* Primeval, a British science fiction television series.* Primeval , a 2007 film* Primeval , a score of music from the BBC TV series Doctor Who...
, the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
series Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
, its BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
spin-off Spooks: Code 9, and the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
series Crusoe
Crusoe (TV series)
Crusoe is a television adventure drama based loosely on the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. The series' 13 episodes aired on NBC during the first half of the 2008-2009 television season. It follows the adventures of Robinson Crusoe: a man who has been shipwrecked on an island for six years...
.
Personal blog
James Moran has a personal blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
called The Pen Is Mightier Than The Spork. Moran started writing it around the same time as he started writing the screenplay for Severance, documenting the entire process all the way to the DVD release, and up until July 2009 he still regularly updated about his current projects. He also endeavoured to answer any reader's questions and offer advice to other would-be screenwriters. He continued blogging from April 2010, with comments switched off. He can still be found on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Moran is an atheist.
Other
In 2008, he wrote a comic which featured on the Doctor Who websiteDoctor Who tie-in websites
The 2005 series revival of the long-running British science fiction television programme Doctor Who features several tie-in websites produced by the BBC website team that viewers can access on the Internet...
. His first published short story, Breadcrumbs, appeared in the Doctor Who anthology Short Trips: Transmissions
Short Trips: Transmissions
Short Trips: Transmissions is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Richard Salter and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The theme of the collection concerns messages and transmissions, the media in which they're delivered and how they are...
. His other stories were Companion in the anthology Short Trips: Christmas Around the World
Short Trips: Christmas Around the World
Short Trips: Christmas Around the World is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Xanna Eve Chown and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The theme of the collection is how Christmas is experienced in different countries.-Stories:-External links:* ...
, Grand Theft Planet in The Doctor Who Storybook 2009, The Haldenmor Fugue in The Doctor Who Storybook 2010, Virus in Torchwood: Consequences
Consequences (Torchwood)
Consequences is an anthology set after the conclusion of the second series. It features the characters of Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones on the cover, but the stories within include several former Torchwood members.-Stories:...
, Stakes On A Plane in Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood - The Official Magazine is a British magazine devoted to the BBC science fiction television series Torchwood. The first issue was released on 24 January 2008. The United States version was due to be launched in February 2008...
, October 2009, and Unplugged in Torchwood Magazine, December 2010.
His first audio work was a Highlander
Highlander
-In regional cultures:* Highlander, a person from the Scottish Highlands* Highlander, person from the Scottish Gaelic culture of Gàidhealtachd in the Scottish highlands and islands* The Górale, lit. "Highlanders", a culture in southern Poland and northern Slovakia...
play, The Promise, the 4th and final story in the 2nd season of the Big Finish
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audios.
He has also written, and made his directorial debut on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
crime thriller Girl Number 9, starring Tracy Ann Oberman and Gareth David Lloyd.
He is married to singer Jodie Kearns. She provided vocals for some of Sam Watts' music in The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
, including the Death of the Doctor
Death of the Doctor
Death of the Doctor is a two-part story of The Sarah Jane Adventures which was broadcast on CBBC on 25 and 26 October 2010. It is the third story of the fourth series. This episode features the return of Katy Manning to the role of Jo Grant and a guest appearance by Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor...
story.
External links
- James Moran at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- The pen is mightier than the spork – James Moran's blog
- James Moran's official facebook page
- Eat My Brains interview with James Moran
- Sarah Hates Your Movie interview with James Moran
- Penny Blood interview with James Moran
- Shooting People interview with James Moran
- Solace in Cinema interview with James Moran
- Severance UK website
- Severance UK trailer
- James Moran's 7 Deadly Sins of Horror at Den of Geek
- James Moran interview on the Geek Syndicate podcast