Tony Grounds
Encyclopedia
Tony Grounds is a British
writer
notable for television scripts. He was born in 1957 in East London.
Described by The Independent (11.10.02) as 'the best TV writer of his generation', Grounds has written for all four of Britain's main channels. He started writing for the theatre, winning the Verity Bargate Award for Made in Spain which was subsequently performed in London and published by Methuen. It was then filmed for ITV
and transmitted in their Screenplay slot. There then followed stints on 'East Enders' and 'The Bill
' before penning episode's of 'Chancer
', starring Clive Owen
.
Grounds created and wrote Gone to the Dogs
starring Jim Broadbent
, Alison Steadman
, Warren Clarke and Harry Enfield
. It was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. He wrote Gone to Seed where Peter Cook
made his final dramatic appearance. The series was nominated for a Royal Television Society
Award.
The single film Our Boy with Ray Winstone
won Tony International Acclaim winning the Munich International Drama Award.
Grounds wrote the series 'The Ghostbusters of East Finchley' for BBC2 and First Sign of Madness for ITV
. The latter won the WorldFest Charleston Gold Award. He wrote Sex and Chocolate for Dawn French before writing the multi–award winning and BAFTA nominated Births Marriages & Deaths, once again starring Ray Winstone
.
Mel Gibson
's Icon Films then commissioned him to write and direct The Martins
starring Lee Evans
and Kathy Burke
which was nominated for a Golden Hitchcock at the Dinard Film Festival.
Grounds teamed up with Academy Award Winning director, Joe Wright
and wrote Bodily Harm for Channel Four, where Tim Spall, George Cole, Leslie Manville and Annette Crosby garnered acting nominations. It was described by The Daily Telegraph
as "an outstanding work of art depicting a nightmarishly apocalyptic vision of suburbia..."
Grounds wrote BBC1's Family Business. He worked again with Ray Winstone
for Channel Four's expose on corruption in the Premier League with All in the Game
, which also featured The Wire's Idris Elber.
Grounds wrote one of BBC1's Canterbury Tales. His 2004 TV film When I'm 64 for BBC2 starring Alun Armstrong
and Paul Freeman won the Prix Europa
Award for the best drama on any channel across Europe.
Grounds wrote single films for BBC1, A Class Apart and The Dinner Party which became the two most watched single films of the year.
Grounds is Special Advisor for Save the Children
and is currently training to run the London Marathon with Lee Evans
. Grounds is also an avid supporter of West Ham United and often refers to the East London club in his plays and works.
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...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
notable for television scripts. He was born in 1957 in East London.
Described by The Independent (11.10.02) as 'the best TV writer of his generation', Grounds has written for all four of Britain's main channels. He started writing for the theatre, winning the Verity Bargate Award for Made in Spain which was subsequently performed in London and published by Methuen. It was then filmed for 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...
and transmitted in their Screenplay slot. There then followed stints on 'East Enders' and 'The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
' before penning episode's of 'Chancer
Chancer
Chancer is a British television serial produced by Central Television for ITV. It tells the story of a likable conman and rogue at the end of the yuppie eighties...
', starring Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
.
Grounds created and wrote Gone to the Dogs
Gone to the Dogs
Gone to the Dogs is a 2003 novel by Emily Carmichael.-Plot introduction:Piggy is the reincarnation of a blonde girl named Lydia Keane. She suffers from a diet started by her new owner, Nell Jordan. Piggy searches for morsels of food to eat. When Piggy inherits a fortune from an old man, that she...
starring Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent
James "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
, Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman OBE is an English actress. She established her career with roles such as Beverley in Abigail's Party and Candice Marie in Nuts in May for the director Mike Leigh, to whom she was once married. In addition to her stage and radio work, she has had lead roles in The Singing Detective,...
, Warren Clarke and Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
. It was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. He wrote Gone to Seed where Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
made his final dramatic appearance. The series was nominated for a Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society 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...
Award.
The single film Our Boy with Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
won Tony International Acclaim winning the Munich International Drama Award.
Grounds wrote the series 'The Ghostbusters of East Finchley' for BBC2 and First Sign of Madness for 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...
. The latter won the WorldFest Charleston Gold Award. He wrote Sex and Chocolate for Dawn French before writing the multi–award winning and BAFTA nominated Births Marriages & Deaths, once again starring Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
.
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
's Icon Films then commissioned him to write and direct The Martins
The Martins
The Martins are a Christian music vocal trio composed of three siblings: Joyce Martin Sanders, Jonathan Martin, and Judy Martin Hess.-Music career:...
starring Lee Evans
Lee Evans (comedian)
Lee Evans is an English comedian, writer, actor and musician.-Personal life:Lee Evans was born in Avonmouth, Bristol, England to an Irish mother and a Welsh father, Dave Evans, a nightclub performer. He left Bristol at the age of 13 and then went to The Billericay School in Billericay, Essex...
and Kathy Burke
Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director. She is best known for her portrayals of Perry in the Harry Enfield film Kevin and Perry Go Large, and of Linda La Hughes in the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
which was nominated for a Golden Hitchcock at the Dinard Film Festival.
Grounds teamed up with Academy Award Winning director, Joe Wright
Joe Wright
Joe Wright is an English film director best known for Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Hanna.-Early life and career:...
and wrote Bodily Harm for Channel Four, where Tim Spall, George Cole, Leslie Manville and Annette Crosby garnered acting nominations. It was described by The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
as "an outstanding work of art depicting a nightmarishly apocalyptic vision of suburbia..."
Grounds wrote BBC1's Family Business. He worked again with Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
for Channel Four's expose on corruption in the Premier League with All in the Game
All in the Game
All in the Game is a 2006 British one-off television drama, made by Tightrope Pictures for Channel 4.It is a behind-the-scenes drama based on the power-politics of British football, starring Ray Winstone....
, which also featured The Wire's Idris Elber.
Grounds wrote one of BBC1's Canterbury Tales. His 2004 TV film When I'm 64 for BBC2 starring Alun Armstrong
Alun Armstrong (actor)
Alun Armstrong is a prolific British character actor. Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of...
and Paul Freeman won the Prix Europa
Prix Europa
Prix Europa is the Europe's largest annual tri-medial festival and competition. Its open juries sample and select the best television-, radio- and online productions of each year...
Award for the best drama on any channel across Europe.
Grounds wrote single films for BBC1, A Class Apart and The Dinner Party which became the two most watched single films of the year.
Grounds is Special Advisor for Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
and is currently training to run the London Marathon with Lee Evans
Lee Evans (comedian)
Lee Evans is an English comedian, writer, actor and musician.-Personal life:Lee Evans was born in Avonmouth, Bristol, England to an Irish mother and a Welsh father, Dave Evans, a nightclub performer. He left Bristol at the age of 13 and then went to The Billericay School in Billericay, Essex...
. Grounds is also an avid supporter of West Ham United and often refers to the East London club in his plays and works.