James Graham (playwright)

Early life and education

James Graham grew up in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, and was educated at Ashfield School, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and the University of Hull, where he studied drama.

Career

Graham's first professional play, Albert's Boy, was produced by the Finborough Theatre in west London, where Graham became playwright-in-residence. His first major play This House was commissioned by the Royal National Theatre, where it was critically and commercially acclaimed, transferred to the larger Olivier Theatre, and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Play. This House was revived in 2016 and ran for two years, first in the West End and then on a national tour.

Graham's debut feature film X+Y premiered in 2015. He has written numerous TV dramas, including the TV films Coalition (which won the Royal Television Society award for Best Single Film) and Brexit: The Uncivil War (nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie). In 2019, Graham wrote and executive produced a three-part TV adaptation of his stage play Quiz, which aired in 2020.

In 2022, it was announced that Graham had written the book for a new musical about the life of televangelist Tammy Faye Messner, with Elton John and Jake Shears writing the music. Tammy Faye opened at the Almeida Theatre in October 2022, and was nominated for four Olivier Awards, winning two. Tammy Faye transferred to Broadway in October 2024 and closed two months later.

He has received five Broadway productions. He wrote the books for Broadway musical Finding Neverland, and for the musical Tammy Faye which transferred to Broadway from London. His play Punch opens on Broadway in September 2025, following Broadway transfers of his plays Privacy and Ink (for which he received his first Tony Award nomination)..

In 2023, he wrote Dear England for the National Theatre, starring Joseph Fiennes, a portrait of England footballer and team manager Gareth Southgate. Dear England transferred to the West End, and in 2024, the BBC announced they had commissioned Graham to adapt the play into a TV drama series.

James Graham gave the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the 2024 Edinburgh TV Festival. He criticised the lack of opportunities for people from working class backgrounds in the British television industry, citing that only 8% of people in the industry are from a working class background. His lecture led to the development of the Class and Social Equality Working Group, consisting of TV professionals from across the industry that are dedicated to finding practical actions to redress the class balance in the TV industry.

In 2025, his play Make It Happen was performed at the Dundee Rep Theatre and the Edinburgh International Festival, starring Sandy Grierson as Fred Goodwin, former CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Brian Cox as Adam Smith. Also in 2025, his play Punch was produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club and performed at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

His plays are published by Methuen.

Graham appeared with Jacob Dunne, the subject of the play Punch, as guests on the Rest is Politics: Leading Podcast.

Personal life

In March 2024, he was the guest on the long running BBC Radio 4 series Desert Island Discs, hosted by Lauren Laverne. During his appearance, Graham said he has had relationships with women and men, describing his relationship history as "varied and flexible", but refusing to define or place a label on his sexuality. He also explained his struggle ("until recently") with relationships and "the level of commitment, vulnerability and intimacy that a healthy one requires".

Work

Plays

• Albert's Boy (2005) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre)
• Eden's Empire (2006) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre)
• Little Madam (2007) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre)
• Sons of York (2008) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre)
• Tory Boyz (2008) (premiered at the Soho Theatre)
• SuddenLossOfDignity.Com (2009) written in collaboration with Zawe Ashton, Joel Horwood, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Michelle Terry (premiered at the Bush Theatre)
• A History of Falling Things (2009) (premiered at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru)
• The Whisky Taster (2010) (premiered at the Bush Theatre)
• The Man (2010) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre)
• Relish (2010) (premiered at the Tramshed in Shoreditch)
• Basset (2010) (National Theatre Connections play)
• Sixty Six Books (co-author) (2011) (premiered at the Bush Theatre)
• This House (2012) (premiered at the National Theatre before a national tour)
• Privacy (2014) (premiered at the Donmar Warehouse before transferring to Off-Broadway)
• The Angry Brigade (2014) (premiered at Theatre Royal, Plymouth)
• Finding Neverland (2014) (premiered at the A.R.T.)
• The Children's Monologues (2015) (wrote the monologue "Biyonace" for the one-off event at the Royal Court Theatre)
• The Vote (2015) (premiered at the Donmar Warehouse)
• Monster Raving Loony (2016) (premiered at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth)
• Ink (2017) (premiered at the Almeida Theatre before transferring to the West End and then Broadway)
• Labour of Love (2017) (premiered at the Noël Coward Theatre)
• Quiz (2017) (premiered at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester before transferring to the West End)
• The Culture (2017) (premiered at the Hull Truck Theatre)
• Sketching (2018) (premiered at Wilton's Music Hall)
• Bubble (2020) (premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse and was live-streamed online)
• Best of Enemies (2021) (premiered at the Young Vic before transferring to the West End)
• Shoot (2021) (short play written for Sky Arts "Play in a Day', performed live at Alexandra Palace and later broadcast on Sky Arts)
• Tammy Faye (2022) (musical about the life of Tammy Faye Messner, co-written with Elton John, premiered at the Almeida Theatre)
• Town Planning in the Apocalypse (2023) (short play written for the National Youth Theatre, performed in February 2023 as part of an all-night showcase of NYT students at the Duke of York's Theatre)
• Dear England (2023) (premiered at the National Theatre)
• Boys from the Blackstuff (2023) (adapted from the Alan Bleasdale TV Series, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool)
• Punch (2024) (adapted from the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne, premiered at Nottingham Playhouse and the Young Vic)
• Make it Happen (2025), based around Fred Goodwin the CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland and the 2008 financial crisis.

Screenwriting

• X+Y (2015) (theatrical film)
• Coalition (2015) (Television film for Channel 4)
• Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019) (Television film for Channel 4)
• The Crown (2019) episode 3.6, "Tywysog Cymru"
• Quiz (2020) (three-part TV drama series for ITV)
• Sherwood (2022-) (crime drama series for BBC1)
• The Way (2024) (dystopian drama series for BBC1)
• Brian and Maggie (2025)

Reception

For his 2025 play Punch, theater critic Greg Evans writes that the play offers a "fine cast" and calls out Harrison's "tremendously affecting performance" but found the play too often felt "like a PSA for the restorative justice procedure."

Recognition and honours

In 2018, Graham won his first Olivier Award, for Labour of Love as Best New Comedy (his other play Ink was nominated for an Olivier in the same year).

He won his second Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2024, for Dear England.

In June 2018, Graham was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative.

In January 2019, Graham's life and work was the subject of an in-depth BBC One documentary as part of the Imagine series.

In May 2019, his play This House was voted Play of the Decade in Bloomsbury Publishing's "60 Years of Modern Plays" public vote.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to drama and young people in British theatre.

In June 2024, the New Statesman included Graham in The Left Power List 2024, the magazine's "guide to the 50 most influential people in progressive politics".

References

References

1. Chakelian, Anoosh. (28 January 2013). "Ayes to the playwright: James Graham interview". Total Politics.
2. Littleton, Cynthia. (16 August 2010). "ITV and AMC Order 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Cheating Drama 'Quiz'".
3. Sherwood, Harriet. (23 August 2022). "Musical Tammy Faye tells gay icon's life story with score by Elton John". The Guardian.
4. Quinn, Dave. (22 March 2024). "''Tammy Faye'' Heads to Broadway! Elton John and Jake Shears' Divine Musical to Debut This Fall".
5. "Dear England {{!}} National Theatre".
6. (21 February 2024). "BBC announces Dear England, a new drama based on James Graham's hit play about Gareth Southgate".
7. Edinburgh TV Festival. (2024-08-22). "The MacTaggart Lecture: James Graham {{!}} Edinburgh TV Festival".
8. (2024-11-07). "Class & Social Equality - The TV Festival".
9. "Make It Happen".
10. "Make It Happen".
11. (16 May 2025). "Cast announced for Make It Happen".
12. Evans, Greg. (2025-09-30). "'Punch' Broadway Review: When Violence Meets Forgiveness".
13. Bloomsbury.com. "Bloomsbury - Search".
14. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/prison-reform-masculinity-and-restorative-justice/id1665265193?i=1000737797729
15. (March 2024). "James Graham - Extended Edit". BBC Radio 4.
16. "Alberts Boy - 2005 - Finborough Theatre".
17. "Eden's Empire". Finborough Theatre.
18. "Little Madam". Finborough Theatre.
19. "Finborough Theatre".
20. [http://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/production/sudden_loss_of_dignity/ Bushtheatre.co.uk] {{webarchive. link. (11 September 2010)
21. [http://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/production/the_whisky_taster/ "The Whisky Taster"], Bushtheatre.co.uk {{webarchive. link. (24 April 2012)
22. "Finborough Theatre".
23. "Curtis Brown".
24. (20 April 2016). "This House on Tour - in the UK from February to June 2018".
25. Spencer, Charles. (22 April 2014). "Privacy, Donmar Warehouse, review".
26. (26 September 2014). "The Angry Brigade, Theatre Royal, Plymouth - Kate Maltby".
27. Shao, Yiqing. (11 July 2014). "Writer James Graham Talks New Musical ''Finding Neverland''". Boston Magazine.
28. Mountford, Fiona. (7 March 2015). "James Graham interview: meet the writer bringing drama to this year's election race". [[The Independent]].
29. "Monster Raving Loony – The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth".
30. Kenny, Fred. "Spring 2017 Season - Spring 2017 - What's on & Tickets - Almeida - About Us".
31. "Labour of Love, a new comedy by James Graham".
32. Supercool. (20 August 2017). "Quiz {{!}} Chichester Festival Theatre".
33. "Hull Truck Theatre".
34. "Wilton's Music Hall {{!}} James Graham's Sketching".
35. (21 February 2023). "Gareth Southgate play starring Joseph Fiennes to hit National Theatre". BBC News.
36. Fisher, Mark. (31 May 2024). "Boys from the Blackstuff review – powerful portrayals of working-class pride". The Guardian.
37. (18 July 2025). "Make it Happen". BBC News.
38. (24 January 2025). "Make it Happen". [[Playbill]].
39. Goldbart, Max. (16 February 2023). "James Graham, Michael Sheen & Adam Curtis Combine On Dystopian Drama 'The Way' For The BBC". Deadline.
40. Williams, Zoe. (10 January 2025). "'She was a fiend!': how the interview that destroyed Thatcher became an intense TV drama". [[The Guardian]].
41. Evans, Greg. (2025-09-30). "'Punch' Broadway Review: When Violence Meets Forgiveness".
42. Masso, Giverny. (9 April 2018). "Olivier Awards 2018: Political theatre is making a comeback, says James Graham". The Stage.
43. (14 April 2024). "2024 Olivier Awards: Full list of winners". London Theatre.co.uk.
44. Flood, Alison. (28 June 2018). "Royal Society of Literature admits 40 new fellows to address historical biases".
45. "BBC One - imagine..., 2019, James Graham: In the Room Where It Happens".
46. "This House 60 Years of Modern Plays".
47. {{London Gazette. (28 December 2019)
48. (2024-06-04). "The Left Power List 2024". [[New Statesman]].