Neil Docking is a British writer, composer and producer who has worked in

press Press may refer to: Media * Print media or news media, commonly called "the press" * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers * Press TV, an Iranian television network People * Press (surname), a famil ...

, radio, film, theatre and television. A self-taught pianist and musician, he began his career playing in bars and clubs in his native

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

before studying at the

University of Westminster , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...

where he began writing articles for the students' union magazine ('The Smoke'). In 1997 The

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

published some of his work and approached him to write a fictional column about student life (intended as a parody of

Bridget Jones's Diary ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire and written by Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies (writer), Andrew Davies, and Helen Fielding. A co-production of the United Kingdom, United States and France, it is ...

) and soon 'Neil Docking's Diary' – a semi-

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

portrait of university life – appeared in the newspaper. In spite of some complaints about the portrayal of students, Docking was nominated for Feature Writer of the Year at the Guardian/NUS Media Awards in 1997. Following graduation, Docking moved briefly into music journalism before penning a short film script, ''Without a Song or a Dance'' (which he later also scored) intended to be considered by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's newly established

Rocket Pictures Rocket Pictures is a British film company founded in 1996 by Elton John to produce family and music-themed film and TV projects. The company was established in 1996 with a ten-year first-look deal with The Walt Disney Company, a three-year deal w ...

. It was rejected but was eventually produced by

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...

(dir. Maxine Evans). The film opened the door for further script writing work first on the BBC Radio serial ''Station Road ''and then on the television series '' Nuts and Bolts'' for

ITV1 Wales ITV Cymru Wales, previously known as Harlech Television and HTV Wales, is the ITV franchise for Wales. The new separate licence began on 1 January 2014, replacing the long-serving dual franchise region serving Wales and the West of England. Li ...

. He later worked as a writer,

script doctor A script doctor is a writer or playwright hired by a film, television, or theatre production company to rewrite an existing script or improve specific aspects of it, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, themes, and other elemen ...

, storyliner and

story editor Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called "supervising producer". In live action television, a story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits scripts, pitches stories, and reports ...

on such long running British television shows such as ''Crossroads'''', Emmerdale'' (ITV) and ''Casualty'' (BBC). In 2012 he wrote the screenplay and music score for an independent feature film musical ''Summertime'' (retitled 'Rain'), directed by Maxine Evans. In 2001, Neil Docking was shortlisted for the Dennis Potter Screenwriting Award.National Assembly Wales: Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee; CWLS(2)-06-03, Additional Background Material, p. 4

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Docking, Neil Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century British writers British composers Living people