Tom Bidwell is a British screenwriter and playwright.

Early life

Raised in Lancashire, Bidwell developed cancer in his shoulder at the age of 15, which was successfully treated. He completed his GCSEs and later obtained a degree in English and Drama at university.

Career

After writing plays, Bidwell got his break through a

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

play, later adapted into a 2009 short film, ''

Wish 143 ''Wish 143'' is a 2009 British live action short film. The film's run time is approximately 24 minutes. It was written by Tom Bidwell, directed by Ian Barnes, and produced by Samantha Waite. A terminally ill 15-year-old boy named David is grante ...

''. The story focuses on a terminally ill teenager who wishes to lose his virginity. It would go on to be nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 2011 for Best Live Action Short Film. He was awarded a place on the BBC Writer's Academy, a programme designed to train new writers for their long running television series. He went on to write for all four of the BBC's popular continuing dramas: ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'', ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' and its spinoff, ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...

''. Bidwell went on to work on the E4 teen

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

''My Mad Fat Diary''. The series was nominated for multiple BAFTA awards. Bidwell was approached by

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

to work on an American remake of the series, which was not made. In July 2014, it was announced that BBC would be airing a new animated serial of ''

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Berkshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natural ...

'', helmed by Bidwell. The series was a co-production between

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

and

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, with a budget of £20 million. The drama won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program. On 20 December 2018, it was announced that Netflix was planning a new adventure series with Bidwell, based on the Baker Street Irregulars from the

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

novels. Bidwell described the program as "my dream project and my oldest idea" and it takes a different view of Holmes and his relationship to the Irregulars, which has the band of street kids solve cases. The eight-episode ''The Irregulars'' premiered on 26 March 2021. Bidwell also scripted an adaptation of ''The Velveteen Rabbit''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bidwell, Tom Living people 21st-century British screenwriters 21st-century British male writers British dramatists and playwrights British television writers British male screenwriters British soap opera writers Year of birth missing (living people)