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Tony Jordan (born 21 July 1957) is a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
television writer
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
. He was listed as the number one television screenwriter in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
by ''
Broadcast
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...
'' magazine in 2008 and among British broadcasting's top twenty in ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' in 2009.
For many years, Jordan was lead writer and series consultant for
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
soap opera ''
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 ...
''. Jordan had written for the programme since 1989 including the 2008 single-hander "
Pretty Baby...." and is considered to be an 'elder statesman' of the show, for which he has written over 250 episodes .
Career
Beginning his career as a market trader, Jordan began writing at the age of thirty-two. He joined ''EastEnders'' after sending a spec script to the
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 exam. ...
...
about market traders, with a covering letter saying he had been born and raised in the
East End of London
The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
. The BBC turned down the spec script, but gave him a job on ''EastEnders'' because of his apparent life experience. Afraid of what would happen if the producers found out that he was from the north, Jordan kept up the pretence of being a Londoner for five years.
Jordan left school with no qualifications. For his work on ''EastEnders'', he is particularly known for creating the Slater family along with then producer,
John Yorke. Amongst significant episodes he scripted are those featuring the deaths of
Arthur Fowler
Arthur Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Bill Treacher from 1985 to 1996.
The father of the Fowler family, Arthur was essentially a good man but made some foolish choices that he always ended ...
and
Ethel Skinner
Ethel Skinner is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Gretchen Franklin. Ethel also features in a 1988 ''EastEnders'' special episode, entitled "CivvyStreet", set on Albert Square during World War II, in which ...
; the "
Sharongate
"Sharongate" is the term used for a storyline in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', which reached its climax on 24 October 1994, attracting 25.3 million viewers. The plot was written by ''EastEnders'' scriptwriter Tony Jordan. In the storyline, ...
" storyline; and more recently
Kat's revelation to
Zoe that she was her mother, the
Andy
Andy may refer to:
People
* Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds
* Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...
-Kat-
Alfie
Alfie may refer to:
Theatre and film
* ''Alfie'' (play), a 1963 play by Bill Naughton
* ''Alfie'' (1966 film), a film based on the play starring Michael Caine
* ''Alfie'' (2004 film), a remake of the 1966 film
* ''Alfie'' (2013 film), an Indi ...
love triangle, and
Dot's monologue. He was the first writer to do ''EastEnders'' when it began airing three times a week, when the siege at
The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria (more often referred to as The Queen Vic or The Vic) is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.
Appearance and developmen ...
took place in 1994. He continued to work on ''EastEnders'' through a period which saw a reversal in its hitherto declining fortunes, with the programme winning the Most Popular Soap category at the
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted ...
in 2005. He wrote the first two episodes (broadcast on 24 and 25 October 2005) for the return of the characters of
Phil
Phil may refer to:
* Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names
* Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil"
* Phil, Kentucky, United States
* ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film
* -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...
and
Grant Mitchell, popular characters he had originally helped to create back in 1989.
While on staff at ''EastEnders'', Jordan undertook a number of freelance projects. In early 2004, he created hit BBC One con artist drama ''
Hustle''. He also co-created the
time travel
Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
/police drama ''
Life on Mars
The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...
'', which began in 2006.
His other credits include; ''
Boon
Boon may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Boon (game), a trick-taking card game
* ''Boon'' (novel), a 1915 satirical work by H. G. Wells
* ''Boon'' (TV series), a British television series starring Michael Elphick
* The Ultimate Boo ...
'' (ITV), ''
Minder
A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds".
Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...
'' (ITV), ''
Trainer'' (BBC), ''
Eldorado
El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
'' (BBC), ''
Thief Takers
''Thief Takers'' is a British television crime drama series, created by Roy Mitchell, and produced by Central Independent Television for the ITV network. The series depicts the work of a team of officers based in the Metropolitan Police Ser ...
'' (ITV), ''
Where the Heart Is'' (ITV), ''
City Central
City Central is a business improvement district (BID) that represents around 630 businesses in the retail and leisure heart of Liverpool, Liverpool's city centre, covering a total area of 49 acres and including 61 streets, such as Bold Street, ...
'' (BBC), ''April Fool's Day'' (ITV), ''Can't Buy Me Love'' (ITV), ''
The Vanishing Man
''The Vanishing Man'' was a 1997 TV movie and subsequent 1998 series, starring Neil Morrissey as Nick Cameron, a man wrongly imprisoned from smuggling Plutonium, who used for medical research which turns him invisible when in contact with water ...
'' (ITV), ''Perfectly Frank'' (BBC) ''
Sunburn
Sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue, such as skin, that results from an overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, usually from the Sun. Common symptoms in humans and animals include: red or reddish skin that is ho ...
'' (BBC), ''
HolbyBlue
''HolbyBlue'' (also known as ''Holby Blue'') was a British police procedural drama series. The show revolves around the daily lives of a number of police officers working at Holby South police station. The cast for series one included Jimmy Akin ...
'' (BBC), ''
Moving Wallpaper
''Moving Wallpaper'' is a British satirical comedy-drama television series set in a TV production unit. It ran on ITV for two series in 2008–09. The subject of the first series was the production of a soap called ''Echo Beach'', each episode ...
'' (ITV), ''
Echo Beach
"Echo Beach" is a song recorded by the Canadian group Martha and the Muffins in 1979. Written by band member Mark Gane, it was released as a single from their album '' Metro Music'' in 1980 and went on to reach number 5 in Canada, number 6 in Aus ...
'' (ITV).
In January 2007, Jordan's departure from ''EastEnders'' was announced, as it was his plan to concentrate on running his own new production company, Red Planet Pictures, backed by leading independent producer
Kudos Film & Television
Kudos is a British film and television production company. It has produced television series for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Amazon and Netflix and its productions include '' Tin Star, Humans, Broadchurch, The Tunnel'', ''Grantchester, Ap ...
. ''
HolbyBlue
''HolbyBlue'' (also known as ''Holby Blue'') was a British police procedural drama series. The show revolves around the daily lives of a number of police officers working at Holby South police station. The cast for series one included Jimmy Akin ...
'', a new BBC One police drama, spun off from the channel's successful medical drama ''
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 ...
'' debuted in May 2007, quickly being recommissioned for a second run.
Jordan also created the series of ''
Moving Wallpaper
''Moving Wallpaper'' is a British satirical comedy-drama television series set in a TV production unit. It ran on ITV for two series in 2008–09. The subject of the first series was the production of a soap called ''Echo Beach'', each episode ...
'' and ''Echo Beach'' for ITV; these were linked to each other, the latter being a soap opera and the former being a sitcom about the production of that soap opera.
In 2007, Jordan was honoured for his work on ''EastEnders'' at the ''
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV and has been presented by Phillip Schofield since 2006. The trophies give ...
'' with a "Special Achievement award". On 14 November 2007, it was announced that Jordan would be returning to ''EastEnders'' less than twelve months after quitting, to write one final episode. Jordan subsequently wrote the script for
Dot Branning
Dorothy "Dot" Branning (also Cotton) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by June Brown. In a special episode entitled ''EastEnders: Dot's Story'' (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in fl ...
's
single-handed episode, broadcast on 31 January 2008 on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
. Ten years later
John Yorke asked him to write
Kat Moon
Kathleen "Kat" Slater (also Moon) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She is also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the seco ...
's return to ''EastEnders'' in March 2018 and he wrote the second episode that aired on 22 March under a pseudonym, Harry Holmes.
In 2008, he worked on ''
Hustle'' and zombie drama ''Renaissance'', starring
Kelly Brook
Kelly Ann Parsons (born 23 November 1979), known professionally as Kelly Brook, is an English model, actress, and media personality. She is known for her modelling work in the UK, and in the US for her role as Prudence on the NBC sitcom ''One ...
and Alan Dale. As Head of Red Planet Pictures, he is also creating new formats for the UK and US markets.
His latest work as a writer was ''
The Nativity
The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Luke and Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea, his mother Mary was engaged to a man ...
'', a new BBC version of the
nativity of Jesus
The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of Matthew, Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea (Roman ...
story starring
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, writer and musician. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in ' ...
, broadcast in December 2010. Jordan states he had always had a faith but it was during this work that he became convinced that Jesus who was born in this way is the Son of God and that the Nativity story is a 'true story' and a 'thing of beauty'.
Interview
aqt the 2010 conference of the Church and Media Network, Christianity.org.uk
In 2013 Jordan wrote '' By Any Means'' and ''The Passing-Bells
''The Passing Bells'' is a five-part British-Polish television drama that was first broadcast on BBC One in 2014. The series is set during World War I and was a part of the BBC First World War centenary season.
It shows events through the eyes ...
'', and in 2015 he wrote ''Dickensian''''.
See also
* ''Crash'' (2009 TV series)
References
External links
EastEnders website
*
Tony Jordan profile
at 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 ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Tony
1957 births
Living people
People from Southport
British television writers
British television producers
British soap opera writers
English television writers
English screenwriters
English male screenwriters
English soap opera writers
British male television writers