Donna Franceschild (born November 22, 1953 in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

) is a British-based television writer and dramatist, originally from the US. She has written many plays and television shows, but her best known work is probably the BBC series ''

Takin' Over the Asylum ''Takin' Over the Asylum'' is a six-part BBC Scotland television drama about a hospital radio station in a Glasgow psychiatric hospital. The show was written by Donna Franceschild, produced by Chris Parr and directed by David Blair. The show f ...

''.

Career

She came to public attention as the writer of ''

'' a six-part series for BBC television about a hospital radio station in a

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...

. It was first broadcast in 1994 and starred

Ken Stott Kenneth Campbell Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play '' Broken Glass'' at Royal National Theatre. He portrayed th ...

and

David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...

. As well as the BAFTA for Best Drama Serial for the year, the series won the 1995 Mental Health Media Award. Franceschild won a second MHM award in 2001 for the film '' Donovan Quick''.Mental Health Media Awards 2006 , Keynote Speaker & Judges
She wrote the four-part series ''A Mug's Game'' (1996), and adapted

Robert McLiam Wilson Robert McLiam Wilson (born Robert Wilson, 24 February 1964) is a Northern List of Irish novelists, Irish novelist. Biography He was born in the New Lodge, Belfast, New Lodge district of Belfast and then moved to Turf Lodge and other places in ...

's novel '' Eureka Street'' for BBC television (Northern Ireland), which was first broadcast in September 1999. By the 2000s, political drama was seen as anachronistic. However, she "swam against the tide", as she describes, by writing and producing a three-part drama '' The Key'', about three generations of working class women in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. She said "We live in cynical times and it's easy to become jaded by the machinations of power and politics. I wrote ''The Key'' to try and remind us that, though we are shaped by our history, sometimes the reverse is also true." She has continuously supported the cause of raising awareness and understanding of mental health issues, and has served on the jury of the Mental Health Media awards since 1996. Her 2008 play, ''Lost in Plain Sight'', charted one young man’s recovery from a suicide attempt. In 2010, Franceschild adapted Steinbeck's ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

'' for radio, starring David Tennant and Liam Brennan. Among recent projects are two new plays for Radio Four and a commission to write a single television drama for Channel Four. She is Creative Writing Fellow, Universities of Glasgow and

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...

Credits

TV and film

TV credits include: ''The Key, Eureka Street, A Mug's Game,

, And the Cow Jumped Over the Moon, Bobbin' and Weavin', The Necklace'' Film credit: ''Donovan Quick''

Radio

*'' Quartet'',

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' ...

, 13 November 2008 *'' The Lottery Ticket'',

, 18 February 2009 *'' The Ca'd'oro Cafe'',

, 26 January 2010 *''

'' (dramatisation),

, 7 March 2010 *'' Down and Out in Auchangaish'',

, 19 December 2011BBC – Afternoon Play – ''Down and Out in Auchangaish''
/ref>

Theatre

Theatre credits include: ''And the Cow Jumped Over the Moon'' (1990), ''The Sunshine Cafe'' (1989), ''Rebel!'' (1986), ''Songs for Stray Cats and Other Living Creatures'' (1985), ''Tap Dance on a Telephone Line'' (1981), '' Mutiny on the Ml'', ''Diaries'', ''The Soap Opera'' (1979), ''The Cleaning Lady''.

References

External links

*
Profile on The Playwrights Database2008 interview for BBC Ouch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franceschild, Donna 1953 births British television writers Living people British women television writers