James Graham
@mrJamesGraham
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Writes: plays & emails 🎭 📺🎬 Dear England - Sherwood - Quiz 🌳 Nottinghamshire / London
Joined May 2010
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Where I come out as a childhood trainspotter, which surprises no one
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A Prime Minister may fall today. Soak up the history, guys. Days like today only come around every couple of months
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Can I just check, we’re all sometimes just putting the exact same clothes back on the following day, aren’t we.
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Live alone. This morning through muscle memory I put some aftershave on, and then said to myself “who you doing that for?” And then winked at my reflection and said “YOU, babes”. Which made me smile. And then I cried. Morning!
#LivingAlone
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Hope everyone is enjoying The Crown, which began as a play on stage, just like Fleabag came from the stage like Quiz and The Kings Speech and Mamma Mia and writers on Succession and director of Skyfall and adaptors of Normal People and His Dark Materials and and
#BritishTheatre
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They’re cancelling art & humanities degrees at uni where students aren’t in skilled jobs in 6 months. They would have cancelled my drama degree at Hull on that basis. I wouldn’t have become a writer. I wouldn’t have written
#Sherwood
. Other writers wouldn’t have written theirs.
English lit degree at Sheffield Hallam is being “suspended.” University responding to Government who will no longer fund degrees where 60% students don’t end up in “highly skilled” jobs within 6 months.
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The entire artistic team at the Theatre Royal Plymouth are being made redundant in 3 days. That’s one of the largest, most well attended theatres outside London. A theatre that now has no artists, and they won’t be coming back. Our world-beating cultural landscape is in collapse
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Southampton’s Nuffield Theatre is closing for good. 60yrs of investment, training & serving its community. All profitable in normal times, just needed shortfall funding while closed & it didn’t come in time
So sorry to the 86 made redundant, & the locals who loved their theatre
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It’s simply devastating. In the brief time hanging out and working with Helen she was just everything you’d hoped she would be - no airs or graces, generous, naughty, kind, & total class. She lit up our stages and screens. I’m so sorry to her family and loved ones.
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Holy shit, latest voting intention poll:
CON: 30% (-4)
LDEM: 20% (-1)
LAB: 20% (-3)
COLEEN: 16% (new entry)
GRN: 5%(-)
via
@YouGov
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Forget Heathrow, has anyone checked how the Nine Elms millionaire’s sky pool is doing...?
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What’s that, you say? The major Golden Globes awarded to those skilled or found in British Theatre?
Daniel Kaluuya wrote a play aged 9, breakout role
@royalcourt
. John Boyega at
@TheatrePeckham
.
@JoshOConnor15
at
@BristolOldVic
, Emma Corrin in student theatre.
Save the Arts 🎭
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Closing theatres may save lives.
Good. So
@BorisJohnson
just Say The Words, close them, & save thousands of livelihoods too.
You’ve told people to stay away from our industry
But not shut it down
No shutdown no insurance
No insurance no survival
Give us a fighting chance, dammit
.
@BorisJohnson
has just doomed an entire industry by telling people not to attend the theatre.
By not enforcing a shutdown, production insurance will not apply so producers and shows will go bankrupt, and tens of thousands of people will be without pay.
@hmtreasury
@DCMS
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The next zoom when someone starts speaking on mute there’s no way I’m not gonna lean forward and be like -
“Jill, are you silenT ? Or were you sILENCED?”
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Here we go 👇🏻
The discussion over WHAT and HOW can begin anon, & urgently so, but for now I don’t mind admitting the amount of tears I have shed at the journey towards this news that felt so impossible
Culture is vital. Culture is profitable. Culture matters. Culture will stay
Boris Johnson pledges £1.5bn lifeline to keep UK's arts sector afloat
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Don’t any of you buggers call anything political I ever write again ‘implausible’.
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20. You
19. Can’t
18. Rank
17. The most
16. Popular
15. Tourist
14. Attractions
13. For
12. Russians
11. In
10. England
9. Because
8. TripAdvisor
7. Algorithms
6. Are
5. Impenetrable
4. To
3. Russian
2. Bots
1. Salisbury Cathedral
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Jackie Weaver is right in both the spirit of the law and the letter of the law and I won't hear otherwise. If Handforth falls, we all fall.
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First final since 1966.
First final in my lifetime.
An England team that represents the best of us - progressive, kind, humble.
I don’t care if we win now. It’s already home 🏴 😭 👍🏻
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Free theatre! In your living room.
Politics isn’t very dramatic right now, as we know. So I cannot tell you how excited we are to digitally revive THIS HOUSE, my play about the Really Quite Mad 1970s hung Parliament..
Watch along at 7pm tomorrow.
@NationalTheatre
’s YouTube
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#Quiz
FACK CHECK ONE: we built our own studio, an exact replica of the original.
FACT CHECK TWO: the Glitter Man is real. Repeat. The Glitter Man is real
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I’m cacking myself obviously but I’m so pleased to see
#Quiz
number 1 trend in the UK. Thank youuuuuu!
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We begin previewing a new musical tonight that has been rehearsed under 3 different chancellors. The arts are a viable career.
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A lot have seen the trailer for our Brexit film & I can’t wait to engage reasonably to curious Q’s once it’s actually been seen. Until then, abusive language & misinformation should never intimidate writers/artists working on politically sensitive themes
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You’re being so lovely about
#Quiz
- thank you
It started as a play
@ChichesterFT
. Like a lot of the entertainment I hope is helping people through this, those creating Netflix style megaseries often began careers on stage. Theatres might need your help after this if you can 🙂
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History keeps winking at us throughout all this, and its latest bit of sass is that Philip Hammond, who may have to fight deselection in court, occupies the seat of RUNNYMEDE, birthplace of the Magna Carta, and there's a bad Radio4 play in there somewhere and I'm writing it today
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My heroes are Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho. 🏴
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Yes sex is good but have you ever put crisps in a sandwich?
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#Quiz
FUN FACT CHECK 4
Yes a collective coughing fit really DID break out in court one day during the coughing major’s trial and the session had to be suspended.
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I dare you to find a more tense 30 seconds of television drama anywhere. This also shows why Tarrant was wonderful
One final Millionaire memory - without doubt the best Phone a Friend moment in all the years of the UK show
#Quiz
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Right, 10 million of you have watched the opening episode of QUIZ so far, and I’ve got to admit... I’m growing quite fond of you all. Thank you.
(psst remember it came from the theatre, support the arts, end psst)
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A solution without a problem. Channel4 was the best of all worlds: a public service, paid for by advertisers. Programming for public good not private profit. We don’t need more US-style streamers - a bloated bubble soon to burst - but we’ll miss TV owned by & for us when its gone
Channel 4 rightly holds a cherished place in British life and I want that to remain the case. I have come to the conclusion that government ownership is holding Channel 4 back from competing against streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. 1/3
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History won’t believe the over-the-top symbolism of Theresa May’s failing, faltering voice at this historic dangerous, terrible time. Too obvious.
Set in a collapsing, wind-battered palace, its bell silenced, propped up by scaffold. Too crude.
B+ creative writing, try harder.
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For the last 5 years myself, legend Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters and Elton John of … Elton John have been working on a new musical, ready to launch
@almeidaTheatre
. Televangelism, 1980s, Reaganism, and gay ally & icon TAMMY FAYE
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For better or worse I’m grateful to have been invited onto the Question Time panel tomorrow, largely to begin talking about the unique threat to what was our country’s fastest growing industry - culture, theatre, film - & what we might need to save it. Please forgive my hair.
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I know I’ve hardly mentioned this At All but I have TV drama on tonight.
Growing up I loved watching Easter Monday tele and films, chocolate on my lap. And feel so lucky to have this, especially in the circumstances. If you watch I hope you enjoy. Or not. I mean, it’s a 50/50..
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I’m in a black cab and the driver is called James Graham and we’re both far too excited about this.
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As in theatre, so in politics, it’s often the wardrobe department who comes through in a crisis.
Parliament can’t be prorogued unless the Lords doff their hats in the direction of the Commons.
Steal the hats, save the world.
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Well, it’s been emotional
#Sherwood
Thanks for all your messages and support. Entire series on iPlayer for the stragglers 🌳
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I’m looking forward to the new Bond film. Daniel Craig was trained on stage (National Youth Theatre) as was M, Q & Miss Moneypenny. And John Boyega in Star Wars, and Spiderman, Loki & Dr Strange. And Jodie Whittaker’s Dr Who, and the 3 Doctors before her and and
#BritishTheatre
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You are being so nice about my stab at Question Time, thank you. It's a journey - we'll get there.
Aware that I went hard on the economic argument. There is of course so much more. Culture has transformed my life. An additional point here👇on its emotional value
@bbcquestiontime
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Trying not to binge Normal People. The 3rd episode (the ‘Connell feels bad’ one) is a perfect 30minutes of television. We should be celebrating adaptor Alice Birch more, get her trending, I’ll start, Alice Birch Alice Birch Alice Birch.
#NormalPeople
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When we made “THE VOTE” as a wee election night TV drama, the concept that moved me most in the research was how our democracy is all based on trust. And when you trust people it’s rewarded. There is no voter fraud problem in the UK. Altering that social contract is abhorrent /1
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I cannot tell you, as a kid from Mansfield, a deprived area... the joy of having an actor scream MANSFIELD in a play, in the Olivier, & it get a cheer, at the National
My mum watched it on NTLive in the Mansfield Odeon. People cheered. She cried
#NationalTheatreAtHome
#ThisHouse
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#quiz
FACT CHECK THREE: yes, extraordinarily, the head of ITV programming was in a meeting about the coughing major when the first plane hit the twin towers. And had to suspend their conversation to react.
The world is weird.
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None of it matters, it was an ok song, he sang it fine, the problem is there was just ZERO concept. It’s Eurovision! Other nation’s design, lighting, choreography, video told a fun + bold story and as ever we just wander the stage like a bloody wedding singer
#Eurovision
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I’m a Northern Line faithful and happy to have brand new stations but MY GOD this is revolting. The most elegant map in the world bent out of shape because private developers demand their floating pool be in zone 1, warping space and time to do it.
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Thrilled to announce my new 24-part spin-off drama series featuring The Glitter Man from QUIZ.
The Glitter Man is Britain’s Keyser Soze. The Glitter Man is real. He is all of us, in every job we’ve ever had. Beware the Glitter Man...
#Quiz
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People often ask why there’s no UK version of The West Wing, and this is why, and I couldn’t be prouder
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I’m sick of pretending I don’t sometimes just want to have a glass of gravy as a drink.
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My mum wins the best (and most random) Christmas wrapping paper award
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or rather...
2021: Young Brits stayed home, lost income, paused life, now queue round the corner to get vaccinated for a virus that hardly affects them but will instead protect Lee’s generation for whom it does, and YOU’RE WELCOME.
1940: Young Brits refusing to give in to Nazis.
2021: Young Brits queuing up for jabs so they can go on holiday.
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I just can’t get over this. The Algorithm had already decided someone in this school MUST get a U. The problem was teachers & students had worked furiously hard & no one was eligible. But it didn’t matter. Someone had to fail, and it was her. And her life is altered forever 😑
Essentially, several years ago someone got a U at her school for maths.
She was ranked bottom of her class for maths. She was still predicted a B or a C but was at the bottom.
Ofqual decided, therefore, someone from the school needed to get a U and it was her.
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I’m writing opening night cards. Actual CARDS 🖊 For an ACTUAL OPENING NIGHT 🍾 . In a THEATRE 🎭. With a real AUDIENCE queuing to get in 👬👭. We are lucky and privileged and Nottingham is brave 💪🏻 and imaginative 🤓 and theatre can happen (and watch if you want online) xx
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To the five and a half million of you who watched QUIZ live last night (and to those who’ll watch today)
T H A N K Y O U
I’m biased but I think it gets *really* good tonight, when Ingram (finally, I know right?) gets in the chair
*psst 🤫 whisper it... The Syndicate is real..
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But in other news, the government is recording the sharpest reversal of Dry January rates in the history of Britain
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This water leak at Waterloo (lol) was pumping out for most of yesterday as
@thameswater
prepares a hosepipe ban next week, after paying £38m to shareholders while increasing bills for customers while losing 20% of water to leaks after underinvesting in infrastructure, good oh💧
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Working at my computer and I must have pressed something because a DVD ejected itself and I screamed. Didn’t know I had a DVD drive.
Anyway, morning.
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Beyond excited to be invited back to the National Theatre, a decade after ‘This House’ changed my writing life.
DEAR ENGLAND - on Gareth Southgate, England, identity, masculinity, and mental health. Oh. And penalties…
Joseph Fiennes will play England men’s football manager Gareth Southgate ⚽
Dear England is a new play by
@mrJamesGraham
, directed by Rupert Goold.
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A right honour to be able to share this again. THIS HOUSE, the original 2012 production, streaming this month as part of
#NationalTheatreAtHome
Thursday 28th May, 7pm 🎭 📺
It’s 1974 and the corridors of Westminster ring with the sound of infighting and backbiting, as Britain’s political parties battle to change the nation's future.
#ThisHouse
is a biting, timely and funny play by
@mrJamesGraham
, streaming from 28 May with
#NationalTheatreAtHome
.
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What the hell did Belgium do on October 31st and can we just do that
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Had a responsible birthday. In a responsible restaurant. Eating out for Britain.
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Very VERY excited to begin filming this: a new 3 part drama co-created with documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis, and directed by Michael Sheen.
An imagined civil uprising in Port Talbot, South Wales 🏴 📺 could never happen…?
The BBC has announced The Way, a bold new drama from
@michaelsheen
,
@mrJamesGraham
and Adam Curtis
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Never forget Emily Davison, who on the night of the 1911 census broke into parliament and slept in a broom cupboard so that, despite not having the vote as a woman, her address was registered as the “Houses of Parliament” for the next decade. Now *that’s* gaming the system 🙌
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“Quiz” will be screened on ITV next year. A teeny tiny tease for our show 👇🏻 which began as a play
@ChichesterFT
in 2017 🎭➡️📺
Michael Sheen is playing Chris Tarrant in an ITV drama about the man who tried to fool his way into winning a million and OH MY GOD
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I’ve seen a photo of Paddy Spooner’s room of facts which he didn’t leave for months to ‘train’.
The syndicate took at least £5million and put hundreds of people in the chair!
#Quiz
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My final
#Sherwood
public service announcement. If you missed episode 5 because of the tennis 🎾, it is on iPlayer now. Still time… 🌳
For those ready for tonight’s finale - thank you for coming along for the ride. We’re nearly ready for you … 📺
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#Quiz
FUN FACT CHECK 6
In real life, when Tarrant entered, the court was starstruck. Huge hush descended
This was the first bit Michael filmed. Me, cast, crew hadn’t seen him in his gear / heard his voice yet. So he walks in, and a hush descended & we were all 🤩
Art/Life
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And just for the avoidance of doubt, no, I don’t remotely believe you *need a degree to be an artist or a writer. It just really helped *me, to give me time, and space, materials, and confidence.
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Me: Die Hard is a Christmas film
You: It’s not ABOUT Christmas though, is it, it’s about a dad who turns up to his wife’s office party, causes a scene, upsets the children & promises to change in the morning.
Me: (staring off. Voice quivering) ... It’s a Christmas film.
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To every show pausing. Every freelancer frightened, audience member disappointed. I can’t believe we’re here again. Let’s see how it plays out. All I know is you’re brilliant, responsible, talented people & it Can & Must Not be like last time
#Freelancers
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Don’t know what to say except thank you, to every cast member, creative and audience member who made “Dear England” a thing. And the
@NationalTheatre
above all
@OlivierAwards
“Best Play” +
“Best Supportive Actor” - 2024
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This should be a bigger story. British TV dramas, films & plays are shutting down because cast & crew - often negative - get pinged for being in a supermarket where someone records positive etc. Meaning huge shows shutting for 11 days. It’s unsustainable & collapsing... 🎞 🎭 📺
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From the Culture Secretary, I don’t find any of this funny, I find it quietly sinister.
Everyone is free to debate over policy & bias but to embrace an unhinged Trump-ian “it was the biggest crowd ever” alternative universe when your job is to fight for press freedom is bleak
There were far, far more cheers, but that doesn’t make a good headline does it.
Queen’s thanksgiving service: Boos and jeers for Boris Johnson outside St Paul’s
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It means what was free for everyone will now have to be paid for; the commissioning of regional shows slashed for being unprofitable; under-represented voices replaced with safer talent; riskier work lost in chase for subscribers; individuality lost on the altar of ‘competition’.
Great news that the Culture Secretary wants to find new investment, new ideas and a new partner to grow Channel 4 in a very competitive modern media market.
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What’s horrifying is they Genuinely believe they’re right. They really think he won. Everything they read. All the news on their feeds. Everything their friends say and share. And that can never change, now. That’s it. So how do you beat that? Or is America just two countries now
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Please spare a thought for those of us already filming their Brexit TV drama. Thanks.
(P.s we’re fine)
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The Crown, season 6, script meeting. Los Angeles
Netflix Exec: “This proro... pero-roguering episode. Is that... is it a bit.... what is that?”
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Happy 4th Prime Minister in 6 Years Day, to those who celebrate…
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“It’s Moving Home, It’s Moving..”
Thank you to nearly 75,000 people that have come to DEAR ENGLAND so far, & the National who brought in 100s of younger audiences often to see theatre for the first time
It’ll be the first play at the Prince Edward Theatre in 75yrs. Coming? 🎭⚽️
We’re thrilled to announce that
#DearEngland
is coming to the West End 🙌
@mrJamesGraham
’s new play, with Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate, will play at the Prince Edward Theatre from 9 October.
@rupertgoold
returns to direct.
📸 Original NT cast by
@brennerphotos
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For my birthday my mum has miraculously found images of a young me as a figure skater (yes of course, I ice skated). I walked so Billy Elliot could run, basically
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Celebrating with the lads. We won a thing. Best Play, Evening Standard Awards
#BestOfEnemies
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The largest concentration of theatres on earth managed to open last week, only to close tonight. The hope was to revive a decimated sector & tell stories at Christmas
Thousands spent to get Covid secure, closed in blanket measures. So sorry. So sad. Off to the gym (apparently)
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Favourite thing about The Apprentice is how they still try to link the London landmark available for hire that week with the task
“Welcome to St Pancras. Home to the Eurostar. Which goes to Paris. And Belgium. Famous for its chocolate
That’s right
This week
We’re making a shoe”
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I like the moisturiser I got for Christmas but it takes ages to rub it all in. Anyway, I’ve been massaging shower gel into my face for a week, morning.
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I just Joe Wicksed too hard and now I can’t remotely James Graham
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Valentines’s Day when I was 10. I write a card for Sarah at home, walk to class, and it’s not in my pocket. Oh well. Then at the assembly, the Head produces it having found it in the playground. He asks ALL SARAHS IN THE SCHOOL to stay behind while they work our who it’s for😱😑
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A devastating week for freelancers in theatre. Where possible we must find ways to share this burden.
I’m donating the commission for my latest television script to Funds For Freelancers, run by
@PaulTaylorMills
.
See also schemes run by
@BryonyKimmings
&
@lukeybarnesy
Love x
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‘Sorry I’m late I saw a tweet I wanted to read but then twitter auto-refreshed and I had to scroll through my entire timeline to find it again, anyway morning’.
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Think I'm pretty politically savvy but is the Scottish drama just REALLY hard to sum up? I consume articles daily but still don't *quite* get it. The FM is accused of "lying" but I've not once read the lie. I read of "misconduct" but never what? Is it too "legal" to distil? Help!
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I was both incredibly nervous but incredibly honoured to be asked on here, and if you’re going to talk about your FEELINGS in public then this is about the loveliest & most supported show to do it on. Thank you for having me, and for those that listened 🏝
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Disappointingly a very early draft of my Brexit TV drama was stolen and leaked to various people to read & now comment online. My fellow writers on here will know what first drafts are like as you privately play around & test ideas. It is not the script we're shooting.
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First preview - a brand new musical - 15 original new Elton John songs about to drop…
#TammyFaye
@AlmeidaTheatre
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