WHAT WOULD DICKENS WRITE TODAY?

	David Nicholls

David Nicholls was born in Hampshire and studied drama at the University of Bristol and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.

After working as an actor for several years he began editing and writing scripts, firstly for radio and later for television. His first TV production, I Saw You (2001), a romantic-comedy starring Paul Rhys and Fay Ripley, won best single play at the annual BANFF television festival.

Following this, Nicholls went on to write four episodes of the hit ITV drama series Cold Feet, broadcast in 2001. Other TV and film credits include an updated version of Much Ado About Nothing (2004), nominated for a BAFTA as Best Single Play, and an acclaimed adaptation of Hardy’s Tess Of The D'urbervilles (2008).

He wrote the film adaptation of Blake Morrison’s memoir And When Did You Last See Your Father, released in 2007, and is currently writing a feature-film adaptation of Dickens’ Great Expectations.

David Nicholls is the author of three novels: Starter for Ten (2003), a comedy about love, class and growing-up, set against the background of the TV quiz University Challenge, which was turned into a film in 2006, The Understudy (2005), a funny and painful portrayal of the life of Stephen C McQueen, understudy to the star actor Josh Harper, and One Day (2009), a powerful and moving book about a friendship spanning 20 years, which is due to be released as a feature film in 2011.

Selected Reviews

Interview on “One Day”: www.guardian.co.uk
On “One Day” www.guardian.co.uk
On “The Understudy”: www.guardian.co.uk