Lecturing. Outreach. Administration.

Research Interests

Writing and directing drama, politics, social history, theatre. TV and Film

Teaching Activities

Lecturing in Drama, Creative Writing.

Academic Qualifications: BA (Hons) PG Dip

Professional Memberships: Writer’s Guild, BBC Associate member, BBC Writer’s Room.

Previous Posts
Lecturer, Arden School of Theatre.

Professional Activities

Writer for stage, screen and radio
Theatre Director
Dramaturg

Recent theatre and radio

2018 The Political History of Smack and Crack
Ed’s play was part of the Paine’s Plough/Soho Theatre’s programme at the Edinburgh Festival Aug 2018. The play won the Summerhall, Lustrum Award and was given a 5-star review in The Stage. It reviewed 4-star reviews in The Guardian, Financial Times, The Spectator and The Independent. The play was performed in Thameside Prison and at a shelter for the homeless in Manchester and will tour nationally in autumn 2019.

Ed’s playtext was published by Nick Hern Books. The play contained a 10,000-word academic essay on the political history of the international drug trade as a post-script to the playtext.

2017 The Political History of Smack and Crack
Ed’s play was a finalist in the Theatre 503 International Playwriting Competition. Selected out of 1600 plays submitted from 23 countries.

2016/2017 Life by the Throat
Ed directed and was the dramaturge for this play by Eve Steele. This was staged at Edinburgh Festival 2016 at Underbelly and at Theatre 503 in London April 2017 and is currently touring northern theatres.

2016/2017 The Political History of Smack and Crack
Finalist Theatre 503 Playwriting Comp: Selected out of 1600 plays submitted from 23 countries.
The play was staged in a rehearsed reading at Theatre 503 as part of Synergy Theatre Prison Network’s Break Out Festival in March 2017.

2015 Granddad's House
Short film, directed by Ed.
Excellence/Outstanding Excellence Awards in two categories. DOFIFF Washington, USA.

2015 Walter's Jeans
Short play for Octagon Bolton’s King Cotton season.

2014 My Garden, BBC iPlayer
Film shortlisted for the Kermode and Mayo Well Done U comp. Written and directed by Ed.

2012/13 Tough
Ed had a short play for youths produced by Oldham Coliseum, shown jointly by Bolton Octagon and Oldham Coliseum in Dec 2012 and Jan 2013.

2011 Brief Lives, BBC Radio 4
Commissioned to write an episode of this legal drama jointly with Eve Steele.
Broadcast autumn 2011

2011 Fact to Fiction, BBC Radio 4
Ed was commissioned to write an episode of this series in which a writer writes a play responding to the week’s news which is written, recorded and broadcast in the same week.
Broadcast June 2011

2011 Salford Tales (Renamed The Janitor), BBC Radio 4
Commissioned to mark the BBC’s move to Salford.
Broadcast Afternoon Theatre April 2011

2009 Des Res, BBC Radio 4
Friday Play Broadcast 1 May 2009, repeated Oct 2011 by popular demand.

2003 Home and Dry, BBC Radio 4
Broadcast: Afternoon Theatre, Radio 4, June 2003

1999 Glad to be Back, BBC Radio 4
Broadcast: Afternoon Theatre, Radio 4, April 1999

Screen

2005 Holby City, 3x60' episodes, BBC TV

2005 Case Notes, original 6 x 60' series: pilot episode completed, Box TV/BBC Wales

2003-2005 The Bill, 7 episodes, Thames / ITV

2002 Dogma TV: "Gettin Off", 30' episode for 10 x 30' series, broadcast December 2000, Channel 4

2000-2002 Brookside, 7 episodes, Channel 4

2001 Black Cab: Crooked Mile, original script for 10 x 10 series. Overall idea by Amelia Bullmore. Broadcast 22 May 2000, World Productions/BBC2

1998-2000 Revelations/Spring Hill, Granada TV/Channel 4
Ed was storyliner and scriptwriter on both these cult series writing two episodes of each series

Books

1997 Liberty, Equality, Virginity
Original Novel, Chameleon

1997 The Preston Front
TV tie-in for Tim Firth's BBC series, Chameleon

1997 Revelations
TV tie-in for the Granada series, Fourth Estate

1995 Every Mother For Himself
Original Novel, Fourth Estate

1995 Manly Stanley and the Killer Whale
Children’s book, Ringpull Press

1993 Come Again!
Original Novel, Ringpull, Press