Lyall Watson
Film, TV & Theatre
Film, TV & Theatre
Deputy Principal of RADA in the ‘80s, Associate Artistic Director at Bristol Old Vic and Canterbury Rep, and Co-founder and Associate Artistic Director of The Finborough Theatre, Lyall has directed over 150 plays around the world, appeared in over 50 films, and taught acting around the world from the Solomon Islands to the Philippines. He was John Lennon’s double in A Hard Day’s Night, played blues guitar in Texas, and saved Gene Vincent’s life in Dunstable.
As a writer Lyall has created over forty hours of television. His drama about disability was performed at the House of Commons and his play about Harry Houdini was given a world tour by the British Council. With Colin Heber-Percy, Lyall has written numerous award-winning films and TV series including The Preston Passion; Save the Titanic; Rome: Constantine; Spartacus; The Fall of Rome; Krakatoa: The Last Days; Sharpe’s Choice; Barbarians Rising; and Casualty 1906, 1907, and 1909. These last works are now used on a course at the University College of London, teaching the writing of drama doc scripts.
Recent work includes a play about love and death, Catching The Spindrift; a non-fiction work about being a film extra, I Was John Lennon’s Double; a coming-of-age tragedy screenplay, and a novel, Paris Break, set in Paris in the 1960s and today.
Lyall Watson began concentrating on writing after a prestigious career in theatre: as well as being an Associate Artistic Director at Bristol and Canterbury Reps and The Finborough Theatre Club (co-founder), he was involved as teacher and lecturer at several leading drama schools, culminating in two years as Deputy Principal of RADA.
Lyall also founded the Strong Arm Theatre Company and Endangered Species Productions, both of which have been recognised financially by the European Social Fund, Horizon Initiative.
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
CATCHING THE SPINDRIFT | Play | |
I WAS JOHN LENNON'S DOUBLE | Non-fiction | |
THE UTOPIANS | Feature/TV 2-parter | |
FORBIDDEN | Pimlico Productions | Feature Film. Co-writer with Britt Harrison & Colin Heber Percy |
VALLY | Butterfly Films | Feature Film featuring the life of Vally Neuzil, model and muse of Egon Schiele. |
THE FLAME | Co-writer with Colin Heber Percy | |
LIBERTY 2011 | Dan McCulloch and Camille Gatin | |
BEDLAM 2009 | BBC |
Television
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
BARBARIANS RISING 2015 | History Channel / October Films | Co-writer with Colin Heber Percey |
THE PRESTON PASSION 2011 | BBC / BBC1 | Co-writer with Colin Heber-Percy. To TX Good Friday, 6th April, 2012. |
SAVING THE TITANIC 2011 | Tile Films | Co-writer with Colin Heber-Percy. To TX Spring 2012 |
CASUALTY 1906 2006 | Stone City Films/ BBC1 | 90′ pilot |
CASUALTY 1907 2007 | Stone City Films / BBC1 | A series (3 x 60′) starring Cherie Lunghi, Sarah Smart and Charity Wakefield |
CASUALTY 1909 2009 | Stone City Films / BBC 1 | Co-writer with Colin Heber Percy |
KRAKATOA: THE LAST DAYS 2006 | BBC TV/ BBC1 | 90′ docudrama "A work of surprising sensitivity and restraint. " (The Observer) "The main characters survived – just – and showed us we can do it too, finding new emotional riches in ourselves in the process. TV can probably be better than this, but in my experience not by much." (The Scotsman) "Well-executed drama … a blend of first-hand accounts, superlative special effects, and formidable facts" (Time Out) "Drama documentary Krakatoa – the Last Days scraped a rare Sunday night victory for BBC1 with the feature-length programme gaining 6.4 million (27.1%) at 9pm. The 90-minute one-off production managed to peak at 6.8 million (29.6%) at 10pm and helped give the edge to BBC1 at a time when normally ITV1 has a stranglehold over viewers. The programme was substantially above the channel’s current slot average for the year so far of 5.1 million (20.6%)." (Broadcast) |
LONDON'S BURNING | LWT | |
ROME: CONSTANTINE 2006 | BBC TV | 60′ docudrama |
SHARPE'S CHOICE 2006 | Picture Palace/ ITV | 120′ drama, adapted from the novel SHARPE’S GOLD by Bernard Cornwell |
Film
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
BLACKAMOOR 2003 | World Productions/ Columbia Pictures | Feature |
CYRIL'S BIRTHDAY 2003 | Co-writer with Andrew Kazamia | |
WYCHWOOD 2004 | Pandora Productions | Adaptation of novel by John Buchan |
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
ONE | The Drill Hall | |
TRAIL OF TEARS | Finborough Theatre Club | |
TOM JONES & COUSIN BETTE | Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts | |
CAGE | Hazard Theatre Company | |
SIX FOOLS | Traverse Theatre | |
STICKS & STONES | Endangered Species Productions | |
UNEMPLOYMENT - THE MUSICAL | Endangered Species Productions | |
SPORT | The Man In The Moon | |
THE GREAT HOUDINI | Edinburgh & Stafford Festivals | |
TOGETHER | Edinburgh Festival / Off-Broadway Reading |