Peter Ransley’s work as a screenwriter spans psychological thrillers, plays with a social theme and historical drama.

He wrote single plays for the seminal BBC Plays for Today Series. His Kate the Good Neighbour won the Gold Medal in the Commonwealth Film and TV Festival in 1980, while Minor Complications, based on a real case of medical negligence, gained him the Royal Television Society’s Writer’s Award in 1981. The massive response to the play, led to his setting up a charity together with his wife Cynthia and its first Chief Executive, Arnold Simanowitz, Action Against Medical Negligence. This has transformed the prospects for compensation in cases of negligence and continues to be a major influence in campaigning for patient safety.

He adapted his novel The Hawk into a film starring Helen Mirren. His novel Bright Hair was a BBC television series with Emilia Fox while his award winning series The Price was a Channel 4 / RTE co-production.

In mainstream television, he worked on series such as Tales of the Unexpected and Ruth Rendell Mysteries. Three more recent TV productions were Fallen Angel, ITV, A Good Murder, BBC1 and his BAFTA nominated adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith for BBC1.

Peter has long been interested in history. He wrote a TV series Bread or Blood set at the time of the Swing Riots in 1830. His interest in the English Civil War led to his trilogy Plague Child, Cromwell’s Blessing and The King’s List.

He has just published Wild Boy, from an idea by his grandson Finlay Parker, who is nine. He is now working on book two and Wild Boy has just started secondary school.