John Martin Johnson
JOHN MARTIN JOHNSON
As one of the UK’s leading scriptwriters, some of John’s great loves in life have always been film, literature, music and fine art. After roles including Head of Design for BBC North and Design Consultant to Odeon Cinemas, the US fast-food chain Freshworks, Butlins Holidays and others John turned full-time to his true calling of scriptwriting, entering the ITV New Voices screenwriting competition in 1997.
With his ‘Dance For A Stranger’ entry selected for broadcast he soon secured his first screenwriting contract. John then enjoyed a meteoric rise in credits and accolades, a selection of which is listed below including the highest profile work for; BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Neal Street Productions (Sam Mendes), World Productions (Tony Garnett) and Ecosse Films among others.
Not content with gaining a wealth of best-in-class experience, with his work syndicated across many global TV channels, John undertook to apply and was invited to complete the full-time MA Script Writing course at the media-industry renowned Goldsmiths College, University of London. John completed the course with a graded Distinction, earning him an invite from Cambridge University to become a member of their Media and Scriptwriting lecture team.
John is signed to the prestigious ‘The Agency Ltd’, based in Holland Park, London and home to such artists as; Emma Thompson, Morwenna Banks, Alan Bleasdale, Paul Abbott, Debbie Horsfield, Sally Wainwright, Jimmy McGovern, Lolita Chakrabarti, Tom McRae, James Moran and many more.
John is also an accomplished musician having learned guitar from an early age, played in folk clubs around the North most notably the Ling Bob in the Yorkshire dales, where he was a resident band-member. John went on to study classical guitar under Mark Stockl (John Williams Master-Class graduate) and having taught and been taught in turn by Oliver Hall (Guitar Institute, Charlie Griffiths/Tolis Apostolis Master-Class graduate). He is also keen motorcycle rider, having undertaken a tour of Canada/US and an epic trip from North Yorkshire to Salamanca, Spain among others - all completed solo,. And, he is a consummate chef, having studied cooking in Morocco, Mexico and Peru.
John’s areas of specialism are: Scriptwriting, professional storytelling & story construction, developing treatments & selling a script, navigating the professional TV & Film industry, filming on location, film-scheduling & creating a successful edit process,…and general balls-out going for it!
TV
CALL THE MIDWIFE (Neal Street Productions - Sam Mendes) (series, 50’s drama, BBC1), Series 2 Episode 3 (2012)
HEARTBEAT (series, 60’s drama, ITV1) - A Brush with the Law (2008) - Memoirs of a Fighting Man (2006)
RATED UK’S No. 1 DRAMA
NEW TRICKS (series, present day drama, BBC1) - Dockers (2006)
MONARCH OF THE GLEN (series, present day drama, BBC1) - Season 7 Episode 5 (2005) - Season 6 Episodes 2 & 8 (2004) - Season 5 Episode 7 (2003) - Season 4 Episodes 1 & 10 (2002) - Season 3 Episode 9 (2001) RATED UK’S No. 1 DRAMA
MCCREADY & DAUGHTER (series, 60’ drama, BBC1) - Obsessions (2002) - No Bed of Roses (2002)
WHERE THE HEART IS (ITV Christmas Special, extra length present day drama, ITV1) - Archangel (2003)
WHERE THE HEART IS (series, present day drama, ITV1) - My Way (2003) - The Team (2001) - Cats and Dogs (2001) - Home to Roost (2001) - Damage (2001) - The Ties That Bind (2001) - Choices (2001)
RATED UK’S No. 1 DRAMA
Film
WASPS (short film, BFI, Edinburgh International Film Festival 1998)
STEAMY WINDOWS (Arcane Pictures, 2000)
OUTLANDER - Bentley Productions (makers of Midsummer Murders)
PUBLISHING/BOOKS
Fish Anthology - (Fish Publishing, London, 2020) - selected for inclusion in this most exciting creative writing anthology, this year. - PRIZEWINNER IN THE PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL FISH AWARDS (2020)
The Traveller Magazine - (Audley Luxury Travel, 2018) - Travel to Morocco
Walking The Yorkshire Dales - (Published 2006)
LECTURING 2015/2016
Cambridge University - Adult Learning, Scriptwriting (2014, 2015)
University of Middlesex - BA Film, Scriptwriting (2013, 2014, 2015)
Barnard Castle - Teesdale School & Sixth Form Valley, A Level, English and Film Writing (2018)
Original material
Identity (Bentley Productions 2010 - 2016)
The Coroner (Bentley Productions 2010 - 2016)
Equal and Opposite (United Productions 2000-2005)
Rentaman (Ecosse Films 2000 - 2005)