Matthew Wakefield
Writer

Doctors group 2
Doctors group 2
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Matthew is a drama writer for television and film. He is currently a regular writer for the BBC series Doctors and has written over 40 episodes for the show to date, including serial-only and standalone dramas.  His original work covers a wide range of genres, from dystopian sci-fi to romantic comedy. He first started writing at The University of Wales, where he studied film production and made several short films. He has an MA in Screenwriting from The London College of Communication, and has taught scriptwriting at Bucks New University.

Television (broadcast):
Doctors BBC Drama / BBC One
Regular writer for the daytime medical drama series (2007 – present)
Over 40 episodes commissioned
Television (in development):
Farah Normal Kids’ comedy / mystery series. When an American teen relocates to a terminally boring village in the fens outside Cambridge, she struggles to adapt to her new life. At least, until she realises how spooky her new home is and starts to investigate…
(Spec script)
Three Score and Ten Drama series following a woman’s attempts to be reunited with her family after she has exceeded her permitted life-span in a dystopian near-future with state-mandated euthanasia at seventy
(Spec script)
Feature film:
Relative Fortune Dan Films
A London-based comedy in which four estranged siblings compete to inherit a vast fortune from their Monopoly-obsessed father
(Previously in development)
Short film:
Stiletto A darkly comic thriller about a Hitchcock blonde and a ticking bomb
Screened at: Tokyo Short Shorts Film Festival, BFI Southbank, Wood Green Film Festival, etc. Winner of the Best Drama prize at the 2009 Deaffest Gala Awards
The Other Shoe A silent comedy in which several strangers, waiting at a bus stop, imagine why a mysterious young woman is wearing only one shoe
Screened at: The Big Chill Festival, The Notting Hill Film Festival, The Sutton Film Festival, etc. (Also director)
The Undergraduate A surreal drama about a student with an increasingly disruptive fantasy life
Screened at: The Welsh International Film Festival, The Chichester Film Festival, The Lux Cinema, etc. (Also director)
Smorgas Bored A silent comedy about cheese and sex
Broadcast on ITV. (Also director)
Professional training
The London College of Communication, University of the Arts, MA in Screenwriting (2004 – 2005)
The University of Wales, Cardiff, Postgraduate Diploma in Film Production (1996 – 1997)
The University of Leeds, BA in English Literature and Philosophy (1991 – 1994)
TAPS Series Masterclass. A course for screenwriters with a track record in 30 minute TV drama who are hoping to make the jump to 60 minutes, with particular reference to writing for The Bill. A collaboration with Talkback Thames (2009)
Doctors Writers Academy. A week-long writers’ course with the producers and script editors of the BBC One medical-drama series (2008)
Carlton Screenwriters Course. Carlton Television’s (then) annual course for emerging drama writers (2002)
Script Reading for Film and Television. Course provider: The Script Factory (2001)