John McGrath

Writing

Biography

Born in Birkenhead from Irish Catholic stock, John McGrath was a British playwright, screenwriter. producer, director and socialist who took up the cause of Scottish independence and the principles of a radical, popular theatre with the creation of the 7:84 theatre company alongside his wife, Elizabeth MacLennan, and brother-in-law, David MacLennan. His most famous plays are arguably The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil which was brought to television in 1974 by John Mackenzie for the Play for Today strand, and Events While Guarding The Bofors Gun which was made into the film The Bofors Gun in 1968. He also wrote the screenplays for films such as Billion Dollar Brain, The Virgin Soldiers, The Reckoning, The Dressmaker and 1991's Robin Hood, and produced films such as Carrington and Aberdeen.

Filmography Movies

Acting

MOVIE

imagine... The Factory: Made in Manchester

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imagine... tells the story of Aviva Studios, Manchester’s colossal new cultural venue, and goes behind the scenes at the world premiere of its opening production, Free Your Mind.

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imagine... The Factory: Made in Manchester

Self - interviewed guest

MOVIE

The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil

8.0(0.0K)

In their songs, comedy and exuberant music, a travelling theatre company give a fiercely polemic account of Scottish history, from the aftermath of Culloden to the oil boom. Their production before a live audience is intercut with filmed reconstructions of the Highland Clearances and the Victorian obsession with hunting stags.

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The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil

Various

Production

Fade to BlackMOVIE

MOVIE

Fade to Black

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FADE TO BLACK follows the history of movie theatres in and around Kansas City. From its humble beginnings as family-owned single screens in the early 20th century to the large multiplexes of today. Theatre owners have overcome technological advances in entertainment but can they overcome a pandemic and a wearing public.

Billion Dollar Brain

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A former British spy stumbles into in a plot to overthrow Communism with the help of a supercomputer. But who is working for whom?

The Long Roads

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An elderly woman learns that she is dying of cancer. She and her husband leave their small farm on the Isle of Skye to visit their children to inform them of the news. During the journey, the couple rediscover their love for each other.

Half the Picture

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A dramatized account of the Scott Inquiry about the sales of arms to Iraq.

Half the Picture

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A dramatized account of the Scott Inquiry about the sales of arms to Iraq.

Mairi Mhor

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In 1871, 'tired of the speakers of English', Mairi Mhor began writing resistance songs in Gaelic, protesting at the displacement of the Scottish Highland and Island folk by the Southern landlords. Unjustly imprisoned in Inverness at the age of 51, she expresses her anger in song, discovering a talent for music; these songs became central to the identity of the region and are still sung today. The achingly beautiful landscape of Skye, and the music it inspired, provide a haunting canvas for this valuable piece of historical research.

Blood Red Roses

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A woman looks back on her life as a political activist in Scotland from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Blood Red Roses

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A woman looks back on her life as a political activist in Scotland from the 1950s to the 1970s.

The Diary of a Nobody

6.0(0.0K)

Ken Russell's silent film treatment of the 19th century comic novel by the Brothers Grossmith - George and Weedon. Starring Bryan Pringle, Avril Elgar and Murray Melvin. Adapted by Ken Russell and John McGrath. First shown on BBC2 at 10.10pm on Saturday 12th December 1964 - as part of the 'Six' strand.

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The Diary of a Nobody

Writer

MOVIE