Chris Lang Biography

Chris Lang (born 1961) is a British television writer, actor and producer.

Career

Screenwriter

Lang has written for many British television series but is best known as the writer, creator and executive producer of the critically acclaimed Unforgotten. The first series starred Nicola Walker, Trevor Eve, Sir Tom Courtenay, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Bernard Hill.^[8] and was first broadcast in Autumn 2015. Sir Tom Courtenay later won the 2016 BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role, and was nominated for a Royal Television Society award for his performance, while Nicola Walker was nominated at the Broadcasting Press Guild awards for best actress. In November 2015, ITV announced it would be returning for a second series. Alongside Walker and Bhaskar, series two starred Mark Bonnar, Rosie Cavaliero, Lorraine Ashbourne, Adeel Akhtar, Wendy Craig, Douglas Hodge and Badria Timimi. It aired in January 2017 to an audience of 7.29 million, with the Daily Telegraph describing the series as 'The detective drama of the decade'. In November 2017 Mark Bonnar won a Scottish Best actor Bafta for his portrayal of Colin Osborne in the series. Bonnar was also nominated for best actor in the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2018. In March 2017, ITV announced Unforgotten would return for a third series, to be broadcast in 2018. The third series will star Alex Jennings, Amanda Root, Kevin McNally, Siobhan Redmond, James Fleet, Sasha Behar, Neil Morrissey, Emma Fielding and Indra Ove.

Lang has written many other British television series including - Undeniable starring Peter Firth and Claire Goose, (April 2014); which was remade in France in February 2017, entitled Quand je serai grande je te tuerai starring Laetitia Milot. Filmed on the le de R it broadcast in France in late 2017 to an audience of seven million. A Mother's Son starring Hermione Norris, Paul McGann and Martin Clunes (September 2012) which was nominated for a Broadcast Award, and adapted as a single film for TF1 in France called Tu Es Mon Fils (April 2015) and starring Anne Marivin; Tu Es Mon fils later won best single film at the Polar de Cognac Film Festival. Lang's series Torn, starring Holly Aird and Nicola Walker, was nominated for an RTS award. and was also remade for French TV as Entre Deux Mres. It was shown at the Luchon Film and TV festival and broadcast on TF1 on 27 March 2017.

Lang began his career as a television writer with The Bill, for which he wrote many episodes, and for which he won a Writer's Guild award. He went on to write episodes for shows including Casualty, Soldier Soldier, The Knock, Reach for the Moon, The Palace, POW, Primeval, Hustle and most recently The Tunnel for Sky Atlantic. In 2001, he wrote and created his first original drama series The Glass, which starred John Thaw and Sarah Lancashire. Since then some of his other original work has included Sirens, Unconditional Love, Amnesia (which was nominated for an Edgar Award), Lawless, and The Reckoning.

In 2007, he co-formed TXTV through which he now makes much of his original drama, and through which he co-created, wrote and executive produced Innocent, a four-part thriller starring Lee Ingleby, Hermione Norris, Nigel Lindsay and Angel Coulby. It is scheduled to broadcast early 2018.

In March 2018 shooting will begin in Paris on an as yet untitled eight part romantic comedy for Netflix that Lang created. Shooting will also commence in Paris, on a remake of his 2010 UK drama The Reckoning. The French version will star Odille Vuillemin and Thiery Neuvic.

In the UK. shooting will begin in March 2018 on a new six part drama called Dark Heart, which Lang created for TV, and which will star Tom Riley, Charlotte Riley, and Miranda Raison. It will broadcast later in 2018.

Actor

He trained at RADA, graduating in 1983, after winning the Royal Academy award for 'A Series of Outstanding Performances in the Vanbrugh Theatre'. As an actor he worked on such British television series as Shadow of the Noose, Drop the Dead Donkey, Outside Edge, A Dance to the Music of Time and All Along the Watchtower. In his youth, he formed a comedy revue called The Jockeys of Norfolk with Andy Taylor and Hugh Grant. but stopped acting in the mid nineties in order to fully concentrate on his writing career.

Selected work

• Unforgotten (ITV Studios/Mainstreet Pictures, 2015-present)
• Undeniable (TXTV, 2014)
• A Mother's Son (ITV Studios 2012)
• Torn (TXTV, 2007)
• Lawless (Company Pictures, 2004)
• Amnesia (Ecosse Films, 2004)

Awards and nominations

• Unforgotten. Chris Lang Nominated Best Crime Drama Writer 2017 British Screenwriters Festival
• Unforgotten: Tom Courtenay, winner of 2016 BAFTA for best supporting actor and nominated for 2016 Royal Television Society award for Best Actor; Nicola Walker nominated for BPG award Best Actress
• Unforgotten. Nominated Best English Speaking Drama Series. C21 Awards.
• Unforgotten. Nominated Best Casting. C21 Awards.
• A Mother's Son: nominated Best Single Drama 'Broadcast Awards' 2013
• Torn nominated Best Serial, Royal Television Society 2008
• Amnesia: nominated Best Mini Series at the Edgars 2005
• Wing and a Prayer: nominated best drama series BAFTA Award 1998
• The Bill. Nominated for 'Best Original Drama Series' 1995 The Writers Guild Awards.