“A Modern Masterpiece”: The Best TV Shows by Jack Thorne – From This is England to Teenage | television

HHe has been hailed as Britain’s most industrious writer. Given Jack Thorne’s impressive list of credits, it’s hard to argue. The prolific playwright and screenwriter’s output includes many of the best local television dramas of the past two decades.

This is without the numerous plays and films he also wrote. There’s more to come, too. Next in Thorne’s pipeline is Channel 4’s forbidden romance Falling, with Keeley Hawes and Papa Essiedu, and Enola Holmes 3, which will be followed by a mini-biopic of the four Beatles by Sam Mendes.

With Thorne’s new version of Lord of the Flies arriving on the BBC, we take stock of his 20 TV projects so far. Surely he’s late for vacation?

20. Al-Edi (2020)

Thorne had the rare bug of writing Damien Chazelle’s moody Netflix musical drama about a bereaved jazz pianist who runs a struggling Paris nightclub. With dialogue in French, English, Arabic and Polish, it was as disorienting as it was a chin-drop.

This Channel 4 miniseries follows a South Wales community’s fight for justice after two local teenagers are killed in an explosion on a building site. It was exciting and valid, but let down by Sarah Lancashire’s wobbly Welsh accent and plodding courtroom climax. Thorne would later tell a similar story in Toxic Town to more powerful effect.

18. Cast Off (2009)

This unjustly forgotten Channel 4 mockumentary follows six disabled people who are sent to a remote island for a fictional reality show. Episodes intersect Survivor style with flashbacks that capture their lives. These proved superior to the main plot. Darkly funny and blatantly transgressive.

17. Lord of the Flies (2026)

Pass the oyster. The first-ever television adaptation of William Golding’s classic novel about stranded schoolboys sees writer Thorne reuniting with regular collaborator, director Mark Munden. The result is less dialogue and more disturbing atmosphere. However, it is lifted by the great performances from the young cast, especially David McKenna as Piggy.

16. The Last Panthers (2015)

This six-part series from Sky Atlantic begins with a diamond heist, and delves into a sprawling international alliance between criminal gangs and mysterious ‘bankers’. The elegant trilingual chain had textbook elements of European desserts, was deliberately designed to appeal across the continent, but was more exciting than most. Samantha Morton, John Hurt and David Bowie’s tone helped.

It was no easy task to adapt Philip Pullman’s epic, multi-world trilogy for television. This HBO/BBC co-production wasn’t exactly a success, but it made for a better spectacle than the ’00s movie flop. It was visually stunning and had strong performances (Ruth Wilson’s evil Mrs. Coulter was a standout), but ironically it lacked a bit of magic dust.

This hilarious ITV film tells the story of the phone hacking scandal at News International. With David Tennant breaking the fourth wall as Guardian journalist Nick Davies and a parallel plot following police detective Robert Carlyle, the film told the sprawling saga in a galloping style, although the lighthearted tone rubbed off on some. Anyone would think that Harry Hill’s appearance was a bad thing.

This unique drama, co-written by Genevieve Barr, celebrates a landmark event in civil rights history. The film tells the true story of cabaret performers Barbara Lisicki and Allan Holdsworth, whose campaigning for disability rights resulted in the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995. An action-packed biopic, wrapped inside a delightful romantic comedy – complete with disabled sex scenes, a rarity on mainstream television.

12. Don’t Take My Baby (2015)

Another great independent realistic drama. Based on real testimonies, this heartbreaking BBC Three program chronicled a young disabled couple’s struggle for custody of their newborn daughter. Are Anna, a wheelchair user, and Tom, who is visually impaired, allowed to keep their child? Or will Belinda, the social worker, take her into care? It went on to win a BAFTA Award for Best Single Drama.

The legal case was named “British Erin Brockovich.” This Netflix series dramatized the Corby toxic waste scandal by following three mothers involved in the case. When contaminated soil from dismantled steel mills caused birth defects in local children, the women campaigned for a council cover-up. Jodie Whittaker, Amy Lou Wood, and Claudia Jessie create compelling characters.

10. Glue (2014)

Broadchurch meets Leather, anyone? The sweeping rural crime scene of E4 has revealed the dark heart of the rural Berkshire countryside. When a 14-year-old gypsy boy is found murdered, the investigation uncovers all kinds of drug crimes. The cast was full of rising stars, including Callum Turner, Billy Howle, Faye Marsay and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

9. Vanishing (2011)

This gritty, BAFTA-winning BBC3 drama follows bed-wetting student Paul (Ian de Caestecker), who is able to see the vengeful spirits of the dead all around him. He is drawn into a battle between these zombie-like “Fades” and the “Angels” who are able to detect them. The film was tense, frightening and bloody, and had a strong cast including Daniel Kaluuya, Natalie Dormer, Johnny Harris – and Daniela Nardini as a gun-wielding priest.

8. Skins (2007-2009)

E4’s teen historical drama might stand out here, except Thorne was a relatively young cog in his machine, having written five episodes in his first three series – plus one part for the US remake. His writings on the makers of Bristol Sixth were an early sign of his dexterity in dealing with controversial issues and deep understanding of young people’s lives. Thorne credits showrunner Brian Ilsley as a formative influence on his career.

7. Kerry (2018)

These four wonderfully observed and warmly humane parts centered on the kidnapping of a nine-year-old black girl, who was fostered by a middle-class white couple who were about to adopt her. The formidable Sarah Lancashire was impressive as a social worker, with strong support from Baba Isiedu and Wunmi Mosaku. It was a huge hit for Channel 4, recording 5 million viewers and becoming the biggest drama ever on the catch-up service. Not bad for an insightful study of race, class, and family.

6. The Help (2021)

There has been a flurry of lockdown dramas during the Covid period. This was the best, the angriest. After Jodie Comer helped care home resident Stephen Graham with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, it was a scathing indictment of the plight of vulnerable people during the pandemic and the countless ways the government has failed them. The horrific hellish night transformation scene, shot in a single 26-minute take by director Mark Munden, was a masterpiece.

“They think I’m fucking Jimmy Savile.” Inspired by Operation Yewtree, this BAFTA award-winning miniseries stars Robbie Coltrane as a veteran game show presenter. When he was accused of historical sex crimes during his stand-up days, his family’s life fell apart. This would be Coltrane’s last major role before his death. Julie Walters as his long-suffering wife and Andrea Riseborough as his drug-addicted daughter were equally devastating. A morally complex treatise on memory and truth, fame and power.

Another mini-series, this time for the BBC, addresses issues relating to disability. Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen give powerful performances as a couple fighting for the future of their disabled daughter. When she ends up in intensive care after developing a chest infection, doctors wonder whether treatment should be withdrawn. Her parents fight for continued medical care, but the battle keeps them apart. Urgent, poignant and deeply moving, with tragic echoes of the Archie Batterby case of the previous year.

One of Thorne’s fruitful collaborations with writer-director Shane Meadows. The Channel 4 miniseries was partly based on the latter’s experience of repressing the memory of child sexual abuse. Stephen Graham was heartbreakingly convincing as the alcoholic who returns home to Ireland to find his estranged sister – and in the process uncovers horrific buried trauma from his past. Niamh Algar and Helen Behan co-star and PJ Harvey composed the soundtrack. The painful material was dealt with brilliantly.

In terms of sheer impact, this would be No. 1. In terms of quality, it came pretty close, too. The Guardian’s critic Lucy Mangan described it as “the closest thing to television perfection in decades”. The four-part Netflix film co-produced with star Stephen Graham last year was an unflinching look at the deadly consequences of online life leaking into the real world. Director Philip Barantini traces the aftermath of a 13-year-old boy’s arrest for the murder of his classmate, boldly filming each episode in one continuous take. Graham and Erin Doherty played spunky roles. Newcomer Owen Cooper became the youngest Emmy winner ever. Thorne wanted to “look modern male anger in the eye.” He did so in a devastating drama that transcended television to make headlines around the world.

1. This is England 86, 88 and 90 (2010-2015)

Partly transcending adolescence thanks to their scope and longevity, the three turbulent TV sequels to Shane Meadows’ 2006 coming-of-age film combine bittersweet romance with brutal violence to relentless effect. Set in 1986, 1988 and 1990, the colorful backdrop spans from the fashion revival to rave culture, adding to the resonant parallel history of Thatcher’s Britain. The beloved Midlands gang of Sean, Woody, Lol, Milky, Combo, Smiley and the rest are now like old friends. With deeply moving turns, intense tension, and messily funny, all with an evocative soundtrack, it’s a modern masterpiece. And if the This Is England ’00 rumors are to be believed, the final adventure is yet to come.