James Graham OBE FRSL (born 8 July 1982) is a British playwright and screenwriter. His work has been staged throughout the UK and internationally, at theatres including the Bush, Soho Theatre, Almeida Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool and the National Theatre and has had multiple plays in the West End and on Broadway.

Graham is a three-time Laurence Olivier Award winner. Early life and education James Graham grew up in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, and was educated at Ashfield School, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and the University of Hull, where he studied drama.

Career Graham's first professional play, Albert's Boy, was produced by the Finborough Theatre in west London, where Graham became playwright-in-residence. His first major play This House was commissioned by the Royal National Theatre, transferred to the larger Olivier Theatre, and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Play. This House was revived in 2016 and ran for two years, first in the West End and then on a national tour.

Graham's debut feature film X+Y premiered in 2015. He has written numerous TV dramas, including the TV films Coalition (which won the Royal Television Society award for Best Single Film) and Brexit: The Uncivil War (nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie). In 2019, Graham wrote and executive produced a three-part TV adaptation of his stage play Quiz, which aired in 2020.

In 2022, it was announced that Graham had written the book for a new musical about the life of televangelist Tammy Faye Messner, with Elton John and Jake Shears writing the music. Tammy Faye opened at the Almeida Theatre in October 2022, and was nominated for four Olivier Awards, winning two. Tammy Faye transferred to Broadway in October 2024 and closed two months later.

He has received five Broadway productions. He wrote the books for Broadway musical Finding Neverland, and for the musical Tammy Faye which transferred to Broadway from London. His play Punch opens on Broadway in September 2025, following Broadway transfers of his plays Privacy and Ink (for which he received his first Tony Award nomination).

In 2023, he wrote Dear England for the National Theatre, starring Joseph Fiennes, a portrait of England footballer and team manager Gareth Southgate. Dear England transferred to the West End, followed by a UK tour, and was announced by the BBC announced they had commissioned Graham to adapt the play into a TV drama series which will air on 30 May 2026.

James Graham gave the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the 2024 Edinburgh TV Festival. He criticised the lack of opportunities for people from working class backgrounds in the British television industry, citing that only 8% of people in the industry are from a working class background. His lecture led to the development of the Class and Social Equality Working Group, consisting of TV professionals from across the industry that are dedicated to finding practical actions to redress the class balance in the TV industry.

In 2025, his play Make It Happen was performed at the Dundee Rep Theatre and the Edinburgh International Festival, starring Sandy Grierson as Fred Goodwin, former CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Brian Cox as Adam Smith. Also in 2025, his play Punch was produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club and performed at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

In September 2026 the National Theatre announced that Major, Graham's play following John Major's ascendance to the office of prime minister, would premiere at the theatre during its spring/summer 2027 season. Jeremy Herrin, who also directed This House, is set to direct.

Personal life

In March 2024, he was the guest on the long running BBC Radio 4 series Desert Island Discs, hosted by Lauren Laverne. During his appearance, Graham said he has had relationships with women and men.

Work Film Year Title Director Notes Ref. 2015 X+Y Morgan Matthews Theatrical film 2026 Ink Danny Boyle Theatrical film

Television Year Title Network Notes Ref. 2015 Coalition Channel 4 Television film 2019 Brexit: The Uncivil War Channel 4 Television film 2019 The Crown Netflix Episode: "Tywysog Cymru" 2020 Quiz ITV miniseries 2022– Sherwood BBC1 Drama series 2024 The Way BBC1 Dystopian series 2025 Brian and Maggie Channel 4 Miniseries 2026 Dear England BBC Miniseries

Theatre Year Title Notes Ref. 2005 Albert's Boy premiered at the Finborough Theatre 2006 Eden's Empire premiered at the Finborough Theatre 2007 Little Madam premiered at the Finborough Theatre 2008 Sons of York premiered at the Finborough Theatre Tory Boyz premiered at the Soho Theatre 2009 SuddenLossOfDignity.Com premiered at the Bush Theatre Bushtheatre.co.uk A History of Falling Things premiered at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru 2010 The Whisky Taster premiered at the Bush Theatre "The Whisky Taster", Bushtheatre.co.uk The Man premiered at the Finborough Theatre Relish premiered at the Tramshed in Shoreditch Basset National Theatre Connections play 2011 Sixty Six Books Co-author; premiered at the Bush Theatre 2012 This House premiered at the National Theatre 2014 Privacy premiered at the Donmar Warehouse; transferred to Off-Broadway The Angry Brigade premiered at Theatre Royal, Plymouth Finding Neverland premiered at the A.R.T. 2015 The Children's Monologues One-off event at the Royal Court TheatreThe Vote premiered at the Donmar Warehouse 2016 Monster Raving Loony premiered at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth 2017 Ink premiered at the Almeida Theatre; transferred to the West End and Broadway Labour of Love premiered at the Noël Coward Theatre Quiz premiered at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester; transferred to the West End The Culture premiered at the Hull Truck Theatre 2018 Sketching premiered at Wilton's Music Hall 2020 Bubble premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse 2021 Best of Enemies premiered at the Young Vic; transferred to the West End Shoot performed live at Alexandra Palace 2022 Tammy Faye premiered at the Almeida Theatre, transferred to Broadway 2023 Town Planning in the Apocalypse premiered at the Duke of York's Theatre Dear England premiered at the National Theatre Boys from the Blackstuff premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool 2024 Punch premiered at Nottingham Playhouse and the Young Vic 2025 Make it Happen premiered at Edinburgh International Festival 2026 The Standard of Living Will premiere at Theatre Royal Haymarket in autumn 2026

Reception For his 2025 play Punch, theatre critic Greg Evans writes that the play offers a "fine cast" and calls out Harrison's "tremendously affecting performance" but found the play too often felt "like a PSA for the restorative justice procedure."

In 2026 the New Statesman deemed him "the writer for our era."

Recognition and honours In 2018, Graham won his first Olivier Award: Best New Comedy for Labour of Love. His other play, Ink, was nominated for Best New Play in the same year. He won his second Olivier Award in 2024: Best New Play for Dear England. He won his third in 2026: Best New Play for Punch.

In June 2018, Graham was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative. In January 2019, Graham's life and work was the subject of an in-depth BBC One documentary as part of the Imagine series. In May 2019, his play This House was voted Play of the Decade in Bloomsbury Publishing's "60 Years of Modern Plays" public vote.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to drama and young people in British theatre. In June 2024, the New Statesman included Graham in The Left Power List 2024, the magazine's "guide to the 50 most influential people in progressive politics".

Organisations Year Category Work Result BAFTA TV Awards 2022 Short Form Programme People You May Know 2023 Best Drama Series Sherwood (season one) 2025 Sherwood (season one) Laurence Olivier Awards 2018 Best New Comedy Labour of Love Best New Play Ink 2024 Dear England 2026 Punch Primetime Emmy Awards 2019 Outstanding Television Movie Brexit

See also List of British playwrights since 1950

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