Bert, Photos Coules

I wandered through a succession of jobs from fringe opera company manager to BBC radio drama producer-director before becoming a full time writer at the beginning of 1989.

I work in a wide range of genres including science fiction, horror, comedy, romance and action-adventure but I'm especially associated with crime and detective stories: I was the head writer on the BBC’s unique project to dramatise the entire Sherlock Holmes canon and went on to create four further series of brand-new Holmes and Watson mysteries.

As well as Conan Doyle, I've scripted versions of books by Isaac Asimov, Ian Rankin, Anne McCaffrey, John Buchan, Ellis Peters, Val McDermid, and Ursula le Guin, in addition to writing my own original plays and features.

Along the way I've been fortunate enough to work with actors including Judi Dench, Oliver Reed, Tom Baker, Iain Glen, Peter Ustinov, Roger Daltrey, and many others.

As well as radio I also write for TV and the stage.