James Graham

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.

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.

His plays are published by Methuen.

Graham appeared with Jacob Dunne, the subject of the play Punch, as guests on the Rest is Politics: Leading Podcast.

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

Plays Albert's Boy (2005) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre) Eden's Empire (2006) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre) Little Madam (2007) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre) Sons of York (2008) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre) Tory Boyz (2008) (premiered at the Soho Theatre) SuddenLossOfDignity.Com (2009) written in collaboration with Zawe Ashton, Joel Horwood, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Michelle Terry (premiered at the Bush Theatre) A History of Falling Things (2009) (premiered at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru) The Whisky Taster (2010) (premiered at the Bush Theatre) The Man (2010) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre) Relish (2010) (premiered at the Tramshed in Shoreditch) Basset (2010) (National Theatre Connections play) Sixty Six Books (co-author) (2011) (premiered at the Bush Theatre) This House (2012) (premiered at the National Theatre before a national tour) Privacy (2014) (premiered at the Donmar Warehouse before transferring to Off-Broadway) The Angry Brigade (2014) (premiered at Theatre Royal, Plymouth) Finding Neverland (2014) (premiered at the A.R.T.) The Children's Monologues (2015) (wrote the monologue "Biyonace" for the one-off event at the Royal Court Theatre) The Vote (2015) (premiered at the Donmar Warehouse) Monster Raving Loony (2016) (premiered at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth) Ink (2017) (premiered at the Almeida Theatre before transferring to the West End and then Broadway) Labour of Love (2017) (premiered at the Noël Coward Theatre) Quiz (2017) (premiered at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester before transferring to the West End) The Culture (2017) (premiered at the Hull Truck Theatre) Sketching (2018) (premiered at Wilton's Music Hall) Bubble (2020) (premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse and was live-streamed online) Best of Enemies (2021) (premiered at the Young Vic before transferring to the West End) Shoot (2021) (short play written for Sky Arts "Play in a Day', performed live at Alexandra Palace and later broadcast on Sky Arts) Tammy Faye (2022) (musical about the life of Tammy Faye Messner, co-written with Elton John, premiered at the Almeida Theatre) Town Planning in the Apocalypse (2023) (short play written for the National Youth Theatre, performed in February 2023 as part of an all-night showcase of NYT students at the Duke of York's Theatre) Dear England (2023) (premiered at the National Theatre) Boys from the Blackstuff (2023) (adapted from the Alan Bleasdale TV Series, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool) Punch (2024) (adapted from the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne, premiered at Nottingham Playhouse and the Young Vic) Make it Happen (2025), based around Fred Goodwin the CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland and the 2008 financial crisis. The Standard of Living (2026), a play based on the life and impact of John Maynard Keynes that will premiere at Theatre Royal Haymarket in fall 2026

Screenwriting X+Y (2015) (theatrical film) Coalition (2015) (Television film for Channel 4) Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019) (Television film for Channel 4) The Crown (2019) episode 3.6, "Tywysog Cymru" Quiz (2020) (three-part TV drama series for ITV, based on his play) Sherwood (2022-) (crime drama series for BBC1) The Way (2024) (dystopian drama series for BBC1) Brian and Maggie (2025) Dear England (2026) (four-part TV drama series for BBC, based on his play)

Reception For his 2025 play Punch, theater 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".