Marnie Dickens | Writer

Marnie Dickens | Writer

Marnie’s first experience in the industry came during university as an on-set stand-in for Jane Horrocks. Back then she wasn’t thinking of becoming a writer, but that experience led to work as a runner for Kudos Productions after graduating. As she moved up to third assistant director, Marnie found herself reading a lot of scripts for shows she was working on and it was then that she thought she’d like to give writing a go. She challenged herself to re-write an American Law & Order teleplay for British television, acknowledging the tautness of a procedural drama as a great training ground.

For the next 18 months, Marnie worked to build a portfolio of writing that showed her versatility, which eventually led to securing an agent. Representation opened doors at the BBC, where she pitched her original idea for Thirteen to an enthusiastic response. The five-part drama was broadcast on BBC Three in 2016 to critical and audience acclaim. Marnie recalls that the single best piece of advice she has received as a writer is to never write anything that you yourself wouldn’t want to watch; “you spend months and years with your characters, so make sure their world is one you want to be in.”