ABOUT
John is an Olivier award nominated writer and director. In 1994 he co-founded the legendary comic theatre company Peepolykus with whom he performed consistently for 25 years in 12 separate productions. The company has toured all over the world, often under the auspices of The British Council, with numerous co-productions and a West End run (co-produced with Neal Street Productions). He has written (or co-written) 30 plus produced plays for radio/theatre/musical theatre (including 16 published plays) and has 25 years experience as a director for; fringe, outdoor and mid-scale subsidised theatre as well as large scale commercial, West End and stand-up comedy shows. He has written for TV sitcoms and sketch shows and regularly works as a comedy consultant in theatre and TV. His plays are consistently licensed for performance throughout the world. The Hound of the Baskervilles, co written with Steven Canny for Peepolykus, has been licensed worldwide over 200 times. The play text is currently Nick Hern Book’s 3rd most regularly licensed play. In 2023/24 he was commissioned by Monash University (Australia) to design and lead an intensive training programme to train 24,000 teachers in Empty Space theatre in KSA. John has a close working relationship with Eleanor Lloyd productions.
BIOG
Also published by Nick Hern Books; The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary, Dracula – the bloody truth, The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island, The Time Machine and King Arthur. For BBC radio 4, John has written two afternoon plays, two series of A Trespasser’s Guide To The Classics and a series of short stories with Rik Mayall. Writing/performing credits for TV include BBC3, BBC2, Paramount and ITV. Writing/directing commissions for theatre includes Aardman, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic, Lyric Hammersmith, Leeds Playhouse, Traverse Edinburgh, Jermyn Street Theatre, Barbican Plymouth, Sydney Opera House, Pickled Image, National Youth theatre, BritishYMT, LIPA, Bath Theatre Royal, Pentabus, London Old Vic, Royal National Theatre, Spymonkey, Paul Merton, Nina Conti Neal Street Productions, Underbelly and theatre company Le Navet Bete.
See CV Below for full details
Directing credits
2024 Tweedy’s Massive Circus. Underbelly, national tour/Edinburgh Festival/London
2023/24 King Arthur - the comedy Le navet Bete - Uk national mid-scale tour
2022 A Christmas Carol Exeter Northcott Theatre
2021 Arthur Outdoor tour of the South west
2021 400 - A Comedy Adventure Plymouth Theatre Royal
2020/21 The Wedding Show LIPA
2019/20 Treasure Island National Touring
2018 Aladdin Plymouth Athenaeum
2018/19 The Three Musketeers National Touring
2017 A Christmas Carol Plymouth Barbican
2017 Snow Globe (Kid Carpet) Bristol Old Vic
2017 Dracula – The Bloody Truth National touring
2016 Partners in Crime Queen’s, London (Offie nominated for best direction)
2016 Hercules (West End In Schools) National tour
2015 The Light Princess (Tobacco Factory) Bristol
2015 End of the World (Ramshacklicious) National tour
2015 Dick Tracy (Le Navet Bete) National tour
2014 Shaun the Sheep live (Aardman/M4 Ents) International
2014 My Obsession (Paul Merton) Edinburgh Fest
2014 Coulrophobia (Pickled Image) International
2014 Santa’s Little Trolls (Pickled Image) International
2013 Dolly Mixtures (Nina Conti) West End
2013 Paul Merton - Out Of His Head West End
2012 Nowhere Island ceremony (Situations) Weymouuth
2012 Voyager – community/site specific Bath Festival
2012 Western (Le Navet Bete) National tour
2012 Spymonkey’s Spookshow (Winter Gdns) Blackpool
2012 Mon Droit (Mike Mcshane) Edinburgh Fest
2011 Richard’s Rampage (Kevin Spacey) International
2011 Rik Mayall’s Bedside Tales (Rik Mayall) BBC R4
2010 The First Thing That Ever Happened Lyric Hammersmith
2010 Everything Gets Eaten (Desperate men) National tour
2009 Sick Room (Nation Youth Theatre), Soho Theatre
2009 Firestarter (Big State Theatre) National tour
2008 Force 9 (National Youth Music Theater UK) Edinburgh Fest
2008 Circus Space - End of year show International
2007 The Rude Mechanicals (Peepolykus) National Theatre
As a Movement Director/Comedy Consultant
2023 Accidental Death of an Anarchist Sheffield Theatres/West End (Olivier nominated)
2022 One Man Two Guvnors Bolton Octagon
2015 The Secret Adversary (Newbury Watermill) National
2013 A Little Hotel On The Side Bath Theatre Royal
2013 Watson and Oliver - Series 2 BBC2
Writing credits - Theatre
2023 King Arthur - the comedy National UK mid-scale tour
2022 The Time Machine National tour, Park Theatre London
2020 The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary Jermyn St Theatre
2019 Around The World in 80 Days Schools
2018 The Three Musketeers Exeter Northcott
2017/18 The Hound of the Baskervilles Jermyn St Theatre
2017 A Christmas Carol Plymouth Barb’can
2016/17 Dracula (Le Navet Bete) National
2016 The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary Bristol Old Vic
2015 The Light Princess (Tobacco Factory) Bristol
2014 Coulrophobia (Pickled Image) International
2014 Dick Tracy (Le Navet Bete) National
2013 Dolly Mixtures (Nina Conti) National/West End
2012 Richard’s Rampage (Kevin Spacey) International
2012 Arthur Conan Doyle Appreciation Soc Edinburgh Trav.
2010 No Wise Men Liv’pool Playhouse
2009 Foot and mouth (NYT) Soho Theatre
2009 Origins (Pentabus) National
2008 Sick Room (NYT) Soho Theatre
2007 The Hound of the Baskervilles West End/National
2006 The First Thing That Ever Happened Lyric Hammersmith
2005 Spyski Leeds Playhouse
2001 The Midsummer Rude Mechanicals RNT
2000 Mindbender (Peepolykus) International
1999 Goosenights (Peepolykus) International
1998 Horses for courses (Peepolykus) National
98-2000 The Sanity Clause – 1-3 xmas shows Pegasus Oxford
1997 I am A Coffee (Peepolykus) International
1996 Let The Donkey Go (Peepolykus) International
1995 Squid (Peepolykus) International
1994 No Man’s Land (Peepolykus) International
Writing credits - Musical
2018 Help! Get Me Out Of This Musical South Hill Park
2009 Force 9.5 NYMT:UK Edinburgh/London
2010 My Life is a Musical NT Studio
Writing credits - TV
2015 Off Their Rockers – Sketch series ITV
2014 The Mulligans – Treatment + sample ITV
2012 PS Comedy – sketches for Cornershop BBC3
2005 Comedy Cuts – Comedy Sketch series BBC2
2003 Rumbled – Comedy Sketch series BBC2
2001 Comedy Nation – Sketch series BBC Choice
1999 Under `Surveillance – Sketch series BBC Choice
1998 Stop The World – Sketch series BBC Choice
1997 A salted Nut – Sitcom Pilot Paramount
Writing credits - Radio
2017 A Trespasser’s Guide 2 (4 part series) BBC Radio 4
2015 A Trespasser’s Guide 1 (4 part Series) BBC Radio 4
2012 The Hound of the Baskervilles (Play) BBC Radio 4
2010 Marley was Dead (Play) BBC Radio 4
2008 Rik Mayall’s Bedside Tales (6 part Series) BBC Radio 4