George Kay (writer)
English screenwriter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Kay is an English television writer and producer.[1] He is best known as the creator of the Netflix series Lupin and Criminal, the Apple TV+ thriller Hijack, and ITV's The Long Shadow. He has also worked on the shows Litvinenko, Stag, My Mad Fat Diary, The Hour, The Tunnel, and the first season of Killing Eve.[2][3]
George Kay | |
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| Occupations |
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| Known for | |
| Website | idiotlamp |
Early life
Whilst a teenage student at Wellington College, Berkshire, Kay met director Jim Field Smith, with whom he later founded Idiotlamp Productions.[4]
Career
Kay began his career in non-scripted entertainment, serving as head of development at Twenty Twenty Television and head of factual at Blast! Films, where he co-created productions such as The Choir, Evacuation, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.[5]
Kay became a full-time writer in 2009, after he won the Brit List with his feature script Good Luck Anthony Belcher.[6] He went on to write episodes of The Hour for the BBC, The Tunnel for Sky, My Mad Fat Diary for C4, and two episodes of the first season of Killing Eve.
Kay created his first comedy series, Stag, with Field Smith. Whilst writing the script for Litvinenko, Kay had access to transcripts of Alexander Litvinenko's eighteen hours of deathbed interviews with the London Metropolitan Police.[7] Litvinenko's widow, Marina, and the Metropolitan Police supported the production of the series.[8] The show has been sold to over eighty international territories.[9]
Kay created and wrote ITV's The Long Shadow, about the manhunt for the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe. Production on his Apple TV+ series The Wanted Man, starring Hugh Laurie, took place in London in May and June 2025.[10][11]
Filmography
| † | Denotes television productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Writer | Creator | Executive producer |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Hour | Yes | No | No | Episode "Honey Trap" |
| 2013 | The Tunnel | Yes | No | No | Episode 1.6 |
| 2014 | Our Zoo | Yes | No | No | Episode 1.3 |
| 2015 | My Mad Fat Diary | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Stag | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-created and written with Jim Field Smith |
| 2018 | Killing Eve | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | Criminal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-created with Jim Field Smith |
| 2021–present | Lupin | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Litvinenko | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2023 | The Long Shadow | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023–present | Hijack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-created with Jim Field Smith |
| 2026 | Gone | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Blood Sacrifice † | Yes | Yes | Yes | [12] | |
| War † | Yes | Yes | Yes | [13][14] | |
| TBA | The Wanted Man † | Yes | Yes | Yes | [15] |