Alan Bleasdale

English television dramatist Alan Bleasdale began his career as a teacher at several secondary schools in England after receiving his teaching certificate from the Padgate College of Education. Bleasdale began writing short stories surrounding his fictional character Scully for his students, which were picked up by BBC Radio Merseyside in 1971 and eventually adapted as a seven-part television series on BBC Channel 4. He also wrote plays and novels involving Scully following the success of the character. After leaving his job as a teacher, Bleasdale became a writer for the Liverpool Playhouse. In 1978, he contributed a segment to the anthology "The Black Stuff" for BBC1, which gained much positive attention when it eventually aired in 1980. He then wrote for the mini-series series "Boys from the Blackstuff" in 1982 following the success of his first piece. Bleasdale continued to write critically acclaimed television dramas, including the historical series "The Monocled Mutineer" and the satire "G.B.H.." In 1999, he adapted "Oliver Twist" before taking an 11-year break from writing for television. He returned to television in 2010 with the two-part television mini-series "The Sinking of the Laconia," a historical drama based on the sinking of an ocean liner by a German U-boat during World War II.