Robin French is an English playwright, film and television writer and songwriter.
Background
French's father is English, his mother is from Barbados. French studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Selwyn College, Cambridge where he graduated with first-class honours in 2001. While at Cambridge he was active in the Cambridge Footlights and won two play-writing competitions.
Career
Television
French's sitcom Cuckoo, co-created and co-written with Kieron Quirke started to air on BBC Three and BBC One in 2012, with the second series in 2014 and the third series in 2016. The series launch became BBC Three's most-watched comedy launch, beating the record set by Bad Education which debuted the previous month. Greg Davies was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme, for his role in Cuckoo. At the British Comedy Awards, 'Cuckoo' was nominated for Best New Comedy Programme and Greg Davies was nominated for Best TV Comedy Actor. "Cuckoo stars: Andy Samberg, Greg Davies, Taylor Lautner, Helen Baxendale, Esther Smith, Tyger Drew-Honey and Tamla Kari. French has twice been awarded the title of Hotshot by Broadcast magazine. He was writer and script editor for two series of BBC’s Man Stroke Woman starring Nick Frost, Nicholas Burns, Amanda Abbington and Daisy Haggard. He was co-creator of US sitcom Roommates, and co-creator and co-writer of ITV2's mystery dramedy Trinity'' starring Charles Dance and Claire Skinner.
French is currently writer in residence at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. His version of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, "Heather Gardner", was produced by Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2013. French's first play, Bear Hug, won the Royal Court Theatre Young Writers Programme and was subsequently produced at the theatre. It has since had productions in Italy, Germany, Ireland and Poland. His second play, Gilbert is Dead performed at Hoxton Hall in Shoreditch, London, in November 2009. His play for young people The Red Helicopter was performed at the Almeida theatre, London, in August 2010. The Guardian listed French as one of the UK's "young stars in the ascendant" in 2005. French's play Crooked Dances, inspired by the music of Erik Satie, played at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 2019.
Music
French spent several years as the bassist of UK band Mr Hudson and the Library. French played under the alias Maps Huxley, and co-wrote the song "One Specific Thing" from the albumA Tale of Two Cities. He left the band to pursue writing in September 2007. He co-wrote the opening song of Pixie Lott's latest album Young Foolish Happy with Mr Hudson, Cathy Dennis and Pixie Lott.
