Martina Cole
Encyclopedia
Martina Cole is a British
crime writer. She was brought up in Aveley
, and has released seventeen novels about crime some of which examine London
's gangster underworld. Four of her novels, Dangerous Lady, The Jump, The Take
and The Runaway
have been adapted into high-rating television dramas. She has achieved sales of over ten million in the UK alone, and her tenth novel, The Know, spent seven weeks on The Sunday Times
' s hardback bestsellers list.
parents. Her mother was from Glasnevin
, County Dublin
and her father was from Cork City. Her cousin is Cork politician Denis Cregan
. She left her convent
school at 15 and had her first child, Christopher, at the age of 19.
.
The Take
was serialised on British
television on Sky1, on 17 June 2009 - starring Tom Hardy
as Freddie. In 2008 she authored a drama documentary series on ITV called Martina Cole's Lady Killers, which broke audience records for ITV3 and transferred to ITV1 in 2009. In 2009 she established her own production entity, "2Queens TV" to explore new avenues in broadcasting for her and her interests.
In 2009 an investigative documentary, Martina Cole Girl Gangs: Los Angeles was filmed. This focused on the role of girls in these gangs, which have been responsible for drug dealing and auto theft, to robbery and murder.
In 2010 the novel Two Women was adapted for the stage. This is the first time one of Martina Cole's novels has been adapted for the theatre. The play opened in February at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
In 2011, the brand new series, The Runaway
, was shown on Sky1 and Sky1 HD. It began on Thursday 31 March. It is based on her 1997 novel of the same name.
Cole's new novel, The Faithless, was released on 20 October 2011 and it has already appeared on the Sunday Times Bestseller list.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
crime writer. She was brought up in Aveley
Aveley
Aveley is a place in the Thurrock unitary authority in Essex, England and one of the traditional parishes in Thurrock. It is a suburban development located 16.3 miles east of Charing Cross in London and within the eastern bounds of the M25 motorway.-Location:Aveley is roughly bounded to the north...
, and has released seventeen novels about crime some of which examine London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's gangster underworld. Four of her novels, Dangerous Lady, The Jump, The Take
The Take (TV series)
The Take is a 4 episode drama TV series on Sky 1 based upon the Martina Cole novel. Shooting for the show took place in Dublin. The show premiered on June 17 2009 and stars Tom Hardy, Brian Cox, Hayley Angel Wardle, Shaun Evans, Kierston Wareing and Charlotte Riley .The show received critical...
and The Runaway
The Runaway (TV series)
The Runaway is a 6 episode drama TV series on Sky1 and Sky1 HD based upon the 1997 Martina Cole novel of the same name. Shooting for the show took place in South Africa where the production team recreated London's Soho....
have been adapted into high-rating television dramas. She has achieved sales of over ten million in the UK alone, and her tenth novel, The Know, spent seven weeks on The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
Personal life
Cole was born in Essex in 1958 to Irish CatholicIrish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
parents. Her mother was from Glasnevin
Glasnevin
Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
and her father was from Cork City. Her cousin is Cork politician Denis Cregan
Denis Cregan
Denis "Dino" Cregan an Irish publican and former Fine Gael party politician from Cork, who served for 17 years as a senator.A former Branch Vice-President of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, Cregan is a long-standing member of Cork City Council, and was Lord Mayor of Cork from 1991...
. She left her convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
school at 15 and had her first child, Christopher, at the age of 19.
Career
Most of her novels feature a female protagonist or antihero, and some take place within the Irish community in and around LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The Take
The Take (TV series)
The Take is a 4 episode drama TV series on Sky 1 based upon the Martina Cole novel. Shooting for the show took place in Dublin. The show premiered on June 17 2009 and stars Tom Hardy, Brian Cox, Hayley Angel Wardle, Shaun Evans, Kierston Wareing and Charlotte Riley .The show received critical...
was serialised on British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television on Sky1, on 17 June 2009 - starring Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy
Edward Thomas "Tom" Hardy is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the 2008 British film Bronson, the character of Eames in Inception, and the villain Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis...
as Freddie. In 2008 she authored a drama documentary series on ITV called Martina Cole's Lady Killers, which broke audience records for ITV3 and transferred to ITV1 in 2009. In 2009 she established her own production entity, "2Queens TV" to explore new avenues in broadcasting for her and her interests.
In 2009 an investigative documentary, Martina Cole Girl Gangs: Los Angeles was filmed. This focused on the role of girls in these gangs, which have been responsible for drug dealing and auto theft, to robbery and murder.
In 2010 the novel Two Women was adapted for the stage. This is the first time one of Martina Cole's novels has been adapted for the theatre. The play opened in February at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
In 2011, the brand new series, The Runaway
The Runaway (TV series)
The Runaway is a 6 episode drama TV series on Sky1 and Sky1 HD based upon the 1997 Martina Cole novel of the same name. Shooting for the show took place in South Africa where the production team recreated London's Soho....
, was shown on Sky1 and Sky1 HD. It began on Thursday 31 March. It is based on her 1997 novel of the same name.
Cole's new novel, The Faithless, was released on 20 October 2011 and it has already appeared on the Sunday Times Bestseller list.
Books
- Dangerous Lady (1992)
- The Ladykiller (1993)
- Goodnight Lady (1994)
- The Jump (1995)
- The Runaway (1997)
- Two Women (1999)
- Broken (2000)
- Faceless (2001)
- Maura's Game (2002)
- The Know (2003)
- The Graft (2004)
- The TakeThe Take (TV series)The Take is a 4 episode drama TV series on Sky 1 based upon the Martina Cole novel. Shooting for the show took place in Dublin. The show premiered on June 17 2009 and stars Tom Hardy, Brian Cox, Hayley Angel Wardle, Shaun Evans, Kierston Wareing and Charlotte Riley .The show received critical...
(2005) - Close (2006)
- Faces (2007)
- The Business (2008)
- Hard Girls (2009)
- The Family (2010)
- The Faithless (2011)
Videograph
- Martina Cole's Double Bill: The Jump & Dangerous Lady (2006)
- The TakeThe Take (TV series)The Take is a 4 episode drama TV series on Sky 1 based upon the Martina Cole novel. Shooting for the show took place in Dublin. The show premiered on June 17 2009 and stars Tom Hardy, Brian Cox, Hayley Angel Wardle, Shaun Evans, Kierston Wareing and Charlotte Riley .The show received critical...
(2009) - The RunawayThe Runaway (TV series)The Runaway is a 6 episode drama TV series on Sky1 and Sky1 HD based upon the 1997 Martina Cole novel of the same name. Shooting for the show took place in South Africa where the production team recreated London's Soho....
(2011)
External links
- Official Martina Cole website
- The Take at sky.com
- The Runaway at Sky.com