Phil Gardner
Encyclopedia
Phil Gardner is a British
writer, playwright and journalist. He lives in Brighton
, East Sussex, where he writes regularly for The Argus website and The Kemptown Rag.
, East Sussex, and grew up in Basildon
, Essex. He attended Kingswood Junior School, being appointed Head Boy in his final year, before passing the Eleven Plus and winning a place at Southend High School for Boys
. Two years later he transferred to Woodlands School
, where he won the Headmaster's Award for English and founded the Woodlands School VIth Form Magazine, on which he acted as head writer.
. He was involved in the development of two new sets of characters, The Bugz and The Freshwater Friends, which were intended to be introduced to an American audience under the title The Wonderful World of Poddington. The project, which was to be produced in conjunction with HIT Entertainment
, was ultimately abandoned and no episodes featuring the new characters were ever made.
in London, but perhaps his most successful play is Ledgers (2003), a one-act comedy taking as its theme the subject of depression and suicide, which has been performed in both the UK and US.
, producing the fantasy novel Mirkin Topp and the Hair of the Dog. He has hinted at a sequel, Mirkin Topp and the Bee in the Bonnet, but this is believed to remain unwritten.
. Entitled Telly Critic, these reviews were often scathing, yet Gardner has talked elsewhere of his great love of Reality TV. Telly Critic was brought to a close at the beginning of 2006, but Gardner has repeatedly raised the possibility of a return to this work in the future.
for much of the late 1990s and has written extensively about his experience of the illness and the prejudice encountered by its sufferers. He is an active supporter of Mind and has campaigned for the equal treatment of people with mental health problems, particularly in relation to employment.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
writer, playwright and journalist. He lives in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, East Sussex, where he writes regularly for The Argus website and The Kemptown Rag.
Early life
Phil Gardner was born in HastingsHastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, East Sussex, and grew up in Basildon
Basildon
Basildon is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.It lies east of Central London and south of the county town of Chelmsford...
, Essex. He attended Kingswood Junior School, being appointed Head Boy in his final year, before passing the Eleven Plus and winning a place at Southend High School for Boys
Southend High School for Boys
Southend High School for Boys, also known by its acronym SHSB, is a selective secondary Academy Grammar school along Prittlewell Chase in Prittlewell, in the north-west of Southend-on-Sea, England, south-west of the roundabout of the A127 and A1159...
. Two years later he transferred to Woodlands School
Woodlands School, Essex
Woodlands School is a specialist school in performing arts. The current head teacher is Mr. Andy White. It is a secondary school, based in Basildon, Essex. The school contains over 1500 pupils between the ages of 11 and 16, starting from year 7 and ending in year 11. This figure also includes...
, where he won the Headmaster's Award for English and founded the Woodlands School VIth Form Magazine, on which he acted as head writer.
The Poddington Peas
In 1992 Gardner was invited to write for the BBC's animated children's television show The Poddington PeasThe Poddington Peas
The Poddington Peas is an animated British children's television series made by Paul Needs and Colin Wyatt; the single series has 13 episodes and was first aired on the BBC in 1989. A second season using CGI animation was planned in 2008....
. He was involved in the development of two new sets of characters, The Bugz and The Freshwater Friends, which were intended to be introduced to an American audience under the title The Wonderful World of Poddington. The project, which was to be produced in conjunction with HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment
Hit Entertainment is a British-American entertainment distribution company established in 1989, and originally the international distribution arm of Jim Henson Productions called Henson International Television...
, was ultimately abandoned and no episodes featuring the new characters were ever made.
Plays
Gardner has written a number of plays, the first of which, Internet Cafe (2002) has also been turned into a movie screenplay. Be Worth It (2003) was acclaimed by both the Royal Court and the Soho TheatreSoho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
in London, but perhaps his most successful play is Ledgers (2003), a one-act comedy taking as its theme the subject of depression and suicide, which has been performed in both the UK and US.
Micro Fiction
Gardner's Micro Fiction has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and has featured on the curriculum in a number of US high schools, as well as appearing on the Contemporary English syllabus at the University of Lyon in France.Mirkin Topp
In November 2004, Gardner took part in the National Novel Writing MonthNaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month is an annual internet-based creative writing project which challenges participants to write 50,000 words of a new novel between November 1 and November 30...
, producing the fantasy novel Mirkin Topp and the Hair of the Dog. He has hinted at a sequel, Mirkin Topp and the Bee in the Bonnet, but this is believed to remain unwritten.
Telly Critic
For a period of eight months in 2005, Gardner wrote a series of humorous TV reviews on the subject of Reality TelevisionReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
. Entitled Telly Critic, these reviews were often scathing, yet Gardner has talked elsewhere of his great love of Reality TV. Telly Critic was brought to a close at the beginning of 2006, but Gardner has repeatedly raised the possibility of a return to this work in the future.
The Peter Marlin Story
In November 2006, the Hoax-Slayer website revealed Phil Gardner to be the author of The Peter Marlin Story, an elaborate online hoax written in 2004 and purporting to be a journalist's account of his dealings with a serial killer. Gardner has since admitted to its authorship on his own blog, and has also written of his mild loathing of the piece. The Peter Marlin Story is rare amongst his work for being devoid of any humour whatsoever.Mulled Whines
Gardner's personal blog, Mulled Whines, gives a humorous and ironic account of his daily life, and has been running since January 2003. In September 2007 it was nominated for a Brighton Web Award.Depression
Gardner suffered from clinical depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
for much of the late 1990s and has written extensively about his experience of the illness and the prejudice encountered by its sufferers. He is an active supporter of Mind and has campaigned for the equal treatment of people with mental health problems, particularly in relation to employment.