Jeremy Clarkson, the outspoken star behind shows like Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire has now given his definitive verdict on female screenwriters in TV and film.
The 59-year old, writing in Sun Online, argues that women are ‘cleaning up’ this sector. She cites the work of Fleabag actress and writer Phoebe Waller Bridge of Killing Eve and Fleabag fame.
Phoebe Waller Bridge is a great invention. I am thrilled that she was created.
He writes: ‘Because we’ve never had a writer like her before.
He continues by highlighting the work of female scriptwriters who are equally influential, including Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass/Kingsman), whom he describes as a ‘writing genius’. Nicole Perlman is also mentioned (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Sofia Coppola is mentioned (The Beguiled/Lost in Translation).
He explains what makes these women writers so special:
They’re not on Twitter demanding higher pay.
They’re working on their laptops late into the night and earning it. And I hope that they are being rewarded.
Before continuing:
Because they’re adding some va-va voom to what is probably the most important part in any production.
It’s not about the direction, the acting, or the battle scenes. It’s not the direction or the acting, but rather the writing.
The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain published figures last year that showed some encouraging statistics for female screenwriters. However, there is still room for improvement.
It revealed that between 2001 and 2016, 28 per cent of UK TV episodes were written by women.
The study also revealed that 14 percent of primetime programming is written by women, compared to 27 percent for morning programming.
Do you believe that the number of female scriptwriters is likely to continue to increase?
