Abby Ajayi Explained

Abby Ajayi is a British television screenwriter.

Early life

Ajayi was born in London to Nigerian parents.[1] [2] She studied law at Wadham College, Oxford and was the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship to study screenwriting in New York.[3] [4]

Career

Ajayi began her career in the UK writing on television shows including EastEnders, Hollyoaks, and Casualty.[5] In the US, Ajayi has worked as a writer-producer on Four Weddings and a Funeral, The First Lady,[6] Inventing Anna, and How to Get Away With Murder.[7] She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on Inventing Anna.[8]

In 2020, she was selected by Drama Quarterly as one of its "Writers to Watch".[9] In March 2023, Ajayi was featured in Variety "International Women of Impact Report".[10]

Ajayi also writes fiction and she has been published in the literary magazine Callaloo.[11]

In 2021, Ajayi wrote and directed the drama series Riches for ITV and Amazon which began filming in 2021. The series was broadcast in late 2022.[12] [13]

Notes and References

  1. News: 2022-11-21 . The 'Succession' effect: how TV dramas got angrier about the rich . Financial Times . 2023-03-14 . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314190332/https://www.ft.com/content/b3a10aeb-184d-46b8-9d64-9f5ea8a0d659 . live .
  2. Web site: Abby Ajayi Authors The Soho Agency . 2023-02-10 . www.thesohoagency.co.uk . 2023-02-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230210135403/https://www.thesohoagency.co.uk/authors/abby-ajayi . live .
  3. Web site: Tonelli . Adriana . Abby Ajayi . 2023-02-10 . NYFA . en-US . 2023-02-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230210135403/https://www.nyfa.edu/alumni/abby-ajayi/ . live .
  4. News: Maxwell . Dominic . Abby Ajayi on Riches: 'You can't outrun racism if you've got a big bank account' . . en . 2023-02-10 . 0140-0460 . 2023-01-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230109225904/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/riches-itvx-drama-series-succession-interview-amazon-prime-xpvz87wh6 . live .
  5. Web site: Scriptworks . BBC Studios . Writers' Academy graduate creates new ITV drama Riches . bbcstudios.com . BBC Studios . 14 March 2023 . 14 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314182844/https://www.bbcstudios.com/scriptworks/updates-from-scriptworks/abby-ajayi-creates-riches-for-itv/ . live .
  6. News: Latif . Leila . 2022-12-16 . 'The first time I've seen Black people represented like this': ITV's glam, groundbreaking new drama . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-03-14 . 0261-3077 . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314190337/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/dec/16/riches-itvx-amazon-interview-abby-ajayi-deborah-ayorinde-sarah-niles . live .
  7. Web site: 2022-12-06 . For Abby Ajayi, 'Riches' Is More Than Just a Family Drama . 2023-03-14 . Shondaland . en-US . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314191845/https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a42135390/abby-ajayi-riches/ . live .
  8. Web site: Abby Ajayi . 2023-02-10 . Television Academy . en . 2023-02-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230210135412/https://www.emmys.com/bios/abby-ajayi . live .
  9. Web site: Ones to Watch: Writers . DramaQuarterly.com . 9 November 2022 . 9 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221109201623/https://dramaquarterly.com/ones-to-watch-writers/ . live .
  10. Web site: Vourlias . Alexis . Benveniste . Alexis . Clement . Nick . Fuente . Anna Marie de la . Dore . Shalini . Drury . Sharareh . Flam . Charna . Garrett . Diane . Hopewell . John . 2023-03-01 . From Abby Ajayi to Rosalía: Meet Variety's Impactful International Women of 2023 . 2023-03-14 . Variety . en-US . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316123743/https://variety.com/lists/abby-ajayi-kerry-condon-rosalia-international-women-impact-report/ . live .
  11. Ajayi . Abby . How to Lose Yourself . 2015 . Callaloo . 38 . 2 . 341–344 . 10.1353/cal.2015.0054 . 24738266 . 162161026 . 0161-2492 . 2023-02-10 . 2023-02-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230212132333/https://www.jstor.org/stable/24738266 . live .
  12. Web site: 2022-11-30 . New frothy TV drama series 'Riches' mixes money and blood . 2023-03-14 . AP NEWS . en . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314191839/https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-tv-race-and-ethnicity-fc53e2c6b1b9b9201a3eae3bc3b25192 . live .
  13. Web site: Dray . Kayleigh . 2022-11-03 . Riches: exclusive first look at ITV's major new drama . 2023-03-14 . Stylist . en . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314190334/https://www.stylist.co.uk/entertainment/tv/riches-cast-itv-drama-series/727579 . live .