Sarah Dollard Explained

Sarah Dollard
Birth Date:21 January 1980
Nationality:Australian
Occupation:Screenwriter, script editor
Yearsactive:2004–present
Known For:Doctor Who, Neighbours, Cara Fi, Bridgerton

Sarah Dollard (born 21 January 1980) is an Australian television screenwriter, living and working in the United Kingdom. She made her start in writing for television on the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours, before moving to the UK in 2008. She created and wrote the Welsh romantic comedy series Cara Fi (Love Me), which debuted on S4C in 2014.[1] She is Emmy nominated for her work as a Producer on Bridgerton.

Career

Neighbours

Dollard worked on Neighbours for four years, as a storyliner, a script editor, a story editor, and a writer of over thirty episodes.[2] Before leaving Australia, she also worked in script development for popular children's television series The Saddle Club, and in development on other children's shows with the Australian Children's Television Foundation.

Move to the UK

After moving to the UK, Dollard began working in the script departments of British fantasy and science fiction TV shows. She worked on season two of BBC One fantasy-adventure series Merlin, before moving on to Primeval in 2010, where she script-edited seasons four and five of the sci-fi series and wrote all five episodes of the Primeval web-series that introduced season four.[3] [4]

Dollard wrote the fifth episode of the fifth season of Toby Whithouse's popular BBC Three series Being Human,[5] [6] featuring guest star Kathryn Prescott, of Skins fame. Digital Spy called the episode, titled No Care, All Responsibility, "the latest in a string of knockout episodes – sweet and chilling in equal measure". Dollard also penned the webisodes that accompanied Being Human season five,[7] focusing on the character of Alex Millar, played by Kate Bracken.

She wrote episode three of BBC spy thriller The Game, and co-wrote episode five with series creator Toby Whithouse.[8]

Cara Fi and beyond

Dollard created and wrote her own rom-com series Cara Fi (Love Me) with Touchpaper Television, for the Welsh broadcaster S4C. The eight episode series focuses on a sleepy seaside village in Wales that runs out of women, so the locals advertise their single men on the side of milk cartons leaving the dairy. Each episode focuses on a new woman arriving in the village to be set up with a local man.[9] [10] The show debuted in November 2014 on S4C, and was subsequently on the BBC iPlayer.[11]

In 2015, she wrote the tenth episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who, titled "Face the Raven".[12] She also wrote an episode of the UK-US co-produced comedy-drama You, Me and the Apocalypse,[13] and ITV period drama The Halcyon.[14] She returned to write the episode "Thin Ice" for Series 10 of Doctor Who.[15]

In 2018, she wrote the seventh episode for A Discovery of Witches, a television series based on the novel trilogy of the same name by Deborah Harkness.[16] In October 2018 it was announced that the show would be renewed for a 2nd and 3rd season with Dollard as one of the main script writers.[17]

Dollard was a writer and producer on the first season of Netflix's historical romance series Bridgerton.[18] The season was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series,[19] and Dollard is listed as a nominated producer.[20]

In December 2016 it was announced that Dollard would adapt YA novel Cuckoo Song, by Frances Hardinge, for television.[14] In December 2020 it was announced that Netflix had greenlit the series.[21] In July 2022, it was announced the project has been cancelled.[22] On August 31, 2023, it was announced that Dollard would adapt the mystery thriller Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand, for television.[23] On March 14, 2024, it was announced that Dollard would write and executive produce the noir series The Undertow, based on the Norwegian series Twin, for Netflix.[24]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Sport, drama, documentaries and baking at the heart of S4C's autumn schedule . Wales Online . 3 September 2014 . 3 December 2014 . Owens, David.
  2. News: Win a romantic break inspired by new S4C series Cara Fi . Daily Post . 3 November 2014 . 21 November 2014 . Jones, Wendy.
  3. News: 5 webisodes you should watch before seeing Primeval season 4 . Blastr . 29 December 2010 . 3 December 2014 . Caron, Nathalie.
  4. Web site: Exclusive episodes. ITV. 23 December 2010. 2 January 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101220225309/http://www.itv.com/drama/primeval/exclusiveepisodes/. 20 December 2010. dmy-all.
  5. News: Being Human S05E05 'No Care, All Responsibility' Episode Review . SciFiNow . 5 March 2013 . 3 December 2014 . Hatfull, Jonathan.
  6. Web site: Being Human | Series 5 – 5. No Care, All Responsibility . Radio Times . 1 March 2013.
  7. Web site: Alex's Kicked The Bucket List . BBC Three Blog . 5 February 2013 . 3 December 2014.
  8. News: The Game Begins November 5 at 10:00 pm as part of BBC America's Dramaville . BBC Media Centre . 17 September 2014 . 20 November 2014.
  9. News: Little Haven is star of new S4C show . Milford and West Wales Mercury . 2 April 2014 . 9 November 2014.
  10. News: Brand new romantic comedy drama on S4C . Tenby Observer . 7 November 2014 . 9 November 2014.
  11. News: Fall in love with Little Haven in new S4C rom-com . Western Telegraph . 9 November 2014 . 22 November 2014.
  12. Web site: BREAKING NEWS! Here are the titles for every episode in the new series! . Twitter. 14 September 2015. 14 September 2015.
  13. News: Trenholm . Richard . Rob Lowe faces the Sky falling in 'You, Me & The Apocalypse' . . 9 July 2015 .
  14. News: Doctor Who Writer Adapting YA Novel 'Cuckoo Song' . THR . 2 December 2016 . 12 January 2017 . Ritman, Alex.
  15. News: Joivan Wade Returns as Rigsy in a New Series Episode Written by Sarah Dollard . BBC . 10 June 2015 . 10 June 2015.
  16. Web site: Andrew. G.G. What We Know About the 'A Discovery of Witches' TV Show So Far. BookBub. 2 May 2018.
  17. Web site: Sky Hands Supernatural Drama 'A Discovery Of Witches' Bumper Two-Season Order . Deadline . 2 November 2018 . 15 February 2019.
  18. Web site: Netflix To Add Seven New Original Scripted Series In The UK . Deadline . 13 December 2020 . 14 December 2020.
  19. Web site: Emmys 2021: Complete Nominations List . Variety . 13 July 2021 . 17 July 2021.
  20. Web site: Outstanding Drama Series - 2021 . emmys.com . 2 August 2021.
  21. Web site: Netflix Unveils New U.K. Projects. Variety. 13 December 2020 . 14 December 2020.
  22. Web site: Netflix calls halt to Cuckoo Song .
  23. Web site: Fremantle & IBI Forge $162M Scripted Fund Backing Projects Including Pablo Larraín's Maria Callas Biopic Starring Angelina Jolie . 31 August 2023 .
  24. Web site: Otterson . Joe . 2024-03-14 . Jamie Dornan to Play Twin Brothers in Netflix Crime Noir Series ‘The Undertow’ (EXCLUSIVE) . 2024-05-31 . Variety . en-US.