'No talent at all when it comes to cooking – as you will discover – but when it comes to pissing off my children – immense talent – Olympian talent.'Newbury, 1997. Sal is attempting to cook dinner for the family. She and husband David have pulled off a coup and gathered their brood back home for the weekend. Eldest son Carl is bringing his new girlfriend to meet everyone for the first time; middle daughter Polly is back from Cambridge University for the occasion; and young...

A play about grief and looking at someone that little bit more closely.Tom's brother Luke is dead. This has upset a lot of people but it hasn't upset Tom. Or, rather, it has upset him, but in ways he can't explain and other people can't understand. You see, Tom and Luke were never friends. In fact, Tom didn't really like Luke at all.So it's an odd decision - to try and bury Luke in the pavement of the Tunstall Estate where he was killed. But to Tom, it sort of makes sense, ...

In "Hanover; Or The Persecution of the Lowly," Jack Thorne presents a vivid exploration of social injustice and the human condition through a richly layered narrative that blends realism with poignant character studies. Set against the backdrop of a society deeply stratified by class and power dynamics, Thorne employs a lyrical yet accessible prose style, drawing on traditional storytelling techniques while infusing contemporary sensibilities. The book's fervent dialogue and evocative desc...

What on earth is happening to our planet? And who knows what to do? Certainties are few: every living thing is related to every other living thing; our actions have consequences; change is continual and inevitable.The National Theatre asked four of the country's most exciting writers to investigate. The team spent six months interviewing key individuals from the worlds of science, politics, business and philosophy to create a fast-paced and provocative new play.Gree...

A heartbreaking short play about guilt, grief and responsibility, written for and performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2011.

After the breakout success of his early work for stage and screen, Jack Thorne turned for inspiration to his own family for a series of plays about hope, idealism and domestic politics. The work in this collection – five full-length plays and two shorts – showcases his extraordinary ability to combine electrifying dialogue with heartfelt warmth, candour and humour.Hope(Royal Court Theatre, 2014) is a funny and scathing fable about the leaders of a local co...

1964: Richard Burton, the firebrand Welsh actor, newly married to movie star Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new production of Hamlet under the exacting direction of John Gielgud.But as rehearsals progress, the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel. One of them is the most famous movie star in the world; the other, a patrician from an earlier age of theatre. The stage is set for two titans to collide.Jack ...

Acclaimed for his screenplays for TV dramas including Skins, Shameless, The Fades, This is England '86/'88/'90 and Glue, Jack Thorne first emerged as a writer of unflinching, compassionate and often challenging plays for the stage. Described as a 'powerful voice for Britain's youth' ( Independent), he remains one of the most distinctive talents working in theatre today and was chosen by JK Rowling to write the script for Ha...

A painful – and painfully funny – play about being very young and in love – and coping with serious illness at the same time.Rachel and Peter are seventeen. They have been going out for six months. It's love's young dream. Then Rachel gets ill – seriously ill. She doesn't want her mum to fuss; she doesn't want Alice to pretend she's her best friend; and she certainly doesn't want Alice's boyfriend telling bad jokes at her bedside. The only person she wants is Peter, but Peter doesn...

The complete scripts of one of the most urgent and talked-about television series of recent times.Set in a northern English town, Adolescence tracks the aftermath of the brutal murder of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. When her classmate Jamie Miller is arrested in a dawn raid for the crime, his family, psychologist and the detective in charge are all left asking: how could this have happened?Adolescence gripped audiences and commentators around the world ...

In "Hanover; Or The Persecution of the Lowly," Jack Thorne weaves a poignant narrative that explores the complexities of class struggle and social injustice in 19th-century England. Through a rich tapestry of characters, Thorne employs a lyrical yet unyielding prose style that captures the grit and resilience of the marginalized. The novel deftly illustrates the intersection of personal and societal conflicts, drawing on historical events and the prevailing Victorian ethos, which sets a cr...

An exhilarating coming-of-age drama for a solo performer.Scorching heat. A fight. A car chase. A siege. When her boyfriend is attacked on the street, feisty eighteen-year-old Katie is thrust on a white-knuckle ride through one extraordinary evening. Amidst the baying for blood and the longing for love, Katie is forced to decide her future.Jack Thorne's play Bunny was first performed at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in a production by nabokov and Escalator Eas...