Frank Cottrell Boyce

Born:
  • Liverpool
Publishers:

Biography

Frank Cottrell Boyce was born in Liverpool and studied English at Oxford University.

He first worked as a television critic for Living Marxism magazine, and wrote episodes for Coronation Street and Brookside. He then collaborated with director Michael Winterbottom on the film Forget About Me, in 1990, and this was followed by further screenplays written for the same director: Butterfly Kiss in 1995; Welcome to Sarajevo in 1997; The Claim in 2000, originally based on Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge; 24 Hour Party People in 2002; Code 46 in 2003; and A Cock and Bull Story in 2005.

He also worked with other directors, including writing the screenplays for the films Revenger's Tragedy, in 2002, an adaptation of Thomas Middleton's 17th-century play; Hilary and Jackie; Millions; and Grow Your Own in 2007.

In 2004, he wrote a book for children based on his own screenplay - Millions - and this book won the 2004 Carnegie Medal. It was published as a play in 2010. His second children's novel, Framed, was shortlisted for both the 2005 Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award.

Frank Cottrell Boyce has won several awards for his screenplays, and lives in Liverpool with his family. His third novel, Cosmic, was published in 2008, and was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Roald Dahl Funny Prize in the same year. Recent books include The Unforgotten Coat (2011), shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again (2011); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race against Time (2013); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon (2013); The Astounding Broccoli Boy (2015) and Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth (2016), which was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

Bibliography

Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth
The Astounding Broccoli Boy
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again
The Unforgotten Coat
Millions: The Play
When It Changed: Science into Fiction: an Anthology
Cosmic
Desirable
Framed
Millions
The Claim

Awards

2016
Carnegie Medal (shortlist)
2012
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
2011
Costa Children's Book Award (shortlist)
2010
Blue Peter Book Award: The Book I Couldn't Put Down
2009
Carnegie Medal (shortlist)
2008
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
2008
Roald Dahl Funny Prize
2007
Blue Peter Book Award: The Book I Couldn't Put Down
2007
Chlotrudis Award
2005
British Independent Film Award
2005
Humanitas Prize
2005
Whitbread Children's Book of the Year
2004
Carnegie Medal
2004
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
2001
British Independent Film Award
1999
BAFTA
1999
Golden Satellite Award