PORTFOLIO

I've been a professional freelance writer for the past ten years. My memoir Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew (published 2005) reached the bestsellers list and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize (for making political writing accessible to the working class).

I have written a diverse range of articles and features, most often for the Guardian (Society), but also for the Independent, the Literary Review, Tank and numerous other newspapers and periodicals.

At Christmas 2010, I wrote and presented my first story for BBC Radio 4, The Good Conductor, a modern parable. My most recent piece for Radio 4, The Light, attracted more than a million listeners.

I recently co-wrote the screenplay for the film Urban and the Shed Crew (Blenheim Films). The company previously produced the award-winning Trashed with Jeremy Irons, about the mountains of toxic rubbish that are building up in oceans and landfills worldwide.

I am currently working on a book about chess.