Mike Bartlett

Born: 7th October 1980 (as Michael Bartlett)
Episodes Broadcast: 2017

Biography

Mike Bartlett was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire and became an avid Doctor Who viewer during his childhood. He read English and theatre studies at the University of Leeds, after which he began writing stage plays and radio dramas. Bartlett's 2009 script Cock premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in the West End, and earned a Laurence Olivier Award. He soon began writing for television, initially developing The Town. 2015 was a watershed year for Barlett: his thriller Doctor Foster was an enormous television success, while his plays King Charles III and Bull both won Olivier Awards. The latter was directed by his wife, Clare Lizzimore.

During promotional interviews for Doctor Foster, Barlett made mention of his affection for Doctor Who. Indeed, he had previously made inquiries about contributing to the programme, but he had not yet developed a sufficient body of work to garner serious consideration. Now his comments were noted by script executive Lindsay Alford, and Bartlett was approached about writing for Doctor Who's 2017 season. The result was the atmospheric Knock Knock, featuring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. Thereafter, Bartlett continued to divide his attention between the stage and the screen. His television projects during the latter part of the 2010s included Trauma, Press and The Man, as well as a controversial adaptation of King Charles III. During the Twenties, Bartlett developed shows like Life and adapted his play Albion.

Credits
Writer
Knock Knock

Updated 1st March 2023