Peter Ransley is a British screenwriter, playwright and novelist. He is best known as a screenwriter of psychological thrillers, plays with a social theme and historical dramas. He also founded the charity Action Against Medical Accidents.
Early life
Ransley was born in Yorkshire in 1931 and grew up in Pudsey where he attended Pudsey Grammar School. In 1949, he served his national service with the RAF based in Singapore at Changi Airport. He subsequently worked as a trade journalist, and was founding editor of Plastics & Rubber Weekly, which ran for more than fifty years before closure in 2017.
Career
Ransley started his writing career on the stage with Runaway at the Royal Court, Ellen at the Hampstead Theatre Club and Disabled at the Stables Theatre Club. Ellen was performed at the Hampstead Theatre Club with Ian McShane and Maria Aitken, and directed by Richard Wilson OBE. Ransley moved to writing for the radio and television. In the early 1980s, he wrote episodes of Tales of the Unexpected and single plays for the seminal BBC Play for Today Series. His Kate the Good Neighbour won the Gold Medal in the Commonwealth Film and TV Festival in 1980, while Minor Complications, based on a real case of medical negligence, gained him the Royal Television Society’s Writer’s Award in 1981. In 1986, Peter's mini-series The Price was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Drama. TV productions include Fallen Angel, A Good Murder and the BAFTA nominated adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith. Peter has written a number of films including The Hawk which starred Helen Mirren and The Cormorant which starred Ralph Fiennes. Peter has also focused on historical fiction with television dramas such as Bread or Blood and Seaforth and the "Tom Neave" trilogy of novels based around the English civil war .
In 1980, the BBC aired Minor Complications - a Play for Today written by Peter. This play was based on a real case of medical negligence, and public response to the play led to Ransley setting up AvMA together with his wife Cynthia and its first chief executive, Arnold Simanowitz OBE. AvMA is the UK charity for patient safety and justice, which provides free independent advice and support to people affected by medical accidents. In the 35 years since its founding, AvMA has provided advice and support to over 100,000 people affected by medical accidents.
Personal life
Ransley is married to Cynthia and lives in West London. He has two children.
