Richard Curtis CBE Few screenwriters, by name alone, can conjure up images of charm, comedy and romance quite so readily as Richard Curtis. Alongside long-time collaborator Working Title, he is responsible for some of the biggest British worldwide successes in cinema over the past 20 years, including Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999), his work on the much-loved Bridget Jones series (2001 and 2004) and Love Actually (2003). Early on in his career, Curtis cut his teeth on such iconic British television comedies as Blackadder, Not The Nine O’Clock News and Spitting Image, before landing a worldwide hit for his screenplay of Four Weddings And A Funeral, directed by Mike Newell. Always warm and funny, Curtis is considered a true master of the British romantic comedy, though he said of his debut: “When I wrote Four Weddings I didn’t know what a ‘rom-com’ was… I thought I was writing an idiosyncratic, autobiographical film about a group of friends, with a bit of love in it.” [www.cherwell.org] 8
Monday 30 September, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly
Curtis is also responsible for critically acclaimed television with a political conscience: The Girl In The Café (2005) with director David Yates, and Mary And Martha (2013), a drama set against the backdrop of the malaria crisis in Africa. Curtis was also instrumental in setting up the annual Red Nose Day. Having turned his hand to directing on Love Actually and then subsequently The Boat That Rocked (2009), 2013 will see the release of About Time, starring Rachel McAdams, his third film as director. He has been the recipient of an Oscar nomination and multiple BAFTA awards, including the Fellowship in 2007. HUGH GRANT He’s an enigma, rather like the character of Charles in Four Weddings. When I was sent that script, I never really fully understood the character because I thought no-one in England is both funny and nice, or acerbic and nice. But Richard carries off that strange balancing act.