Sarah Dollard

Sarah Dollard (born 21 January 1980) is an Australian television screenwriter, living and working in the United Kingdom. She made her start in writing for television on the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours, before moving to the UK in 2008. She created and wrote the Welsh romantic comedy series Cara Fi (Love Me), which debuted on S4C in 2014.[1] In December 2020 it was announced that Dollard would adapt Frances Hardinge's supernatural horror novel Cuckoo Song for Netflix.[2]

Sarah Dollard
Born (1980-01-21) 21 January 1980
NationalityAustralian
OccupationScreenwriter, script editor
Years active2004–present
Known forDoctor Who, Neighbours, Cara Fi, Bridgerton

Career

Neighbours

Dollard worked on Neighbours for four years, as a storyliner, a script editor, a story editor, and a writer of over thirty episodes.[3] Before leaving Australia, she also worked in script development for popular children's television series The Saddle Club, and in development on other children's shows with the Australian Children's Television Foundation.

Move to the UK

After moving to the UK, Dollard began working in the script departments of British fantasy and science fiction TV shows. She worked on season two of BBC One fantasy-adventure series Merlin, before moving on to Primeval in 2010, where she script-edited seasons four and five of the sci-fi series and wrote all five episodes of the Primeval web-series that introduced season four.[4][5]

Dollard wrote the fifth episode of the fifth season of Toby Whithouse's popular BBC Three series Being Human,[6][7] featuring guest star Kathryn Prescott, of Skins fame. Digital Spy called the episode, titled No Care, All Responsibility, "the latest in a string of knockout episodes – sweet and chilling in equal measure". Dollard also penned the webisodes that accompanied Being Human season five,[8] focusing on the character of Alex Millar, played by Kate Bracken.

She wrote episode three of BBC spy thriller The Game, and co-wrote episode five with series creator Toby Whithouse.[9]

Cara Fi and beyond

Dollard created and wrote her own rom-com series Cara Fi (Love Me) with Touchpaper Television, for the Welsh broadcaster S4C.[3] The eight episode series focuses on a sleepy seaside village in Wales that runs out of women, so the locals advertise their single men on the side of milk cartons leaving the dairy. Each episode focuses on a new woman arriving in the village to be set up with a local man.[10][11] The show debuted in November 2014 on S4C, and was subsequently on the BBC iPlayer.[12]

In 2015, she wrote the tenth episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who, titled "Face the Raven",.[13][14] She also wrote an episode of the UK-US co-produced comedy-drama You, Me and the Apocalypse,[15] and ITV period drama The Halcyon.[16] She returned to write the episode "Thin Ice" for Series 10 of Doctor Who.[13]

In 2018, she wrote the seventh episode for A Discovery of Witches, a television series based on the novel trilogy of the same name by Deborah Harkness.[17] In October 2018 it was announced that the show would be renewed for a 2nd and 3rd season with Dollard as one of the main script writers.[18]

Dollard was a writer and producer on the first season of Netflix's historical romance series Bridgerton.[19]

In December 2016 it was announced that Dollard would adapt YA novel Cuckoo Song for television.[16] Written by Frances Hardinge, the novel was "the first YA book to win the British Fantasy Awards' top prize and was shortlisted for both the Carnegie Medal and the James Herbert Award".[16] In December 2020 it was announced that Netflix had greenlit the series.[20]

References
  1. Owens, David (3 September 2014). "Sport, drama, documentaries and baking at the heart of S4C's autumn schedule". Wales Online. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  2. "Netflix Unveils New U.K. Projects". Variety. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  3. Jones, Wendy (3 November 2014). "Win a romantic break inspired by new S4C series Cara Fi". Daily Post. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  4. Caron, Nathalie (29 December 2010). "5 webisodes you should watch before seeing Primeval season 4". Blastr. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  5. "Exclusive episodes". ITV. 23 December 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  6. Hatfull, Jonathan (5 March 2013). "Being Human S05E05 'No Care, All Responsibility' Episode Review". SciFiNow. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  7. "Being Human | Series 5 – 5. No Care, All Responsibility". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  8. "Alex's Kicked The Bucket List". BBC Three Blog. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  9. "The Game Begins November 5 at 10:00 pm as part of BBC America's Dramaville". BBC Media Centre. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  10. "Little Haven is star of new S4C show". Milford and West Wales Mercury. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  11. "Brand new romantic comedy drama on S4C". Tenby Observer. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  12. "Fall in love with Little Haven in new S4C rom-com". Western Telegraph. 9 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  13. "Joivan Wade Returns as Rigsy in a New Series Episode Written by Sarah Dollard". BBC. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  14. "BREAKING NEWS! Here are the titles for every episode in the new series!". Twitter. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  15. Trenholm, Richard (9 July 2015). "Rob Lowe faces the Sky falling in 'You, Me & The Apocalypse'". CNET.
  16. Ritman, Alex (2 December 2016). "Doctor Who Writer Adapting YA Novel 'Cuckoo Song'". THR. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  17. Andrew, G.G. "What We Know About the 'A Discovery of Witches' TV Show So Far". BookBub. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  18. "Sky Hands Supernatural Drama 'A Discovery Of Witches' Bumper Two-Season Order". Deadline. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  19. "Netflix To Add Seven New Original Scripted Series In The UK". Deadline. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  20. "Netflix Unveils New U.K. Projects". Variety. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
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