#229: Moira Buffini, playwright, screenwriter and novelist

About this episode

Rachel and Simon speak with playwright, screenwriter, and novelist Moira Buffini about her career and works.

Rachel and Simon speak to the playwright, screenwriter and novelist Moira Buffini. After training as an actor, Moira started writing for the stage; her plays include "Gabriel" (which won the Meyer-Whitworth Award in 1998), "Dinner" (nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2003) and "Handbagged" (winner of an Olivier Award in 2014). In 2003 Moira became a founding member of The Monsterists, a group of British writers who campaigned for "big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap-opera dramas". Moira has also written extensively for film ("Jane Eyre", "The Dig") and television ("Harlots"). In 2024 Moira published "Songlight", her debut novel and the first in a trilogy for young adults; it won the YA Book Prize in 2025. We spoke to Moira about her early work in theatre, writing for the screen and her dystopian book series, "The Torch Trilogy". Alongside listening to us in audio as usual, the podcast is now available on video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. We’ve made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We’ve added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article…

People in this episode

Hosts: Rachel, Simon

Guest: Moira Buffini

Topics covered

• playwriting
• screenwriting
• novels
• theatre
• film
• television

Keywords

• Gabriel
• Dinner
• Handbagged
• The Monsterists
• Jane Eyre
• The Dig
• Harlots
• Songlight
• The Torch Trilogy

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Songlight, The Torch Trilogy

Books & works: Gabriel, the Meyer-Whitworth Award, Dinner, an Olivier Award, Handbagged, Jane Eyre, The Dig, Harlots, Songlight, the YA Book Prize

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