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Sam Morrison

screenwriter

Work

Work

Pre-school shows

Sam has written numerous episodes of many pre-school shows, including the BAFTA-winning shows Hey Duggee (BBC) and Peppa Pig (C5), Emmy-winning Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom (C5). He was head-writer for the first season of Olobob Top (BBC) and both seasons of Mya Go (RTE) as well as contributing episodes to Octonauts, Tee and Mo, Postman Pat (all BBC) and more.  

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom
Hey Duggee
Peppa Pig

Bridge/Kids shows

As well as head-writing the Netflix series Big Tree City (6-9) Sam also wrote several episodes of the series himself. He has also scripted several episodes of Aardman Animation shows Shaun the Sheep (BBC) and Lloyd of the Flies (Sky). Working closely with editor Alex Boyle, he created several episodes of Andy's Prehistoric Adventures for the BBC. 

Big Tree City
Andy's Prehistoric Adventures
Shaun the Sheep

Family

Sam co-wrote the Oscar-nominated half-hour special Robin Robin (Netflix) with directors Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, and the 90 minute animated family feature Aliens FC (Magic Frame) with Tim Clague and Danny Stack. He co-wrote the script for the Star Wars Visions episode I Am Your Mother based on director Magda Osinska's story. 

Robin Robin
I Am Your Mother
Aliens FC

Older audiences

Along with Martin Morrison and Andrew Endersby, Sam co-wrote and co-produced drama-comedy pilot Games Night. He wrote the VR experience about a refugee journey We Wait (director Darren Dubicki) and the online choose-your-own-adventure zombie-romance Dead Lonely, both for Aardman Digital. 

Dead Lonely
Games Night
We Wait

Commercial projects

Sam has contributed to numerous commercial projects, both as a director with Nexus Studios and Aardman Animations, and latterly as a screenwriter. Work includes Greenpeace promotions for both Aardman and Rumpus, animated segments for TV shows Monkey Dust and Modern Toss, Google Spotlight short Special Delivery and more.

 

Along with director Tim Ruffle Sam has written information films Just Surviving for the Attune Project about mental health in young people and CONSENT for the OPCC Gloucester. 

Greenpeace
Consent
Greenpeace Turtle Journey

About

Writing

I like to write wry, witty, sometimes absurdist comedy that all ages can enjoy, with a warm heart beneath layers of humour. Fifteen years as screenwriter, head-writer and development consultant has given me experience of vastly different teams, diverse creative approaches and unique outcomes, from overtly educational to out-and-out comedy; from small indie productions to broadcasters such as Netflix, Sesame, the BBC and Channel 5. Much of my work is undertaken solo, but I enjoy the collaboration of brainstorming, feedback, rewriting, and improving to get to the final draft. As a writer, my job is to help you get your vision to the screen. As a development consultant, however, I can help you realise what that vision actually is: taking the seed of an existing idea and grow it into a more fully-formed identity, be that the world, the characters, episode synopses, outlines, a pitch document, bible. Having a background as an animator and animation-director means as well as my love of character and dialogue I’m always conscious of the visual aesthetic – what can and will work on a screen. I also derive huge satisfaction from working on smaller projects that tackle societal concerns or shine a spotlight on issues that desperately need more attention. I’m really interested in audience engagement that goes beyond passive consumption in some way, whether via immersive technology, gamification, or compelling and emotive subject matter. Audiences from pre-school upwards have screen-literacy and emotional intelligence and I strive to avoid an earnest didactic approach, even in an educational show. I love bringing characters to life through dialogue in particular, and I like it when shows give an audience space to join the dots for themselves. I think it’s better a child ends a show chewing over some curious questions rather swallowing a nugget of easily-digestible nothing.

Bio

I left school at 16 to do a bunch of mundane jobs for a few years before I finally decided to study. I spent about six years as a director with Nexus Studios in London before moving to Bristol and signing up with Aardman. I always loved to write and started out on Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom, courtesy of the wonderful folk at Astley Baker Davies. Screenwriting then took over, moving on to Peppa Pig, Hey Duggee, Octonauts, Shaun the Sheep and others. Since then I have worked across a huge number of diverse projects from children’s series to family specials to theatre shows, VR experiences and feature films. I have also taught narrative in several institutions from secondary school up to MA level. I continue to work closely with Aardman Animations across numerous projects from commercials to short films to series. Outside of that, I work as a writer and development consultant for children’s content around the globe, have collaborated and/or written for shows in France, USA, The Netherlands, Spain and South America. Along with Tanya Scott, I created the pre-school series Underglow (currently in pre-production with the BBC) the family series Big Shot (a post-truth cop comedy) and animated comedy feature Aliens FC, currently in production at Magic Frame. I’m passionate about storytelling and I feel like inventing worlds for a living is the luckiest job.

About
Testimonials

Testimonials

Sam is great, and I love working with him. Fantastic imagination, thoughtful and responsive, always creative and funny - but not just funny, he can do emotional depth too. And he delivers on time, every time

Jenny Landreth,

script editor, Hey Duggee

Sam is one of the best writers I know. I was blown away by his hilarious college film which remains one of the best student films I’ve ever seen. 

 

He made a bunch of brilliant shorts then went onto work on the best shows for kids. Proof if ever it were needed that you need to be great at character comedy to work in this world.

Sam wrote with us on Peppa and Ben and Holly for several years. I particularly loved his wit and it’s interesting to note that some of the most loved lines quoted by fans were Sam’s!

Neville Astley, co-creator, Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom

Working with Sam is both joyful and successful. Not only is he a master of his craft, but he also has infectious enthusiasm for all things new.  The outcome of this can be seen in projects such as Dead Lonely, where he wrote multi-track, multi-path interactive narratives, or on We Wait, wrestling with the complexities of mixing narrative and VR alongside the sensitivities of live documentary subjects.  

Dan Efergan,

Executive Creative Director of Interactive & Innovation, Aardman

I’ve worked with Sam for over 8 years on a variety of different projects. For me he always hits the brief spot on with funny, imaginative, compelling scriptwriting. From Aardman’s first 4D film: a 10-minute fantastical silent comedy, to Barbour’s successful Shaun the Sheep Christmas campaign, to the dialogue-driven serial we’ve been working on, Sam is always super friendly and approaches his work with enthusiasm and utmost professionalism. 

Steven Harding-Hill

Creative Director, Short Form & Commercials, Aardman

Sam's an excellent writer and collaborator. He’s a brilliant storyteller with an eye for details and cultivator of nuanced characters. It’s always a pleasure working with Sam!

Gavin Strange, designer and director, Jam Factory/Aardman

Having Sam as our head writer on Big Tree City was invaluable. He possesses the sort of storytelling expertise that can only be learnt through years of experience, and is able to diagnose issues and remedy them with heart and comedy, pinpointing problems you can feel but not always see. Frankly, I’m relying on him to fix this testimony. He’s also a total breeze to work with; lacking any sense of ego and possessing skin as thick as required

Tim Searle, animation director and producer

Phil Brooks,

Director, Blue Zoo

Contact

Contact

For writing enquiries please contact Rebecca Watson at Valerie Hoskins Associates: rebecca@vhassociates.co.uk

For anything else Sam can be reached at sam@theevilgenius.co.uk

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