Frank Cottrell-Boyce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Cottrell-Boyce
|
|
|---|---|
Cottrell-Boyce at the 2015 Berlin International Literature Festival
|
|
| Born | 23 September 1959 Bootle, England |
| Occupation | Scriptwriter, author |
| Alma mater | Keble College, Oxford |
| Period | c. 1984–present |
| Genre | Screenplays, children's novels |
| Notable awards | Carnegie Medal 2004 Guardian Prize 2012 |
| Spouse | Denise Cottrell |
| Children | 7 |
Frank Cottrell-Boyce (born 23 September 1959) is a British screenwriter, novelist, and sometimes an actor. He is well-known for his children's fiction books and for working with film director Michael Winterbottom. He became famous for writing the story for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. He also wrote new stories for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, a classic children's book by Ian Fleming.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce has won two big British awards for children's books. In 2004, he won the Carnegie Medal for his book Millions, which started as a movie script. In 2012, he won the Guardian Prize for The Unforgotten Coat, a book he wrote for a charity. In July 2024, he was chosen to be the Children's Laureate, taking over from Joseph Coelho. This is a special role for a children's writer or illustrator in the UK.
Contents
About Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Frank Cottrell-Boyce was born in 1959 in Bootle, a town near Liverpool, England. He grew up in a Catholic family. When he was in primary school, his family moved to Rainhill. He went to St Bartholomew's Primary School and then West Park Grammar School. Reading the Moomins books had a big impact on him when he was young.
He studied English at Keble College, Oxford university and later earned a special degree called a doctorate there. He met Denise Cottrell at university, and they got married. They have seven children together. One of their sons, Aidan Cottrell-Boyce, is also a writer.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce supports the Insight Film Festival. This festival happens every two years in Manchester, UK. It helps people from different faiths understand and respect each other. He also supports The Reader Organisation, a charity that helps people enjoy reading by having volunteers read aloud in places like prisons and care homes.
His Creative Work
Frank Cottrell-Boyce was part of a band called "Dead Trout" in Liverpool in 1979.
Working on Films
He has worked a lot with film director Michael Winterbottom. They made several films together, including Butterfly Kiss, Welcome to Sarajevo, and 24 Hour Party People. Frank Cottrell-Boyce has also worked with other famous directors like Danny Boyle on the film Millions.
Many people, including film critic Roger Ebert, have praised Frank Cottrell-Boyce for being a very creative screenwriter. He doesn't always follow the usual rules for writing movie scripts, like the "three-act structure." For example, in 24 Hour Party People, a character says, "This is Manchester. We do things differently. This is the second act." This line was a playful response to people who thought his script didn't follow the usual story structure.
Writing Books for Children
Besides writing movie scripts, Frank Cottrell-Boyce also writes books for children. His first novel, Millions, came out in 2004. It was based on his own movie script. This book won the Carnegie Medal, which is given by British librarians for the best children's book published in the UK that year.
His next book, Framed, was also very popular. It was considered for both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. He later turned Framed into a TV movie for the BBC. His book Cosmic (2008) was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
In 2011, he was asked to write a new story for the classic children's book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This new book was called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again. He has written more sequels to this popular series.
Television Work
Frank Cottrell-Boyce has written for many TV shows. He wrote many episodes for the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. He also wrote for another soap opera called Brookside and its spin-off shows.
In 2014 and 2017, he wrote episodes for the famous science fiction show Doctor Who. These episodes were called "In the Forest of the Night" and "Smile".
The 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony
Frank Cottrell-Boyce was the main writer for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London. He worked with director Danny Boyle and other creative people to develop the story and themes for the ceremony. The story was based on Shakespeare's play The Tempest. He wrote short descriptions for each part of the ceremony to help everyone involved, from choreographers to builders. He also wrote the official brochure and announcements for the event.
Awards for His Books
Three months after the Olympics, Frank Cottrell-Boyce won the 2012 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for his book The Unforgotten Coat. This story is about a friendship between children from different cultures. It was inspired by a girl he met at a school visit whose family had to leave the country. A charity gave away 50,000 copies of this book. The Guardian Prize is special because it's judged by other British children's writers.
In 2013, he received an honorary doctorate from Edge Hill University. In 2018, he was part of the winning team from Keble College, Oxford on the TV quiz show University Challenge. He scored many points and became very popular on social media!
His Books
- Millions (2004)
- Framed (2005)
- Cosmic (2008)
- Desirable (2008)
- The Unforgotten Coat (2011)
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again (2011)
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time (2012)
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon (2013)
- The Astounding Broccoli Boy (2015)
- Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth (2016)
- Runaway Robot (2019)
- Noah's Gold (2021)
TV and Film Work
Television
|
Film
|
Awards and Recognition
Frank Cottrell-Boyce has won many awards for his writing. Here are some of them:
- 2004: Carnegie Medal for Millions
- 2004: Buch des Monats des Instituts für Jugendliteratur/Book of the Month by the Institute for Youth Literature (Germany) for Millions
- 2004: Luchs des Jahres (Germany) for Millions
- 2004: Eule des Monats (Germany) for Millions
- 2005: British Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay for Millions
- 2007: Chlotrudis Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay for A Cock and Bull Story
- 2012: Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for The Unforgotten Coat
- 2014: Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards for Best Script for The Railway Man (with Andy Paterson)
- 2015: Australian Film Institute Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Railway Man (with Andy Paterson)
He has also been nominated for other important awards, including:
- 1999: British Academy Film Awards for Best Screenplay - Adapted for Hilary and Jackie
- 2001: British Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay for The Claim
- 2005: Humanitas Prize for Feature Film Category for Millions
