Ronan Bennett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ronan Bennett
Bennett in 2019
Born	(1956-01-14) 14 January 1956 (age 69) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Education	St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast
Alma mater	King's College London
Occupation	Novelist and screenwriter
Spouse(s)	Georgina Henry ​ ​ (m. 2003; died 2014)​
Children	2 (including Finn Bennett)

Ronan Bennett (born 14 January 1956) is an Irish novelist and screenwriter. He is well-known for creating and writing the TV series Top Boy. This show is about gang life in East London. He also wrote for the movie Face and the film Public Enemies. Another of his works is the BBC historical drama Gunpowder. Recently, he created and wrote The Day of the Jackal, a thriller series.

Ronan Bennett was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He later moved to Hackney, East London. He lived there with his wife and two children. Top Boy first aired on Channel 4. It was later brought back as a Netflix series. The famous rapper Drake helped produce the revived show.

Early Life and Education

Ronan Bennett was born in Belfast. He grew up in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. His family was Catholic. He went to St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast. While there, he became interested in politics. He was accepted to Queen's University.

After some challenges in his youth, Bennett went on to study History. He attended King's College London. He earned a top degree there. Later, in 1987, he finished a special project. It was about crime and law in England during the 1600s. He used this information in his book Havoc, in its Third Year. That same year, he worked for Jeremy Corbyn MP. Corbyn later became the leader of the Labour Party.

Family Life

Ronan Bennett lives in London with his family. His wife was Georgina Henry. She was a well-known editor for The Guardian newspaper's website. They married in 2003. Sadly, Georgina passed away in 2014. Bennett has talked about losing his wife on a BBC Radio 3 show.

Since 2006, Bennett has written a regular chess column. He writes it with Daniel King for The Guardian newspaper. Their column helps people learn about chess. They look at chess positions from real games. Then, they discuss different ways to play them.

Ronan Bennett's Works

Bennett has written five novels and two non-fiction books. His third novel, The Catastrophist, made him famous. This book is set in the Belgian Congo before it became independent. It tells the story of Patrice Lumumba. Critics praised the novel. They compared it to works by famous authors like Graham Greene. It was nominated for the Whitbread Award in 1998.

His fourth novel, Havoc, in its Third Year, came out in 2004. It is a serious story about strict religious beliefs. It takes place in a town in northern England in the 1630s. This was just before the English Civil War.

In 1990, Bennett helped write Stolen Years. This book was about Paul Hill. Paul Hill was one of the Guildford Four. They were wrongly found guilty of bombings in 1975. They were in prison for 14 years. Bennett has also written many screenplays for movies and TV. These include The Hamburg Cell. He often writes for newspapers in Britain and Ireland.

In 2006, Bennett's novel Zugzwang was published. It came out week by week in The Observer newspaper. He wrote new chapters close to the publication date. Each chapter had pictures by British artist Marc Quinn.

Political Views

Ronan Bennett is a member of the Labour Party. In November 2019, he supported the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. This was for the 2019 UK general election. In December 2019, Bennett wrote in The Guardian: "The Corbyn I know is a rare thing – warm, decent and interested in justice." He also said, "He is asking us to join in building a society full of decency and love."

That same month, Bennett and 42 other cultural figures signed a letter. The letter supported the Labour Party. It said that Labour's plan would help people and the planet. It would put their needs before private profit.

Film and TV Work

Ronan Bennett has written for many films and television shows.

Feature Films

• A Further Gesture, also known as The Break (1997)
• Lucky Break (2001)
• Face (1997)
• Public Enemies (2009)

Television Series

• Love Lies Bleeding (1993)
• A Man You Don't Meet Every Day (1994)
• Rebel Heart (2001)
• Fields of Gold (2002)
• The Hamburg Cell (2004)
• Hidden (2011)
• Top Boy (2011–13, 2019–23)
• Gunpowder (2017)
• The Day of the Jackal (2024–present)
• The Associate (To Be Announced)

Short Films

• Do Armed Robbers Have Love Affairs? (2002)

Awards and Nominations

Ronan Bennett's work has been recognized with several awards and nominations.