Matthew Hall (writer)

Hall was educated at Hereford Cathedral School and Worcester College, Oxford (1985–88) where he graduated in Law. He was called to the Bar in 1990 and practised as a barrister at 5 King's Bench Walk before becoming a full-time writer in 1995.

He began his television career writing episodes of Kavanagh QC. In 1996/7 he created and wrote the legal series Wing and a Prayer which ran for two seasons and was the first drama production aired by the newly formed Channel 5. The series was nominated for a BAFTA in the best TV series category in 1997.

Hall's other screen credits include episodes of BBC1's Dalziel and Pascoe, The Scarlet Pimpernel, After Hours, Life Support and Holby City. ITV credits include episodes of A&E, Foyle's War, Blue Murder and the 2003 television film Loving You.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312924/ |title=Loving You (2003) TV Movie 24 February 2003 |work=imdb.com |access-date=14 March 2018}} He was the co-creator and lead writer of the BBC1 series New Street Law which aired in 2006/7.

{{main|Keeping Faith (TV series)}}

Hall created and wrote the TV series Keeping Faith. The first season was produced in 2017 by Vox Pictures for BBC Wales and S4C. It was made in both the English and Welsh languages. The Welsh language version is entitled, Un Bore Mercher (One Wednesday Morning), and was first broadcast on S4C on 5 November 2017.{{cite web |url=http://www.memorabletv.com/tv/keeping-faith-bbc-wales-s4c-2017-eve-myles-matthew-gravelle/ |title=Keeping Faith (BBC Wales-S4C 2017, Eve Myles, Matthew Gravelle) |publisher=Memorable TV |date=18 April 2017 |access-date=23 May 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.s4c.cymru/en/press/post/28331/three-drama-series-to-fire-the-imagination-starting-with-a-bang/ |title=S4C Press release: Three drama series to fire the imagination... Bang; Un Bore Mercher; Craith. |website=s4c.wales |date=10 August 2017 |access-date=9 June 2019}} In May 2018, during an interview with BBC Breakfast, Eve Myles (who stars as the eponymous "Faith") said that Hall was writing the scripts for a second season.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ippN1GL9tPo |title=Eve Myles - BBC Breakfast - Talking Keeping Faith 2nd May 2018 |quote='8.5 million downloads'... 'Matthew Hall writing the scripts for 2nd series' BBC Breakfast extract |work=youtube.com |date=2 May 2018 |access-date=2 May 2018}} Subsequently Keeping Faith was shown on BBC1, beginning on 10 July 2018.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} Matthew Hall received a Welsh BAFTA for the series, as best writer, in 2018.{{cite news |work=BBC News |date=14 October 2018 |title=Keeping Faith wins big at Bafta Cymru awards in Cardiff |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45857800 |access-date=21 October 2018}} The second season was commissioned later that year and first aired in Welsh (with English sub-titles) on S4C on 12 May 2019{{cite news |work=BBC News |date=4 October 2018 |title=Keeping Faith: BBC Wales drama back for second series |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-w,ales-45751916 |access-date=4 October 2018}} and in English on BBC One in July–August 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-03-28/keeping-faith-series-2-un-bore-mercher-air-date-cast-plot/ |title=Radio Times: When is Keeping Faith series 2 on TV? |website=www.radiotimes.com |access-date=28 March 2019}} Hall has hinted that a third season is not beyond the bounds of possibility,{{cite web |url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/08/13/keeping-faith-how-many-episodes-season-series-3-bbc-one/ |title=Keeping Faith: What is the status of season 3? Creator Matthew Hall is hopeful! (See 'Is season 3 on its way?') |work=www.hitc.com |access-date=8 December 2019}} and according to an announcement in January 2020 a third season is due to air in October 2020.{{cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-01-27/keeping-faith-to-return-for-a-third-and-final-series/ |title=Keeping Faith to return for a third and final series |date=27 January 2020 |work=www.radiotimes.com |access-date=7 June 2020}}

{{main|The Coroner (novel)}}

CBC, together with Morwyn Brebner, made a first, eight-part, series, Coroner, based on Hall's The Coroner series of books (the Jenny Cooper novels), and starring Serinda Swan as the titular character, which was aired in winter 2019, after production had begun in summer 2018.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/program/coroner |title=About the Show: CORONER |work=cbc.ca/mediacentre |access-date=29 May 2018}} The series premiered on CBC in January 2019,{{cite web|url=http://www.northernstars.ca/serinda-swan-becomes-jenny-cooper/ |title=Serinda Swan becomes Jenny Cooper |date=20 June 2018 |work=northernstars.ca |access-date=21 June 2018}} and attracted 1 million viewers per episode throughout the first season.{{cite web |url=http://assets.numeris.ca/Downloads/February%2025,%202019%20-%20March%203,%202019%20%28National%29.pdf |title=Top Programs – Total Canada (English) February 25, 2019 - March 3, 2019 |work=Numeris |access-date=8 December 2019 |archive-date=7 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107223143/http://assets.numeris.ca/Downloads/February%2025,%202019%20-%20March%203,%202019%20(National).pdf |url-status=dead }} The series was subsequently renewed for a second season,{{cite web|url=https://www.tv-eh.com/2019/03/25/cbc-announces-first-round-of-renewals-for-the-2019-20-season/ |title=CBC announces first round of renewals for the 2019-20 season |date=23 March 2019 |work=www.tv-eh.com |access-date=7 June 2020}} and it was announced in May 2020 that a third season is to follow.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetvjunkies.com/cbc-greenlights-season-3-coroner/ |title=CBC Greenlights Season 3 of Coroner |date=26 May 2020 |work=thetvjunkies.com |access-date=7 June 2020}}

CBC announced the renewal of the series for a fourth season in June 2021.{{Cite tweet|author=CoronerCBC|user=CoronerCBC |number=1400145553749594114 |date=2 June 2021|title=Are you sitting down? No? Well, we've got some news. We are back next winter for Season 4 - and here's the cherry on top, we've got 12 episodes coming your way! A huge thanks to our fans for making this possible! |access-date=24 October 2021|archive-url=|archive-date=}}{{cite news|last1=Ahearn |first1=Victoria |title=CBC's upcoming lineup includes Indigenous investigative drama 'The Red' |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2021/06/02/cbcs-fall-winter-lineup-includes-indigenous-investigative-drama-the-red.html |work=Toronto Star |date=2 June 2021 |access-date=24 October 2021}} Production began on the 12-episode fourth season the next month,{{cite web |last1=David |first1=Greg |title=CBC's hit original drama Coroner begins production on Season 4 |url=https://www.tv-eh.com/2021/07/27/cbcs-hit-original-drama-coroner-begins-production-on-season-4/ |website=TV, eh? |date=July 27, 2021 |access-date=22 October 2021}} and the fourth season premiered in January 2022.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8593252/episodes?season=4 |title=Coroner (2019– ) Episode List, season 4 |work=www.imdb.com |access-date=25 April 2022}}

Hall's first novel, The Coroner, was published by PanMacmillan in 2009. His second novel, The Disappeared, was published in January 2010 in the UK and in December 2009 in the US. The Coroner was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger awarded to the best crime novel of 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2009/gold.html |title=The CWA Gold Dagger 2009 'other shortlisted books...MR Hall: The Coroner (Pan Macmillan)' (Archived copy) |access-date=2014-02-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215133546/http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2009/gold.html |archivedate=15 February 2014 }} His third novel, The Redeemed, is published by PanMacmillan in April 2011. His fourth novel, The Flight, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2012/gold.html |title=...the CWA Gold Dagger 2012... other books on the shortlist... The Flight, M.R. Hall, Mantle {Archived copy) |access-date=2013-09-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914020809/http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2012/gold.html |archivedate=14 September 2013 }}

1. The Coroner (2009){{cite web |url=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/m-r-hall/ |title=M R Hall (Matthew Hall) |work=fantasticfiction.co.uk |access-date=14 March 2018}}
2. The Disappeared (2009)
3. The Redeemed (2011)
4. The Flight (2012)
5. The Chosen Dead (2013)
6. The Burning (2014)
7. A Life To Kill (2017)
8. The Innocent (2012) (Short story){{cite web |url=https://books.telegraph.co.uk/Product/Matthew-Hall/The-Innocent--A-Coroner-Jenny-Cooper-Crime-Short/16499097 |title=The Innocent : A Coroner Jenny Cooper Crime Short EPUB by Matthew Hall |work=telegraph.co.uk (bookshop) |access-date=15 March 2018 |archive-date=15 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315133449/https://books.telegraph.co.uk/Product/Matthew-Hall/The-Innocent--A-Coroner-Jenny-Cooper-Crime-Short/16499097 |url-status=dead }}

Leo Black Novels

The Black Art of Killing{{cite web |url=https://projecttorchwood.blogspot.com/2018/01/interviews-matthew-hall-by-dj-forrest.html |title=Interview with Matthew Hall by DJ Forrest |work=projecttorchwood.blogspot.co.uk |date=4 January 2018 |access-date=1 December 2019}} (April 2020){{cite book |url=https://www.netgalley.co.uk/catalog/book/180991 |title=The Black Art of Killing by Matthew Hall |publisher= Penguin UK - Michael Joseph |via=www.netgalley.co.uk |access-date=7 June 2020}}

Matthew Hall has tutored on writing crime fiction as a 'Guardian Masterclasses' event together with William Ryan (whose Captain Korolev Novels have been shortlisted for numerous awards).{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses/writing-crime-fiction |title=Guardian Masterclasses: The essentials of writing crime fiction |quote=M.R. Hall is a Bafta-nominated screenwriter, producer and former criminal barrister... The Chosen Dead features... the trademark combination of intricate detail, perfect plotting, televisual narrative and flawed but believable characters. |work=theguardian.com |date=7 December 2014 |access-date=16 March 2018}}

Hall is the son of Ian Hall, formerly a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and Rebecca Hughes-Hall.{{cite web |url=http://www.famechain.com/family-tree/19061/ian-rex-hall/rebecca-hughes-hall |title=Ian Rex Hall Married Rebecca Hughes-Hall |work=famechain.com |access-date=22 April 2018}} He is married to Patricia Carswell, a freelance journalist. They have two sons.{{cite web |url=https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/m-r-hall |title=Matthew Hall |work=panmacmillan.com |access-date=22 April 2018}} He lives in the village of Welsh Newton Common and is church warden of St Mary the Virgin, Welsh Newton.{{cite web |url=http://wnlgpc.org.uk/members-of-welsh-newton-llanrothal-group-parish-council/ |title=Members of Welsh Newton Llanrothal Group Parish Council, including 'Cllr. Mr. Matthew Hall' |work=wnlgpc.org.uk |access-date=2 April 2018}}

BAFTA Cymru - Keeping Faith, Best Writer 2018 (winner)

Crime Writers' Association - Gold Dagger 2012 (nomination for The Flight)

Crime Writers' Association - Gold Dagger 2009 (nomination for The Coroner)

RTS Midlands - Dalziel and Pascoe (Walls of Silence), Best Drama 2001 (winner, as writer){{cite web |url=https://rts.org.uk/sites/default/files/file/PDF%27s/Awards/Archive_Centre_Awards_2002.pdf |title=Midland Centre: Best Drama October 2002 Dalziel and Pascoe episodes Series 6 (2001) Walls of Silence |work=rts.org.uk |access-date=3 November 2018}}

BAFTA - Wing and a Prayer, Best Drama Series 1997 (nomination, as writer/creator){{cite web |url=https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/awards.php?award_id=bafta&year=1998 |title=Wing and a Prayer (TV Series)- Nominated for 'Best TV Series - Drama' 1998 |work=filmaffinity.com |access-date=3 November 2018}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://matthewhallbooks.com/}}
• {{IMDb name|0355888}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Matthew}}

Category:1967 births

Category:Living people

Category:British male screenwriters

Category:21st-century British novelists

Category:Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford

Category:People educated at Hereford Cathedral School

Category:British male novelists

Category:21st-century British male writers

Category:21st-century British screenwriters