Leigh Jackson Movies
Embarking on a successful career as a British television scribe with the 1990 BBC effort Drowning in the Shallow End, dramatist Leigh Jackson would frequently use his pen to deal with both pressing political issues and affectingly personal tales of human drama. Born in London in 1950 and raised in Bampton, Devon, Jackson studied politics and economics at Manchester University before becoming involved in theater as a stage manager for a London-based Theater in Education company. When an unsolicited script written by Jackson was later accepted by the Royal Court Theater, he began focusing increasingly on writing. His theater experience eventually led to writing work for BBC radio, and Jackson would subsequently take over Anthony Minghella's position as a script editor for the children's television series Grange Hill. Following his work on the TV movie Drowning in the Shallow End, the increasingly prominent writer would draw attention for his work on the miniseries Downtown Lagos, and his subsequent screenplay for 1999's Warriors earned Jackson a BAFTA TV Award. Addressing the horrors witnessed by United Nations peacekeeping troops who would remain powerless to intervene as they witnessed the atrocities being committed in the Balkans, Jackson's skillful handling of the harrowing tale took home numerous awards. Bringing drama into the home with his work on the television series Other People's Children, the series' skillful observations on the effects of divorce on children showed his talent continuing to grow. Following up with the labor drama The Project, Jackson would succumb to cancer just four short months after the two-part miniseries debuted in November 2002. Following his death, two screenplays that Jackson had previously penned, Walk Two Moons and The Assumption (both set for release in 2004) went into pre-production as feature films. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi- 2000
The four-part British series Other People's Children deftly blended the soap opera and anthology genres in its depiction of three different families, linked together by their stepchildren. The individual episodes focused on the bitterness of divorce, the spitefulness of ex-spouses, the tribulations of single parenthood, and especially the negative effects on the children, many of whom became bitter and jaded long before reaching puberty. The series was adapted by Leigh Jackson from the novel by Joanna Trolloppe. Other People's Children was originally telecast by BBC1 from September 10 to October 1, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1999
The ambitious two-part British miniseries Warriors (aka Peacekeepers) managed to put a human face on the war in Bosnia, and also raised several provocative questions concerning the U.K.'s controversial participation in the conflict. By focusing on a select group of soldiers and their families, the production analyzed the troops' effectiveness in the bloody campaign, and whether or not it was worth the sacrifice. In Citizen Kane fashion, the story began with the British battlefield involvement itself, then flashed back to the events leading up to the conflict -- and flash-forwarded to the aftermath. When originally telecast in Britain on November 20 and 21, 1999, Warriors was followed by a live debate over the issues touched upon in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matthew MacFadyen, Cal Macaninch, (more)
Rating Systems
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