Andrea Mann

Andrea Mann is a screenwriter based in the UK

So Fado! So good

by //

Emily Watson and Richard E. Grant

Am beyond excited that the film of my first feature spec script Fado! has been announced – and doubly, triply excited that it’s going to star living legends and Oscar nominees Emily Watson and Richard E. Grant, and be directed by the lovely and talented Jason Wingard (In Another Life, Eaten By Lions), with the lovely and brilliant Gareth Wiley (Match Point, Vicky Christina Barcelona) producing.

You can read more about it in the news stories from Screen International, Deadline and Variety.

Feeling incredibly lucky and grateful about it all. And at some point I’ll write about the hashtag journey… But for now, I’ll just say – to mix my 80s/90s pop references – dreams CAN come true, so don’t stop believing. 🙂

Did you hear the one about the comedy writer who went into politics?

by //

*Record scratch* *Freeze frame*
Yup, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation…

Just a quick update because I realise I haven’t posted any news since, well, the general election. Not that much has happened since then, eh?!

Yes, as we all collectively bite our nails at the prospect of a hard Brexit/nuclear war/our favourite going out too soon in The Great British Bake Off,  I have been trying to play a small part in trying to make the world a less bad place. My local Labour party has selected me to work with our Westminster City Councillors in Churchill Ward, Pimlico (London SW1) and it’s an incredible honour to join them in helping the local community. If you’d like to be part of our campaign for the Council elections (which aren’t until May 2018, but the work starts now!), then please do drop me a line via the Contact page on my site here, or email me at andreamannlabour@gmail.com. All help is hugely appreciated (AND campaigning is really good for getting your Fitbit steps up. What’s not to love?!).

One reason why I’ve decided to Get Involved In Politics Properly is because, well, jokes about Donald Trump can only do so much, it turns out. In fact, that’s partly the point I make in this piece I wrote for the latest issue of Fabiana (the magazine of the Fabian Women’s Network) – so please read and enjoy and check out all the great articles by other fabulous Fabian Women in it, too.

That said, I am still trying to bring down the government through the medium of satire. The brilliant comedy politics podcast I’m lucky enough to work on – Strong And Stable – has returned and you can listen to it here or subscribe to it on iTunes here. It features funny, informed people like David Schneider, James O’Brien, Grainne Maguire, Ian Dunt, Tiff Stevenson, Mark Steel, Josh Widdicombe, Jan Ravens, Jonathan Pie… and that’s just the first two episodes! Just wait ’til you see who we’ve got coming up in the rest of them!

And finally *shuffles newsreaders’ notes* outside of all this, I’m also working on a new script idea which I’m quite excited about, and not just because it’s a romcom about a comedy writer who becomes Prime Minister. Just kidding! She becomes America’s first woman President. #lifegoals #keepingitrealistic

In the meantime, I’ll be learning all these off by heart.

A podcast for the many, not the few

by //

 Greetings, electorate! This is just a quick blog post to say that I’ve been part of the writing team on a BRAND NEW (yes THAT NEW) election podcast called Strong And Stable.

It’s funnier than a pre-rehearsed joke at Prime Minister’s Question Time, it’s hosted by the wonderful David Schneider, and the guests on episode one are James O’Brien, Josie Long and Bob Mills. Oh, and it features special appearances from Jonathan Pie and Rory Bremner. I know!

You can listen & download it here in the iTunes store. Please listen, enjoy, subscribe, leave feedback… and then, of course, vote Labour. 😉

Hope you like it!