Tyrell Williams (dramatist)

Tyrell Williams
Born1994 (age 31–32)
London
Alma materMiddlesex University
Occupations
  • Playwright
  • screenwriter
  • director
Writing career
Notable awardsGeorge Devine Award (2022)

Tyrell Williams (born 1994)[1] is a British playwright and screenwriter. He is known for co-creating the web series #HoodDocumentary, where the Internet meme Roll Safe originated. Williams's debut play, Red Pitch premiered at Bush Theatre in 2022 to critical acclaim and has since been produced in the West End as well as in the US.

Early life and education

Tyrell Williams grew up London, on the Aylesbury Estate.[2] He took part in a youth programme at Young Vic theatre when he was at secondary school, which was his first experience of the theatre industry.[3] Williams went on to study creative writing and journalism at Middlesex University,[3] graduating with a First class degree in 2015.[4]

Career

Television

Williams found early success with the web series #HoodDocumentary, which he co-created and cowrote with the actor and writer Kayode Ewumi. Initially self-released on YouTube in 2015, the mockumentary was so successful that it was picked up by BBC Three, with further episodes being released in 2016.[5] In addition to writing, Williams also directed #HoodDocumentary.[6] In addition to receiving millions of views,[3] the show also led to the viral Roll Safe meme, created from a still of the main character of the show.[7] More recently, Williams wrote for the Paramount+ and Apple TV series Time Bandits (2024)[8] and was announced as a writer of Channel 4's upcoming series Schooled.[9]

Williams was an alumnus of the BAFTA Elevate writer development programme's 2018 cohort.[4]

Theatre

Debut play - Red Pitch

Williams's debut play, Red Pitch, started out as a 10-minute piece for the 2018 Young Harts Writers Festival at Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, where it won the audience choice awards.[10] The play was inspired by Williams's own experience of growing up in London and navigating the changes in his neighbourhood due to gentrification.[10] Red Pitch was developed into a one-hour piece and was staged at OvalHouse theatre (now Brixton House) as part of its 2019 First Bites programme.[11] The play was then picked up by Bush Theatre, where it enjoyed two successful runs in 2022 and 2023.[3] The play won Williams the 2022 George Devine Award, where it was commended by the judging panel for "setting a scene of unforgettable atmosphere and character, using language with immense verve and flexibility, and telling a story that delivers a profound and particular emotional punch".[12] Unprecedentedly, Williams was also nominated in both the Best Play and Most Promising Playwright categories at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2022, winning the latter.[13] Red Pitch was transferred to @sohoplace in the West End in 2024[14] and had its US premiere at the Olney Theatre Center in Maryland the following year.[15]

Upcoming work

In 2022, Williams received a commission from Writers' Guild of Great Britain to write a new play titled Escalate, with Eleanor Lloyd Theatrical Productions Ltd as producing partner.[16]

Works

Television

Year Title Channel(s)/Network(s) Writer Director Note
2015-2016 #HoodDocumentary BBC Three via YouTube Yes Yes [6]
2024 Time Bandits Paramount+, Apple TV Yes No Series 1, episode 6[17]
TBA Schooled † Channel 4 Yes No [9]

Awards and nominations

Year Awards Category Result
For Red Pitch
2019 Alfred Fagon Award[18] Longlisted
2022 George Devine Award[12] Won
Evening Standard Theatre Awards[13] Best Play Nominated
Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright Won
The Stage Debut Awards[19] Best Writer Won
2023 The Offies[20] Best Play Won
Critics' Circle Theatre Award[21] Most Promising Playwright Won

References

  1. ↑ Morgan, Fergus (2024-03-15). ""That place was more than a football pitch. It transcended its architecture."". The Crush Bar. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  2. ↑ "Former resident takes award-winning play to West End". www.nhg.org.uk. 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ryan, Anya (2024-03-08). "Red Pitch playwright Tyrell Williams: 'People spend so much of their lives in these places – and then it's taken away'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  4. 1 2 "Meet the BAFTA Elevate Writers 2018". BAFTA. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  5. ↑ Renshaw, David (9 June 2016). "#HoodDocumentary Is The Hilarious London Web Series That You Need To Watch Now". The FADER. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  6. 1 2 "Listen. BBC Three signs RS for #HoodDocumentary". BBC Three. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  7. ↑ Sanusi, Victoria (1 Feb 2017). "The Profound Advice Meme Is Here To Help You Get Through 2017". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Gubecka, Zanda (2024-08-21). "'Time Bandits' Review: Back To The Silliness". Feature First. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  9. 1 2 "Channel 4 announces the cast for new comedy Schooled". Channel 4. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  10. 1 2 Williams, Tyrell (2019-08-09). "Tyrell Williams: Friendship, football, regeneration and why I wrote Red Pitch". OnLondon. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  11. ↑ Ludmon, Mark (2 April 2019). "Ovalhouse to premiere two new plays as part of new season". British Theatre. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  12. 1 2 "Award 2022". George Devine Award. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  13. 1 2 Curtis, Nick (2022-12-13). "Joyous and emotional: inside the 66th Evening Standard Theatre Awards". The Standard. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  14. ↑ "Red Pitch at @sohoplace | Award-Winning Coming-of-Age Play". sohoplace.org. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  15. ↑ Blum, Nancy (2025-09-22). "Theatre Review: 'Red Pitch' at Olney Theatre Center". Maryland Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  16. ↑ Arandjelovic-Vaughan, Benjamin (2022-08-17). "NPCS recipients announced". The Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  17. ↑ "Time Bandits". directories.wga.org. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  18. ↑ "2019 Award". Alfred Fagon Award. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  19. ↑ Underwood, Kitty (2022-09-20). "The Stage Debut Awards 2022: winners announced". Official London Theatre. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  20. ↑ Dillon, Luke (2023-02-12). "The Offies 2023 Awards – Winners announced | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  21. ↑ Campbell, Joel (2023-04-18). "Critics' Circle Theatre Awards winners are the most diverse ever". Voice Online. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.