Geoffrey Atherden

Geoffrey Atherden is a lapsed architect who launched himself slowly into a writing career back in the days of the Architecture Reviews at Sydney University He practised architecture for many years, and during this time he was a major contributing writer for the first series of THE AUNTY JACK SHOW (ABC TV).
He is best known for his television series MOTHER AND SON and has won numerous awards for it as well as for other television work including EGGSHELLS, ONE DAY MILLER and a United Nations Media Peace Prize for BABAKIUERIA His comedy drama series, GRASS ROOTS, was broadcast on ABC television.

His first play, HOTSPUR, commissioned by the Melbourne Theatre Company, played successful seasons in Melbourne and Sydney in 1994. In 1997, he started rewriting his MOTHER AND SON series for the BBC Retitled as KEEPING MUM, the series was produced and broadcast in 1997 and a second series in 1998 Other productions from translations of his original scripts include MADRE Y HIJO (Chile 1995), MAMAN, CHERIE (Quebec 1998), GLOEM INTE MAMMA! (Sweden 1998) and PAS PA MOR (Denmark 1998) A further production is about to start in South Africa (1999).

Other work includes GRASS ROOTS Series 2, a ten part drama series ABC Television, MAD IF YOU DON'T, a pilot script for a sitcom for BBC Television and further work on YELLOW VAUXHALL, a screenplay for a feature film.

Geoffrey is an occasional contributor to a number of magazines and collections of short stories and has contributed cartoons and illustrations to a number of magazines and publications He is also a member of the Board of the New South Wales Film and Television Office and he was President of the Australian Writers' Guild from 1994 to1998.

CREDITS

TELEVISION

MAD IF YOU DON'T Pilot Script BBC Television, 2000
GRASS ROOTS Writer ABC Drama, Series 2 2000
GRASS ROOTS ABC Drama, Series writing, pre production 1999
GLOEM INTE MAMA Sverige Television, Sweden, Series 1 1999
MAMAN, CHERIE Radio Canada, Quebec, Series remake, 1997, 1998
KEEPING MUM 2 BBC TV Comedy, 1997, 1998
TOWN HALL (later known as GRASS ROOTS), ABC Drama, series development, 1997, 1998
MOTHER AND SON ABC 6 series, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1993
French Language Version: Quebec
Spanish Language Version: Chile
British Format Version: BBC, England
EGGSHELLS ABC series, 1991, 1993
JACK DAVY Mike Willesee's Australians, RCC, 1987
BABAKIUERIA ABC Drama, 1985
THE INNOCENT WIFE Lynn Bayonas Productions, 1986
SHARK INFESTED Theatre ACT, sketch material, 1984
NIGHT WITH THE RIGHT National Reconciliation, Contributor, 1983
MOTHER AND SON Pilot, ABC, 1982
RATBAGS Head writer, Script Editor & Associate Producer McElroy &McElroy/Channel 10, 1982
ONE DAY MILLER ABC series, 1979
THREE BLIND MICE ABC Comedy, 1981
THE LITTLE BIG SHOW London Weekend Television, sketch material, 1978
AUNTY JACK SHOW ABC series, sketch material, 1969, 1970

SCRIPT ASSESSMENT

LEICHHARDT IN LOVE Feature Film Emerald Films 1996

PUBLICATION

DO SEAGULLS FEEL THE HEAT? Short story published in the anthology entitled HOT SAND
Published by Penguin

STAGE

SHORT CIRUITS Sydney Festival 1994
HOT SPUR MTC/STC 1994