Simon Blackwell
Simon John Blackwell (born 27 May 1966) is an English comedy writer and producer. He is best known for his work on "The Thick of It", "In The Loop" and "Veep", and for his collaborations with Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain on "Peep Show", "Four Lions" and "The Old Guys". Blackwell is the creator of the comedy series "Back", starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, as well as "Breeders", starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard. Career. After graduating from Churchill College, Cambridge as a mature student and then working as a sub-editor for magazines, Blackwell started writing  TV comedy in 1999 on shows such as "Have I Got News For You", "The Kumars at No. 42", "Alastair McGowan's Big Impression" and "The Armstrong and Miller Show", for which he created the duo's street-talking RAF pilot characters. He first worked with Armando Iannucci in 2003 on the topical Channel 4 show "Gash". He went on to write on all four series of Iannucci's political sitcom "The Thick of It" and co-wrote its spin-off film "In The Loop", which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Other work with Iannucci includes   and "Time Trumpet". The two collaborated again on the HBO comedy "Veep", with Blackwell co-writing the pilot episode and serving as writer and executive producer on the subsequent four seasons, for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards. Blackwell wrote for Chris Morris's 2010 black comedy film "Four Lions", alongside Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. He had previously collaborated with them on the Channel 4 sitcom "Peep Show" and BBC One's "The Old Guys". In 2016, Blackwell created the sitcom "Back" starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. It premiered on Channel 4 on 6 September 2017. In  2020, Blackwell created the dramedy "Breeders", starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard. The series premiered on the American cable network FX on 2 March 2020, and on Sky One on 12 March 2020.