Christopher Maudsley – 2025 Pilot Winner (Half-Hour)
The Reiving Lands
1558. Thomas, a peaceful cartographer, is sent North with his family to survey the violent borderlands between England and Scotland, aiming to restore his family name and secure their future - only to be drawn ever deeper into a complex web of politics, violent family feuds, corruption and cattle-rustling in the lawless lands of the Border Reivers.
A writer and filmmaker from the North of England, my work is inspired by history, myth and spiritual themes, combined with elements of my own personal experience in both contemporary and historic settings.
THE REIVING LANDS draws on a lifetime living in the rural North, a background in Archaeology and Ancient History and freelance work as a historical tour guide, married with my love of research, folk music and crafting authentic voices and characters. The Reiving Lands script also made top 1% of BBC Writers Open Call 2025.
Previous screenplays have made the top 3%, 8% and 10% of BBC Writers submissions, and my historical sitcom BLACK CABS won BAFTA ROCLIFFE New Comedy 20/21 – performed at a BAFTA showcase by an array of British acting talent.
My scripts have also been Finalists in previous BlueCat competitions, as well as Shore Scripts and The Pitch.
An alumni of Film Hub North / BFI Network’s Northern Exposure Short Script Lab with NAPE – a script about Anne Boleyn’s neck, my absurdist short films GERRY’S VOICE and EL REY played at London Short Film Festival and Manchester Kinofilm respectively.
I write across drama, comedy, horror and childrens for TV, film and audio – my animation script THE KNIGHT WHO WOULD NOT FIGHT was performed onstage by voice talent at Cardiff Animation Festival and I am currently in post-production on a short Latin-language Roman horror.
Often exploring esoteric spiritual worlds in my work, I am currently writing a contemporary TV thriller on a retired Benedictine Monk maintaining a vow of silence while attempting to solve a series of shocking didactic crimes against the church.
If I could write for any Marvel character – it’d be Doctor Druid, Star Wars – I’d like to explore the world of the Nerf Herder. My dream project would be Tobin’s Spirit Guide (spec script available!), and if I could choose a slice of American history to explore – it’d be the Aleutian Islands campaign – only the second time US soil was occupied by foreign troops.
Email: nomadchrismaudsley@gmail.com
Twitter: @chris_maudsley
Instagram: nomadchrismaudsley
Website: christopher-maudsley.tumblr.com
