Heralded by BAFTA- and Emmy-winning Jack Thorne as "a tremendous talent", Josh Merritt is a neurodivergent / disabled (autistic & dyspraxic) Screenwriter with over 10 years of experience across film, television, theatre & radio. He is a writer on Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures / Channel 4), one of the UK's longest-running TV drama series. Represented by Andrew Mills. Ambassador to the influential, BAFTA-winning TripleC / DANC (Disabled Artists Networking Community).
His 2022 drama film, Breathe (commissioned by BBC Four), is now available to watch on BBC. It has been screened widely with the BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying Oska Bright Film Festival plus the Barnes Film Festival (patroned by such giants as Vanessa Redgrave, Stanley Tucci, Sue Vertue and Steven Moffatt). Neal Edelstein (producer of Mulholland Drive, The Ring franchise, and Netflix's Fractured) described Breathe as "well done" and "great".
Josh is working as a Script / Story Consultant on the upcoming feature film, Kerry's Brother Ben (produced by Plan Nine Pictures). In development are an original comedy-drama series that's optioned with Steve November (former head of ITV Drama) and his production company, Further South. Plus Josh is Co-Creator / Screenwriter on an original TV show with Gurinder Chadha (writer-director of Bend It Like Beckham).
Josh is also developing a feature film with Nigel Cole (director of Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham, A Lot Like Love, Doc Martin); plus short films with Simon Smith (Emmy- & BAFTA-winning editor of Chernobyl and Star Wars: Andor; director of Sky Studios-commissioned short film, Murmur), Matt Holt (Rose d'Or- and Cannes Lion-winning director of A Kind of Spark, Perfect, Horrible Histories) & Gina Lyons (BAFTA-winning producer of In My Skin, Dreaming Whilst Black, and the US / CBS remake of Friday Night Dinner), and Tyler Macintyre (director of Tragedy Girls, V/H/S/99, the upcoming It's a Wonderful Knife; co-writer of Five Nights at Freddy's).
In 2021, Josh's debut play Maddie sold out its entire run at London's Arcola Theatre. Josh's script was published to tie in with the production. On its opening night, LondonTheatre1 gave the show a glowing **** review and announced that we are "the kind of story not often seen on stage".
In 2020, Josh was awarded Arts Council England funding to write & direct a remotely-shot comedy film, Vodka Pants, starring David Schaal (The Office, The Inbetweeners, Ghosts and Ben Wheatley's Down Terrace). Screening as part of the 2024 BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying Oska Bright Film Festival.
Two of Josh's films, Echoes and Delays Imminent, have visited festivals across the globe and screened on television. Echoes was nominated for 'Best Screenplay' and 'Best Director' at the Sunlight International Film Festival. Josh's 2014 directorial debut, Playtime (for which he co-wrote the screenplay), was produced as part of the Barbican Young Filmmakers scheme and won 'Best Film Noir' (as chosen by the producers of Hollywood classic, Sin City).
Josh's play, Electric Backpack, was commissioned by the New Wolsey Theatre's Testing Ground programme in 2020. That same year, Josh was one of eight writers / co-creators commissioned to write a play for and be published by Boundless Theatre (For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy) for the nationwide project, Signal Fires.
His other plays have been produced at Folkestone's Quarterhouse Theatre and London's Shoreditch Town Hall.
Josh is a founding member of Barbican Young Filmmakers and co-creator of the multimedia stage show Unleashed, which The Independent gave a ***** review.
Josh was a supporting artist on the Broadcast Award-winning Then Barbara Met Alan (BBC / Netflix) and featured in publicity. He has also written for Rory Bremner on BBC Radio 4, who hails Josh as an "exciting & talented writer".
His 2022 drama film, Breathe (commissioned by BBC Four), is now available to watch on BBC. It has been screened widely with the BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying Oska Bright Film Festival plus the Barnes Film Festival (patroned by such giants as Vanessa Redgrave, Stanley Tucci, Sue Vertue and Steven Moffatt). Neal Edelstein (producer of Mulholland Drive, The Ring franchise, and Netflix's Fractured) described Breathe as "well done" and "great".
Josh is working as a Script / Story Consultant on the upcoming feature film, Kerry's Brother Ben (produced by Plan Nine Pictures). In development are an original comedy-drama series that's optioned with Steve November (former head of ITV Drama) and his production company, Further South. Plus Josh is Co-Creator / Screenwriter on an original TV show with Gurinder Chadha (writer-director of Bend It Like Beckham).
Josh is also developing a feature film with Nigel Cole (director of Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham, A Lot Like Love, Doc Martin); plus short films with Simon Smith (Emmy- & BAFTA-winning editor of Chernobyl and Star Wars: Andor; director of Sky Studios-commissioned short film, Murmur), Matt Holt (Rose d'Or- and Cannes Lion-winning director of A Kind of Spark, Perfect, Horrible Histories) & Gina Lyons (BAFTA-winning producer of In My Skin, Dreaming Whilst Black, and the US / CBS remake of Friday Night Dinner), and Tyler Macintyre (director of Tragedy Girls, V/H/S/99, the upcoming It's a Wonderful Knife; co-writer of Five Nights at Freddy's).
In 2021, Josh's debut play Maddie sold out its entire run at London's Arcola Theatre. Josh's script was published to tie in with the production. On its opening night, LondonTheatre1 gave the show a glowing **** review and announced that we are "the kind of story not often seen on stage".
In 2020, Josh was awarded Arts Council England funding to write & direct a remotely-shot comedy film, Vodka Pants, starring David Schaal (The Office, The Inbetweeners, Ghosts and Ben Wheatley's Down Terrace). Screening as part of the 2024 BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying Oska Bright Film Festival.
Two of Josh's films, Echoes and Delays Imminent, have visited festivals across the globe and screened on television. Echoes was nominated for 'Best Screenplay' and 'Best Director' at the Sunlight International Film Festival. Josh's 2014 directorial debut, Playtime (for which he co-wrote the screenplay), was produced as part of the Barbican Young Filmmakers scheme and won 'Best Film Noir' (as chosen by the producers of Hollywood classic, Sin City).
Josh's play, Electric Backpack, was commissioned by the New Wolsey Theatre's Testing Ground programme in 2020. That same year, Josh was one of eight writers / co-creators commissioned to write a play for and be published by Boundless Theatre (For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy) for the nationwide project, Signal Fires.
His other plays have been produced at Folkestone's Quarterhouse Theatre and London's Shoreditch Town Hall.
Josh is a founding member of Barbican Young Filmmakers and co-creator of the multimedia stage show Unleashed, which The Independent gave a ***** review.
Josh was a supporting artist on the Broadcast Award-winning Then Barbara Met Alan (BBC / Netflix) and featured in publicity. He has also written for Rory Bremner on BBC Radio 4, who hails Josh as an "exciting & talented writer".