Lynda La Plante

Lynda La Plante is an English screenwriter, author and former actress who was raised in Crosby, Liverpool, and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. As Lynda Marchal she acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in series such as Z-Cars and The Sweeney, then took her first scriptwriting job in 1974 on The Kids from 47A. Her first major success as a writer came in 1983 with Widows, a six-part robbery drama she created for Thames Television. She created Prime Suspect, released by Granada Television in 1991 and starring Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison; it won La Plante an Edgar Award in 1993. After forming La Plante Productions in 1993, she wrote and produced series including The Governor, Supply & Demand and Trial & Retribution. Her honors include two Emmy Awards for Prime Suspect, BAFTA's Dennis Potter Award in 2001, a CBE in 2008 and the Diamond Dagger in 2024.