Troy Kennedy Martin

Biography: One of the great scriptwriters of British television, Troy Kennedy Martin leapt into fame at the start of the 60s, a prolific and provocative talent responsible for several plays and, most famously, a phenomenally large number of episodes of the acclaimed live drama series "Z Cars". This brought new realism and toughness to the conventional format of the TV cop show; quite simply, there had never been a drama series about the British police that came anywhere near it in matters of contoversy, accuracy or excitement. It was most noticeable that real police officers were amongst its biggest fans - it told it like it was. Martin also wrote plenty of film scripts, most famously for "The Italian Job" (1969), a film he disliked, and for the Arnold Schwarzenegger thriller "Red Heat". But television has always been where his prodigious talents have been best served.