Jonathan writes for film, stage, TV, radio and animation. His first play was commissioned by the Oxford Playhouse Company (MAKING A DIFFERENCE) and he has since written stage plays for the fringe, rep and the National Theatre (DIARY OF A NOBODY). As a film-writer, he was commissioned to write MALLORY and a feature version of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, both for Damian Lewis (co-producing and starring) and Amber Entertainment. He has also written episodes for TV series such as THE BILL, EASTENDERS and HOLBY CITY. THE CANTERBURY TALES (HBO/S4C) was his first animated film – he was Nominated for an Oscar and went on to win a BAFTA, four EMMYs and many other awards worldwide.

He has written over fifty original plays for radio and podcast. He created the series NUMBER 10 for BBC Radio 4 which won the 2010 Writers Guild Award for Best Radio Drama. His adaptation of Vasily Grossman’s LIFE AND FATE was the centerpiece of R4’s Autumn 2011 season. In late 2019, the prequel GROSSMAN’S WAR: STALINGRAD (Nominated for Best Adaptation at the 2021 BBC Audio Drama Awards) was broadcast, as well as THE REPUBLICANS, a 6-part series following the political swings of the Republican party through the personal stories of its presidents. Other radio dramas include a trilogy about THE CLINTONS, REYKJAVIK and HOW DID I GET HERE?; three plays in THE PRICE OF OIL season for Nicolas Kent; BORN IN THE DDR, a Saturday Play; and a dramatisation of Walter Scott’s TALISMAN, and THE RESERVE ROPE, both for Brill Productions/BBC.

His first podcast was THAT WAS THEN, a 15-part thriller, in 2018. In 2020 he wrote and directed the hugely successful 16-part podcast series NUREMBERG, for Promenade Productions and BBC Sounds. This was followed in 2022 by a 16-part podcast NAZIS: THE ROAD TO POWER also for Promenade/BBC. Also in 2022 he wrote 4AM KYIV IS BOMBED and an adaptation of Emmett Grogan’s RINGOLEVIO for Holy Mountain/BBC, and most recently an adaptation of Andrew Harding’s book about the Ukraine war, A SMALL STUBBORN TOWN, again for Holy Mountain/BBC.

He is the author of two novels – NOISE and YOUR FATHER – both published by Headline Review. A frequent contributor to The Guardian, he also wrote a column about his experiences as a Labour Councillor in Lambeth. Until 2018 he was Director of the MA in Creative Writing at City University, London.