Gurmeet Mattu

Scriptwriter for theatre, radio, television and film.

  A potted biography -

Gurmeet Mattu was born on the 21st of October 1955 in Glasgow. His parents are Indian Sikhs who came to Scotland in the 50s.

He began writing in his teens, mainly short stories and articles for magazines, as well as scripts for D.C.Thompson's comic book stable, but also gathered a sizable collection of rejection slips from potential publishers of his sciencefiction novels.

In 1984 he trained as a journalist at the Polytechnic of Central London and launched his first stage production CITIZEN SINGH, which he wrote with a colleague, Iain Hopkins. His subsequent media career is as follows.

1984
SIX OF THE BEST (Contributing writer, comedy series, Radio Clyde)
SPITTING IMAGE (Contributing writer, comedy series, LWT)
CITIZEN SINGH (Co-writer, stage play, Glasgow Arts Centre)

1985
SIEGE MENTALITY (Writer, stage play, Alienarts Company)
EASTERN ECHOES (Presenter/Reporter, BBC Radio Scotland)

1986
COWBOYS & INDIANS (Writer, stage play, TAG Theatre Company)
EVERY BLOODY SUNDAY (Co-writer with Iain Hopkins, stage play, GTF)

1987
A MsSIAH (Writer, stage play, Strathclyde Theatre Group)

1986/7
ASIA TODAY (Associate Editor, magazine)

1987/88
AZAD VIDEO WORLD (Editor, magazine)
THE STORMER (Writer, sketch, 7:84 Theatre Co.)

1990
SICK AS A PARROT (Writer, radio play, BBC Radio Scotland)

1991
THE FLIRT(Writer, radioplay, BBC Radio Scotland)

1992
THE GIFTIE GIENUS (Writer, sketch, 7:84 Theatre Co.)
This was a short play written as part of 7:84's SCOTLAND MATTERS project and deals, in a humorous way, with identity, nationalism andindependence.

1994
ASIAN VOICE (Editorial Consultant, newspaper)
THESE MAGIC WORDS (Writer, radio play, BBC Radio 4)

1995/96
COCONUTS (Writer, sit-com, commission - BBC Television)
DOC (Writer, sit-com, commission - BBC Television)

1997
SHOULDERS (Play, BBC Radio 4)
ROCKING THE RAJ (Play, Reading - Traverse Theatre)
A NIGHT AT THE CHAMBERS (Play, Commission - Traverse Theatre)

1999
DISCIPLE (First Draft Award Winner, Scottish Screen/DNA Films)

2000
COMMON CAUSE Writer/DirectorofVideo Documentary

Extracts from newspaper reviews of some of the above are below.

CITIZEN SINGH
"Billy Connolly spiced with curry" - The Scotsman

SIEGE MENTALITY
"Mattu may well prove to be the voice of his generation" - The Scotsman
"His unfailing sense of humour sends up everythingand everybody, including himself ... an inspired script by the talented Gurmeet Mattu" - Glasgow Herald

COWBOYS & INDIANS
"The script itself is youthful, fantastical, verbally over-exuberant ... Mattu has created a quartet of thoroughly workable and believablecharacters ... the weird, exuberant, density of his languagedemonstrates beyonddoubt that he has absorbed the unique rhythms and atmosphereof the city" -The Guardian

"This cheerfully fanciful tale of business derring-do and star-crossed romance brings together a thoughtful span of issues that relate to establishing one's own identity. Mattu's serious, sincere message would seem to be that the most important element in decidingwho you are is to declare yourself a human being among other human beings"- Glasgow Herald

"Mattu approaches his subject with wit and sympathy. An intelligent, lively and funny play" - The List

A MsSIAH
"There is good writing here" - Glasgow Herald

"Mr Mattu certainly does not shirk big issues"- The Scotsman

SICK AS A PARROT
"What made this engaging small play was playwright Gurmeet Mattu's accurate ear for Glasgow speech and the neatly turned way in which he used the waywardness of adolescent devotion" - The Guardian

THE STORMER
(from Long Story Short)
"Gurmeet Mattu provided the most rewarding theatrical experience - an off-beat romantic comedy, full of incident, colour and suspense" - Sunday Times

"Of particular note was the sketch by GurmeetMattu" - Edinburgh Evening News

"The richest vein of comedy was mined in 'TheStormer' by Gurmeet Mattu" - The Scotsman

THE GIFTIE GIEN US
(from Scotland Matters)
" ... held its good wine to the last. Gurmeet Mattu, already an accomplished playwright, is somebody we will be hearing much more from. His cross-cultural influences give him strong insight into the Scottish scene. There is a full lengthplay here. I look forward to it with relish. Perhaps 7:84 might find its soul by doing it" - Sunday Times

"Gurmeet Mattu's 'The Giftie Gien Us', wisely saved till last, is the only one to address the question of nationhood head-on, neatly balancing an allegorical love story with a typically 90's marketing campaign" - The List

"The idea of independence is finally confronted in Gurmeet Mattu's excellent 'The Giftie Gien Us" - Edinburgh Evening News
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In the field of arts administration Gurmeet Mattu has been the co-ordinatorof the Glasgow Mela (Asian Festival) from 1990-1993. In 1990,as part of Glasgow, European Capital of Culture, the Mela ran for 11 days,attracted 70,000 people and was the largest Asian cultural event to beheldin Europe.

Gurmeet Mattu has also acted as a freelance creative consultant in advertising and marketing for companies such as Harlequin Restaurant Group, Citroen Cars, Ross Harper (Solicitors), Ramaco Ltd, Kohli Travels, Starstruck Sound &Light, Azad Video and Mitchell's Bistro.

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