Mark O’Connell is a writer, author and cultural pundit. As a comedy writer he has written for a range of actors, directors and performers, sketch shows, sitcom projects, stand-up acts, promos, online shorts and the legendary Ronnie Corbett. His writing has featured across the BBC, Channel Four, Five, various Edinburgh Fringe productions and film festivals. He has worked with comedy legends Jon Plowman, John Sullivan, Paul Mendelson, and Jonathan Harvey (who Mark featured alongside in a BBC3 documentary, THE LAST LAUGH). Mark appeared in Sky Movies BOND’S GREATEST MOMENTS, headlined a POLARI literary salon at the Southbank Centre, and was a ‘BBC Comedy Apprentice’ on Jonathan Harvey’s BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (BBC2).

As a warm-witted pop culture pundit, he appears on various BBC stations and shows, Yahoo Movies, Five Live, Variety, Playboy, The Times, Channel 5 News, Talk Sport, The Guardian and the Sunday Express. He is a warm witted guest, contributes to America’s prestigious OUT magazine, The Advocate, Pride Life, and various film sites. In 2012, he was chosen by London 2012 to be one of the official Storytellers of the London Olympics and he has a column for OUT entitled Tales from the Threshold.

His debut book CATCHING BULLETS – MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN was published by Splendid Books. With a Foreword by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who) and a Prelude by 007 producer Barbara Broccoli (“Catching Bullets is a wonderfully funny and touching memoir… Cubby would be proud”), the book is a gilded account of growing up as an eccentric film fan in the 1980s. CATCHING BULLETS was shortlisted for the 2013 POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE award.

Mark has also won the Jerwood Film Prize for SKEDADDLE (Five), the Lloyds Bank Film Challenge for Channel Four’s CARRYING DAD (“O’Connell shapes his characters with a knowing humour”, TIME OUT), one tenth of a BAFTA for The Comedy Unit’s BLOWOUT (2007) and praise from the Coen Brothers. He is also now LGBT travel writing.

Mark is proud to announce his second book is now published by The History Press. A part prequel to CATCHING BULLETS, WATCHING SKIES – STAR WARS, SPIELBERG AND US is about how George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, a shark, two motherships, some gremlins, ghostbusters and a man of steel jumped a whole generation to hyperspace (“An unmitigated delight” – Mark Gatiss).

Represented by Vivienne Clore