Charlie Swinbourne is an RTS award-winning screenwriter and director. His work spans drama, comedy and documentary, with a strong interest in deaf culture and sign language.

Charlie recently wrote an episode of Waterloo Road for BBC and  is developing two series’ with West Road Pictures, HEAR NO EVIL and THE BUNKER; and has another original series in development with Water and Power. His latest episode of comedy series FOUR DEAF YORKSHIREMEN can be found here.

Recent credits include episodes of Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On, Casualty, Princess Mirror-Belle and a long-term storyline for Eastenders.

The special episode of Casualty which Charlie co-wrote played a key part in the programme’s 2021 RTS award for best soap or continuing drama, and was also nominated for a Rose D’Or award.

Charlie also developed a long-term storyline for Eastenders which led to the arrival of the show’s first deaf character, Frankie, and the concept for the groundbreaking ‘silent’ episode, which he worked as Story Consultant on.

Charlie’s previous writing credits include the award-winning half hour dramas My Song and Departure Lounge (BSL Zone/Film4) mockumentary Hands Solo (104 Films/U.K. Film Council), the mini-series The Fingerspellers (BSL Zone/Film4) and short comedies The Kiss and Coming Out.

In 2018, Charlie won the RTS Yorkshire Writer award for his innovative six-part sketch show Deaf Funny, which he also directed. Charlie also mentored three emerging deaf writers who wrote additional material for the series.

Charlie wrote four episodes of a sitcom called Four Deaf Yorkshiremen, following four grumpy and argumentative deaf pensioners, performed in BSL. The series highlights the physicality and warmth of sign language comedy.

In documentary, Charlie created and directed five episodes of the Found series of documentaries (BSL Zone/Film4), each telling three profoundly deaf people’s stories of how they discovered sign language for the first time. He has also written several charity shorts, with his short film about the Underwear Rule for the NSPCC clocking up over 1 million views online.

Charlie also wrote journalism pieces for the Guardian, Mirror and BBC Online. In 2012 he set up a blog for deaf people, The Limping Chicken, which has clocked up over 7 million views and has posted blogs by over 400 deaf people. Through the site, Charlie broke the international news story about the fake interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service.

Charlie has been awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of Wolverhampton for his work in Deaf media.