Emma Moran

Emma Moran
Medium	Television, theatre
Education	Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School; University College London (BA); University of Manchester (MA)
Years active	2017–
Genres	Comedy
Notable works and roles	Extraordinary

Emma Moran is an Irish^[1] screenwriter and comedian from County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.^[1][2] She is best known as the creator and writer of 2023 Hulu comedy series Extraordinary.

Early life

From Killadeas, a village a few miles north of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Moran attended Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School.^[2][3] She moved to London to complete an undergraduate degree at the University College London.^[3] Moran relocated for her post-grad degree, graduating with an MA in Screenwriting from the University of Manchester in 2020.^[4]

Career

Moran started performing stand-up comedy whilst at University and performed a sketch show Galpals at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with comedy partner Sarah King.^[5][6]

Moran wrote and produced comedy sketches for digital publisher The Hook and became part of the BBC's Comedy Room development group in 2019, following an application process in which she was selected from 2,728 received scripts.^[7] There, she was involved in writing for BBC comedy shows such as Have I Got News For You and Newsjack. She has guested on long-running BBC Radio 4 show Loose Ends, hosted by Clive Anderson and Emma Freud.^[8][9] Moran has also appeared as a guest on The Ryan Tubridy Show, a programme that was formerly broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, part of RTÉ, the state broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland.^[10]

Moran started writing the screenplay that became the Disney+ television series Extraordinary during her master's degree in Manchester. Initially, it was a flat share comedy without any superhero elements.^[11] After starting the script in 2020 she continued writing it during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic and called it her ‘lockdown baby’.^[12] With the script she won the inaugural Thousand Films scriptwriting competition.^[13]

Extraordinary

The script was optioned by Star Original for Disney+ in 2021 and executive producer Sally Woodward Gentle said "Emma Moran is Extraordinary. An extraordinary new writer with a brilliantly distinctive and ingenious voice."^[14] The first series of Extraordinary was released in January 2023 and was renewed for a second series that same month.^[15] Moran's work on the series has been praised by numerous critics. Time said "remember the name Emma Moran. She has achieved what once seemed impossible: She’s created a superhero comedy that’s actually funny.”^[16] Lucy Mangan in The Guardian described the first series as having “enough heart and good, unexpected one-liners..to keep you coming back for more and to mark 28-year-old debut writer Emma Moran as one to watch".^[17] Mike Hale in The New York Times said that Moran kept "various strains combined in a charming and consistently amusing fashion" adding "It helps that Moran’s comic sensibility is dirty-mouthed and dirty-minded in a completely disarming, sometimes painfully funny way".^[18] The series won Best Scripted Comedy at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2024.^[19][20] That month, the series was also nominated in the “Best Scripted Comedy” category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.^[21] The series was nominated for Best Comedy at the 2024 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.^[22]

In August 2024, she was announced to be adapting the Bella Mackie novel How to Kill Your Family for Netflix with Anya Taylor-Joy attached to the lead role.^[23]

References

1. 'VIP meets Irish screenwriter and Extraordinary creator Emma Moran' (VIP, 26 January 2023). https://vipmagazine.ie/emma-moran-interview/
2. '"Am I going to be a puppet or something?": Derry Girls star on landing role in Disney+ show' (Belfast Telegraph, 27 March 2024). https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/am-i-going-to-be-a-puppet-or-something-derry-girls-star-on-landing-role-in-disney-show/a1002982858.html
3. "Disney + Extraordinary: Creator Emma Moran talks about new show". impartialreporter.com. 26 April 2021.
4. "Screenwriting Graduate's comedy show 'Extraordinary' greenlit for Disney+". Manchester.ac.uk.
5. "Disney+ orders a 'uniquely British' superhero comedy". Chortle.
6. "Galpals: Because At The End Of The Day, That's What We'd Like To Be Known As". Comedy.co.uk.
7. "The two talented Fermanagh writers making waves in drama and comedy". Impartialreporter.com. 5 March 2020.
8. "Superpower comedy returns for second series to Disney+". Comedy.co.uk. 24 January 2023.
9. "The Comedy Room Writers". BBC.co.uk. 12 February 2020.
10. "Shoes On or Off in A House?". rte.ie. 5 November 2015.
11. "Emma Moran on Extraordinary: 'I kept sending Disney+ scripts, thinking – they're not gonna like this". National World.
12. "VIP meets Irish screenwriter and Extraordinary creator Emma Moran". VIPMagazine.ie. 26 January 2023.
13. "Exclusive: Extraordinary's Emma Moran reveals the true message of her hit new show". Stylist.
14. "Disney+ developing new Extraordinary Emma Moran comedy". Avingagiragge. 15 April 2021.
15. "Disney+ Greenlights Second Season Of Superhero Series 'Extraordinary' From 'Killing Eve' Producer Sid Gentle". Deadline. 25 January 2023.
16. "Extraordinary Is an Instant Classic Among Superhero Comedies". Time. 25 January 2023.
17. "Extraordinary review – help, my bum has become a 3D printer!". The Guardian. 25 January 2023.
18. Hale, Mike (24 January 2023). "'Extraordinary' Review: The Power of Powerlessness". The New York Times.
19. Szalai, Giorg (26 March 2024). "Hannah Waddingham, 'Happy Valley,' Bella Ramsey Among Winners of Royal Television Society Awards". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
20. "RTS PROGRAMME AWARDS 2024". RTS.org.uk. 7 March 2024.
21. Richardson, Hollie (20 March 2024). "Bafta TV awards 2024 nominations: full list". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
22. "lBroadcasting Press Guild Awards 2024 nominees". Comedy.co.uk. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
23. Tinson, Emma (21 August 2024). "Anya Taylor-Joy to lead murderous Netflix revenge series "I knew I had to be a part of bringing this story to life."". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 August 2024.

External links

• Emma Moran at IMDb