Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 25, 2026

Shaun Kitchener

Shaun Kitchener is an English stage and screen writer, and journalist.

Last revised
Jul 25, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗

Shaun Kitchener is an English stage and screen writer, and journalist.

Career

Kitchener studied English literature and drama at The University of East Anglia,1 before completing the young writers' programme at the Royal Court Theatre.2 In 2015, his debut full-length play Positive - in which he also performed - was staged at Park Theatre, London,34 after earlier versions were self-produced for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and London's Waterloo East Theatre.5 For the latter production, he was nominated for Most Promising New Playwright at The Offies.6

In 2016, one of his spec scripts was a winner of the BAFTA Rocliffe prize for TV Comedy,7 and in 2017 he joined the writing team of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. He has written over 60 episodes as of 2024.8

In 2018, his play All That was produced at the King's Head Theatre, London, and in 2021 it was revived as the same theatre's Queer Season headliner.9 For the latter production, Kitchener received an Offies nomination for Best New Play,10 but the final week of performances was cancelled due to a cast member testing positive for COVID-19.11 Sister Dating Swap, a television film he wrote for Reel One Entertainment, was released to Amazon Freevee in 2024.12 In March 2024, his debut short film Toothbrush, which he wrote and directed, had its world premiere at BFI Flare.13 It was nominated for Best Drama Short at New York CineFest in April 2025.14

In January 2024, he was announced as the writer of Here & Now, the official jukebox musical for the British pop group Steps.15 The show had its world premiere at Birmingham's The Alexandra in November 2024, and began a 29-venue UK and Ireland tour in August 2025, scheduled to run until May 2026.16 It received positive reviews,1718 and was nominated for Best New Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards.19

As an entertainment journalist and columnist, Kitchener has written for outlets including Metro, PinkNews, Daily Mirror and Attitude.20212223

References

References

  1. Wheat, Rosie (2012-06-02). "Norwich students off to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  2. O'Hanlon, Dom (2016-06-08). "Positive by Shaun Kitchener at the Waterloo East Theatre". London Theatre. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
  3. "Positive review, Park Theatre, London (Finsbury Park), 2015". The Stage. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  4. "Positive: Introducing a comedy about HIV/AIDS". theartsdesk.com. 2015-06-29. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  5. Gunn, Amy (2014-05-31). "Positive: Interview with Shaun Kitchener & Timothy George". Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  6. admin (2019-04-12). "2014: Full Run: Plays: Most Promising New Playwright - Shaun Kitchener - Positive". The Offies. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  7. "BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Showcase - TV Comedy 2016" (PDF). BAFTA. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  8. "Hollyoaks: Carter's exit plan continues". Digital Spy. 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  9. "Former Hollyoaks star Imran Adams to make stage debut in LGBTQ+ play". Digital Spy. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  10. admin (2022-01-19). "2021: Full Run: Plays: New Play - Shaun Kitchener - All That". The Offies. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  11. "King's Head show cut short by Covid despite isolation rule change". The Stage. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  12. "What to watch on Prime Video in February 2024 from The Grand Tour to Mr and Mrs Smith". Yahoo News. 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  13. Czyzowska, Elise (2024-03-14). "From Part-Time Filmmaking to BFI Flare with Shaun Kitchener". MetFilm School. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  14. "2025 New York CineFest Awards". New York CineFest. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  15. "Steps musical: Here and Now dates, tickets and more". Official Charts. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  16. "Steps musical Here and Now to embark on major tour next year – with dates confirmed". 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  17. Cragg, Michael (2025-09-05). "Here & Now review – Steps supermarket musical is a sweep of bangers, bops and ballads". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  18. Tabberer, Jamie (2024-12-02). "HERE & NOW review: Steps jukebox musical is utterly steptacular". Attitude. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  19. "The 26th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards: full list of nominees". 2025-12-11. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  20. Kitchener, Shaun (2023-08-20). "Laddy culture put me off football – the Lionesses have renewed my love of the game". Metro. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
  21. Kitchener, Shaun (2022-02-21). "The glorious, vital and sometimes messy queer history of British TV soaps". PinkNews. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  22. Kitchener, Shaun (2013-08-10). "The evolution of Miley Cyrus: Why change is good". The Mirror. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  23. Kitchener, Shaun (2017-09-07). "BBC confirms another broadcaster has poached The Voice UK". Attitude. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
External links