Steven Canny

Steven Canny is an Executive Producer in BBC Comedy and a playwright.^[1]

Canny began his career as a theatre director and writer. He was associate director for theatre company Complicite from 1999-2004 and productions included Mnemonic, The Noise of Time and Steven was Associate Director on Al Pacino's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.^[2]

In 2009 he won the Sony Gold Drama Award for Mr Larkin's Awkward Day a comedy radio play by Chris Harrald, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 29 April 2008 as the Afternoon Play.^[3] The Sony Gold citation said: "Assured direction, excellent performances and concise, skilfully-researched writing all made this deceptively straightforward story a masterpiece. Funny and touching by turns, a single, seemingly insignificant incident in the life of Philip Larkin brought out the humanity and humour of a poet whose personal life is not commonly associated with either."

In 2010 he won the Sony Gold Drama Award for People Snogging in Public Places by one of Britain's most interesting and distinctive writers Jack Thorne. It was broadcast on Radio 3's The Wire. The Sony Gold citation said: "The judges described this as a wonderfully written and performed, highly original piece of radio drama in which the production perfectly mirrored the subject. Painful and funny, it was a bold exciting listen." The production was also shortlisted for the 2010 Prix Italia and the Tinniswood Award.^[4]

Canny was listed as the Executive Producer of the winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Sony Awards for Best Comedy in 2011.^[5] He was Executive Producer of the pan-BBC initiative for the Edinburgh Festival in 2011.^[6] In March 2012 the BBC recorded a version of Canny and John Nicholson's comedy version of The Hound of the Baskervilles as part of the More Than Words festival.^[7] By Autumn 2014 The Hound of the Baskervilles has had more than 40 theatrical productions worldwide with the majority being in the US.^[8]

Canny was Executive Producer of more than 300 hours of comedy on Radio 4 including: News Quiz, Tom Basden's Party, Rudy's Rare Records, Radio 4's Advent Calendar and The Show What You Wrote.^[9]

Plays written include: A Dulditch Angel,^[10] Spyski (revived as The Importance of Being Honest),^[11] Origins,^[12] No Wise Men,^[13] The Hound of the Baskervilles^[14] and The Arthur Conan Doyle Appreciation Society.^[15]

In September 2013 BBC Comedy announced that they had appointed Canny as Executive Producer, Comedy for BBC Scotland.^[16] There he has been the Executive Producer of Miller's Mountain,^[17] (winner Scottish BAFTA Best Comedy 2014 ^[18]), Bob Servant,^[19] Don't Drop the Baton,^[20] Comedy Playhouse: Where it All Began,^[21] What's Funny about the Indyref,^[22] Stop/Start.^[23]

References