Diane Whitley
- Writer
- Producer
- Actress
Diane is an experienced scriptwriter, showrunner, script editor and producer. She was born Wombwell, Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Diane originally trained for 3 years as an actor at Manchester Metropolitan University, but since the late eighties has forged a successful career as a producer and screenwriter.
From 1995-1998 she successfully combined a writing career with running her own production company, Bite-Back Productions, producing a short film "Boom Boom Clap," as well as numerous plays and documentaries for BBC Radio 4. She sold her radio plays "Castlehill" and "Flights of Fancy," and has had several plays and series broadcast on BBC Radio. Her stage plays include "Castlehill," "Vegetable."
Her extensive screenwriting and producing credits include the award winning feature film Boston Kickout (1995) (co-written with director Paul Hills), along with the TV shows Home Farm Twins (1999) (writer), Big Meg, Little Meg (2000) (co-creator/writer/series producer), six years as a writer on BAFTA winning long running serial Grange Hill (1978), and two years as the series producer on long running ITV serial Children's Ward (1989).
She worked as development producer and head writer/showrunner on series 1 and 2 of the RTS and BAFTA nominated hit gothic teen drama, Anubis (2011), which Lime Pictures and Studio 100 produced for Nickelodeon US & UK, spun off from the top rated Belgian series. She also wrote a feature length special of the show along with episodes for series 3. She has worked with Studio 100 on a number of other feature and TV series ideas. Her previous work includes writing and producing for Granada Kids on shows such as Girls in Love (2003), The New Worst Witch (2005) and 24Seven (2001) as well as writing on BAFTA nominated series Topsy and Tim (2013).
Diane has had one children's novel published in 2007 titled "My Nana is An Alien" and has produced or executive produced three successful short films. She has a number of original series ideas in development and won development finance from Creative England to develop a book to film adaptation of "Girl, Missing" by Sophie McKenzie, which she will write and produce.
She co-created CBBC's drama series World's End (2015), and teen mystery series Evermoor (2014) for Lime Pictures/Disney. Diane has written multiple episodes across all series of the BAFTA-nominated CBBC drama Jamie Johnson (2016), and has also worked on popular pre-school animated series Pyjamasques (2015). She was the showrunner on Les Mystères d'Hunter Street (2017) series 3 and 4 for Blooming Film TV & Nickelodeon. She has written for "Katie's Picture House" for New Moon TV and Channel 5, along with Bear Behaving Badly (2007) and Amandine Malabul, sorcière maladroite (2017). She also produced Jinx (2007) for Kindle Entertainment and Nickelodeon, then helping to develop the series which went on to be produced for CBBC.
As of September 2022 she is developing a new live action series for Nickelodeon and an original series idea with Rollem Productions. She also works as a consultant for Studio 100 (Belgium), and has various projects in development with Lime Pictures. Diane is also actively involved in Manchester theatre group JB Shorts who put on productions bi-annually at Joshua Brooks pub in Manchester.
Diane originally trained for 3 years as an actor at Manchester Metropolitan University, but since the late eighties has forged a successful career as a producer and screenwriter.
From 1995-1998 she successfully combined a writing career with running her own production company, Bite-Back Productions, producing a short film "Boom Boom Clap," as well as numerous plays and documentaries for BBC Radio 4. She sold her radio plays "Castlehill" and "Flights of Fancy," and has had several plays and series broadcast on BBC Radio. Her stage plays include "Castlehill," "Vegetable."
Her extensive screenwriting and producing credits include the award winning feature film Boston Kickout (1995) (co-written with director Paul Hills), along with the TV shows Home Farm Twins (1999) (writer), Big Meg, Little Meg (2000) (co-creator/writer/series producer), six years as a writer on BAFTA winning long running serial Grange Hill (1978), and two years as the series producer on long running ITV serial Children's Ward (1989).
She worked as development producer and head writer/showrunner on series 1 and 2 of the RTS and BAFTA nominated hit gothic teen drama, Anubis (2011), which Lime Pictures and Studio 100 produced for Nickelodeon US & UK, spun off from the top rated Belgian series. She also wrote a feature length special of the show along with episodes for series 3. She has worked with Studio 100 on a number of other feature and TV series ideas. Her previous work includes writing and producing for Granada Kids on shows such as Girls in Love (2003), The New Worst Witch (2005) and 24Seven (2001) as well as writing on BAFTA nominated series Topsy and Tim (2013).
Diane has had one children's novel published in 2007 titled "My Nana is An Alien" and has produced or executive produced three successful short films. She has a number of original series ideas in development and won development finance from Creative England to develop a book to film adaptation of "Girl, Missing" by Sophie McKenzie, which she will write and produce.
She co-created CBBC's drama series World's End (2015), and teen mystery series Evermoor (2014) for Lime Pictures/Disney. Diane has written multiple episodes across all series of the BAFTA-nominated CBBC drama Jamie Johnson (2016), and has also worked on popular pre-school animated series Pyjamasques (2015). She was the showrunner on Les Mystères d'Hunter Street (2017) series 3 and 4 for Blooming Film TV & Nickelodeon. She has written for "Katie's Picture House" for New Moon TV and Channel 5, along with Bear Behaving Badly (2007) and Amandine Malabul, sorcière maladroite (2017). She also produced Jinx (2007) for Kindle Entertainment and Nickelodeon, then helping to develop the series which went on to be produced for CBBC.
As of September 2022 she is developing a new live action series for Nickelodeon and an original series idea with Rollem Productions. She also works as a consultant for Studio 100 (Belgium), and has various projects in development with Lime Pictures. Diane is also actively involved in Manchester theatre group JB Shorts who put on productions bi-annually at Joshua Brooks pub in Manchester.
