Paul Abbott

Paul Abbott was a celebrated English television writer and producer. His early years were marked by a deeply unstable working-class home life, one in which both parents eventually abandoned Abbott and his nine siblings, leaving them essentially in the care of the eldest daughter. Abbott got his start as a story editor in 1987, working on the drama "Coronation Street," a long-running soap about regular Manchester folks. By 1994, he had stepped up to producer duties, and the following year, he added "writer" to his resume, working on the hit crime mystery "Cracker," which starred Robbie Coltrane as a forensic psychologist; the series earned Abbott his first BAFTA win for Best Drama. In 2000, several series writing credits later, Abbott created the drama "Clocking Off," another series devoted to Manchester's blue-collar inhabitants and received another BAFTA Best Drama win in 2001 for his efforts. Following the lauded crime miniseries "State of Play," he created another show, "Shameless," which drew on his parentless childhood amidst many siblings. The series, which is actually a comedy, and for which Abbott writes and executive produces, has been critically acclaimed and lasted much longer than any of his prior shows. Both "State of Play" and "Shameless" received American adaptations, with Abbott having a hand in the latter project, which proved to be quite successful as well. Clearly on a roll, he unveiled yet another show in 2012, the eccentric crime series "Hit & Miss."