Private Project

GRAND THEFT POST-MORTEM

NICOLA PHILLIPS is 35, British, single, highly intelligent but also destitute. Unemployed, she spends most of her time scouring the obituaries and crashing local funeral wakes in search of a decent buffet to feed both herself and her beloved cat… ANGELA (MERKEL). But when Nicola infiltrates the patch of failed actress, turned second rate con woman, STEPH CROSSLAND (38, American, single & total fuckup) both of their covers are almost blown until Nicola’s ingenuity saves the day. Impressed by Nicola’s quick thinking (and, in truth, about as covert as a nun in a brothel) Steph makes Nicola a job offer. Desperate times call for desperate measures. ‘Good gal’ Nicola is forced to accept Steph’s offer and the pair form an unlikely crime partnership, crashing funerals to steal from the dead. But chaos and comedy are not the only things which ensue in this bittersweet tale of survival and unrequited love.

  • LINDA JANE BUTLER
    Writer
    Grand Theft Post-Mortem: FINALIST/S&Co Festival ‘22; SHORTLIST/TRIFORCE/UKTV WriterSlam ‘21; LONGLIST/Short Com TV Sitcom Writing Competition ‘21; LONGLIST/Funny Women Comedy Writing Award ‘22; QUARTERFINALIST/Table Read My Screenplay Competition - Park City ‘22; Debbie Nesbitt’s Not Dead Yet: LONGLIST/Female Pilot Club ‘22; A Couple’s Guide to Plantlife: PERFORMED/Pleasance Theatre, London ’22.
  • Project Type:
    Television Script
  • Number of Pages:
    34
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Writer Biography - LINDA JANE BUTLER

Linda achieved her first writing credit when short story ‘Partners’ was longlisted in the ‘Inktears Short Story Contest’. This darkly comic tale heralded her signature style and was subsequently included in the 2019 anthology ‘When You Read This I Will Be Dead’ (Michael Terence Publishing). October 2020 brought further recognition when short radio play ‘Alphabetti Spaghetti’ was chosen by Scriptwriters & Co for their Zoom-based scratch night and, in January 2021, it went on to win Linda a place in the Slackline Productions 'Sleepover'. Linda’s resulting 10-minute script, ‘Grand Theft Post-Mortem’, was written overnight, rehearsed and performed online in just twenty-four hours. Described as “…absolutely brilliant… funny and so entertaining” the play went on to receive the Audience Choice Award. Re-imagined as a 6 x 30-minute dark, comedy drama for TV, the show has received increasing recognition: a series pitch shortlisting in the TRIFORCE/UKTV Writerslam (May 2021); a series pitch/pilot episode longlisting in the Short Com TV Sitcom Writing Competition (July 2021); ‘finalist’ status, reaching the last five scripts in the ‘Best Shorter Film, TV Pilot or Play Script’ category at the Scriptwriters & Co International Festival (April 2022); a longlisting for the 2022 Funny Women Comedy Writing Award. (Sep 2022); and a quarterfinalist placing in the Table Read My Screenplay Competition - Park City (Dec 2022).

“Debbie Nesbitt’s Not Dead Yet” is Linda's latest TV pilot which was recently LONGLISTED in the UK 'Female Pilot Club' competition - September 2022).

Performances of Linda’s shorter scripts can be found by visiting the Slackline Productions’ Website/YouTube Channel (‘Grand Theft Post Mortem’) and the Lights Down Productions’ website/YouTube (‘Indigestion’ for the Light On Showcase - Series 2).

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