Brian’s new film, AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK, had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2009, followed by a broadcast on ITV1. The drama tells the story of Quentin Crisp’s latter years in New York in the 1980s and 1990s. Starring John Hurt – thirty three years after he first portrayed Crisp on screen. Co-stars include Dennis O’Hare, Jonathan Tucker and Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon.

Brian’s previous work on TV, includes THE CURSE OF STEPTOE, a single drama for BBC-4 which aired in March 2008. The drama was seen by 1.41 million viewers and remains BBC-4’s most watched programme to date:

‘A quality drama... the tough, funny, sad script and the subtly glorious performances of Jason Isaacs and Phil Davis revealed the parallel between the trapped, curtailed lives of Steptoe and son and the unfulfilled, unhappy actors who played them.’ The Times

‘It’s the tortured off-camera lives of Corbett and Brambell that mostly concerns writer Brian Fillis in his witty and well-observed story.’ THE DAILY Telegraph

‘I am rubbing my hands together with glee at the prospect of the first of BBC4’s season of biopics. Writer Brian Fillis showed his mettle with the excellent Fear of Fanny last year, and in this beautiful piece he turns his attentions to the spiky relationship between Harry H Corbett and Wilfred Bramble during the making of Steptoe and Son... This is cracking stuff, tragic and revealing throughout. Essential viewing.’ The Stage

‘I was worried beforehand that the notoriously tense antipathy between the pair would be exposed as melodrama, with the usual "tears of a clown" schtick. But this was a surprisingly restrained drama which treated its troubled subjects with empathy and respect.’

The Scotsman

Brian’s TV debut was his adaptation of his cult comic play FEAR OF FANNY for BBC4 starring Julia Davis and Mark Gatiss. The 90min television film about the life and supper times of the great cook/hostess Fanny Cradock aired on BBC4 on 23rd October 2006. It received its terrestrial premiere on BBC2 on New Years Eve 2006.

 ‘I don't remember when I last watched a more entertaining or cleverly performed 90-minute drama on British television.’ THE TIMES

‘The script is rainbow-hued… the epilogue will have you on your feet, throwing bouquets’

THE GUARDIAN

‘Every second is perfectly scripted… words cannot adequately convey the joy this programme will bring you.’ THE GUARDIAN GUIDE

‘The last line… is one of the best to grace a script in years.’ THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘A low-key triumph’ TIMEOUT

FEAR OF FANNY was nominated for a string of awards including a Broadcast award for best single drama and an RTS award for Julia Davis. Brian was himself nominated for the ‘Breakthrough talent’ award by BAFTA in 2007.

In his earlier life Brian studied English at Leeds University in the late 1980s but dropped out after two years. He was then a DJ at the Leeds Warehouse for two years – during the heady days of ‘baggy’ music and all things ‘Madchester’. In the early 90s he was the lead singer of a four-piece guitar band peddling 60s cover versions to working men’s clubs throughout the North West.  In 1996 Brian qualified as maths teacher and has to date published 10 maths text and teacher-resource books. In 2002 became a maths teaching consultant – effectively training teachers.

The NRG Theatre Company stage production of FEAR OF FANNY premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2002:

'a deft piece of theatre that avoids easy laughs...with something more poignant which exposes the unhappy woman who hid behind the exuberant evening gowns and alarming eyebrows.'

THE SUNDAY TIMES

'An excellent new piece...a gem of a play.' Scotsgay

'Don't miss what might be a future classic.' edinburghguide.com

FEAR OF FANNY then toured the UK in October and November 2003.

Brian's next play was NON-SCENE, a dark satire on the life of Lionel - a gay serial killer. The play premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2003. Charlotte Knight stumbled on the play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and left her card for him behind the bar. 

'... combines the muffled desperation of Alan Bennett's monologues with the brutal power-play of Entertaining Mr. Sloane... this disquieting production makes us snigger- then creeps up from behind and leaves a chill.' The Scotsman

Brian is currently working on BIG WHITE TAXI, a comic drama series for C4 based on the now infamous blog of London ambulance driver Tom Reynolds. The drama is in development with Hal Vogel and David Aukin at Daybreak pictures. He is also adapting the Whitbread-prize winning novel BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE MUSEUM by Kate Atkinson for BBC-1 with Lucy Bedford at Ecosse Films.

Brian is represented by Charlotte Knight