Class of 1994 English graduate celebrates win at Oscars for screenwriting

Peter's time at Newcastle University

Growing up just a stone’s throw away from campus in Bensham, Peter joined Newcastle University’s School of English in the early 1990s following a music career with band The Honest Johns. During his studies, Peter still dipped his toes in the local music scene with band Cactusman, but quickly turned his attention to playwriting and the stage.

Just three years after graduating from Newcastle University, Peter won the 1997 Northern Arts Writer’s Award and became the Writer in Residence at Newcastle’s Live Theatre. Fellow alumni may recall the first of his plays to be staged, Bones, a gripping black comedy set in 1960s Gateshead.

Notable film and TV credits

Peter has worked as a screenwriter since the early 2000s, with notable film and TV credits including the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall starring Damien Lewis; Toby Young's How to Lose Friends and Alienate People; The Men Who Stare at Goats starring George Clooney and John le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, for which Peter received his first Oscar nomination in 2011.

Peter’s win at the 2025 Oscars completes the trio in his awards cabinet: having won a BAFTA for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and a Golden Globe at the start of the year, also for Conclave.

Professor Helen Freshwater, Head of Newcastle University's School of English, said:

"We are thrilled to hear about Peter's success in the Oscars this year. His journey from Newcastle University graduate to award winning screenwriter is incredibly inspiring for our current creative writing students. Peter has also worked closely with the Live Theatre as part of their Writer in Residence programme, which is just one fantastic example of the unique initiatives available in the North East for aspiring writers and creatives. Congratulations from all of us in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Newcastle University!"

Conclave

Conclave is a political thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto and Isabella Rosellini. It is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and explores the mysterious process of electing a new Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Cardinal Lawrence (played by Fiennes) uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake —secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.

After premiering at the 51st Telluride Film Festival in August last year, Conclave was released in cinemas in the US and UK at the end of 2024. The film has grossed $101 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, directing, screenplay, and cinematography.

What's next?

Peter’s next project, scheduled to be released in cinemas later this year, is an adaptation of the Don Winslow novella Crime 101 starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Halle Berry and Monica Barbaro.

While Peter now lives in Hove on the Sussex coast, he found time during the run-up to the Oscars to return to Newcastle, attending a New Writing North Screenwriting Weekender at Live Theatre, where his early work was staged, and also a special screening of Conclave at Tyneside Cinema.

From all of us at Newcastle University, huge congratulations Peter!