Wildefire

by Roy Williams

Do wrong, you get done, simple as. Gail Wilde is an average policewoman, but one who lives up to her nickname, ‘Wildefire’ – and in the precarious world of modern policing, being wild or full of fire is hardly likely to be appropriate for the job in hand . . . Suspicions surrounding Gail’s professional conduct reach fever pitch when a fellow officer is involved in a serious incident on the beat. Conspiracy theories and rumours are rife – not only at work but at home too – and a cycle of accusations and recrimination ensues, spiralling out of control. Roy Williams’s riveting thriller looks at the maelstrom of urban policing, and the mental and physical impact it has on the people we rely on to keep the peace. This edition published to coincide with the world premiere at Hampstead Theatre, London.

90 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2014

About the author

Born and brought up in Notting Hill, London, Roy Samuel Williams became a full time writer in his 20s after he took a theatre-writing degree at Rose Bruford College. His first full-length play was The No Boys Cricket Club, which premiered in 1996 at Theatre Royal Stratford East, since when he has had plays produced at the Royal Court, The Bush Theatre, The Hampstead Theatre and the National Theatre.

Williams has done work in television, including adapting his own play Fallout and also co-wrote the script for the 2014 British film Fast Girls. He has also written a police procedural series for BBC Radio The Interrogation.

In 2011, Williams received the best play award for Sucker Punch at the Writers Guild Awards. In 2020, he received an RTS nomination for Best Writer for Drama and BAFTA nomination for best short form Drama, both for Soon Gone, A Windrush Chronicle. In 2018 Williams was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Reviews

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - Punchy and fast paced. Some good, gritty monologues. Some of the language seems a bit samey for each character but overall a good dive into this world. Could of easily had more of a twist at the end which would have made it better, but still enjoyed it! I could see it working as a drama or series on TV, BBC or ITV style.

[Mugren Ohaly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Williams' use of language is horrific, it makes the characters sound manufactured and robotic.