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Margaret Elaine Collins (born 21 April 1958) is a Scottish actress and producer.

Career

Collins made her acting debut in 1975, appearing in a guest role in the series Lord Peter Wimsey. Her most prominent roles include films such as Soft Top Hard Shoulder (1992), Mrs Brown (1997), The Wyvern Mystery (2000) and television shows City Lights (1984–1987), Selling Hitler (1991), Psychos (1999).

Since the 2000s, Collins prefers to work behind the camera. She was an associate producer on the 2001 drama film Strictly Sinatra. She worked as a script editor on the detective series A Touch of Frost from 2008 to 2010. In 2011, she became a producer and executive producer at ITV Studios, and helped to create the crime mystery Vera. Collins joined BBC Drama in 2014 as a creative director, where she was responsible for developing and producing first three series of the crime drama Shetland.

In 2017, she founded film production company Tod Productions. She produced the thriller Criminal Record for Apple TV+ in collaboration with STV Studios, which premiered in 2024.

Tod's slate of television dramas in the pipeline includes a couple of book adaptations. They F*ck You Up, scripted by Thomas Eccleshare and directed by Collins' husband Peter Capaldi, is based on Sarah Naish's memoir But He Looks So Normal: A Bad-Tempered Parenting Guide for Adopters and Foster Parents. The Jigsaw Murders is about the 1935 murders of Dr Buck Ruxton and based on the true crime book The Jigsaw Murders: The True Story of the Ruxton Killings and the Birth of Modern Forensics by journalist and author Jeremy Craddock.

In 2024 it was announced that Collins and Tod Productions had optioned Charles Beaumont's espionage novel A Spy Alone.

Personal life

Collins has been married to the actor Peter Capaldi since 1991. They met in 1983 while working for the Paines Plough Theatre Company. They have a daughter born in 1992 and two grandsons (b. 2021 and 2023). The family lives in Muswell Hill, London.

Theatre

Filmography

Actress

Film

Television

Writer

Producer

References

1. Higson, Richard (2 November 2020). "Soft Top Hard Shoulder (Limited Edition Blu-Ray)". We Are Cult. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
2. ^ McLean, Marc (6 August 2013). "Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi: My wife has been the foundation for my career". Daily Record. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
3. Eisner, Ken (20 June 2001). "Strictly Sinatra". Variety. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
4. "Ann Cleeves: TV Adaptations of Vera and the Shetland series". WHSmith Blog. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
5. Chapman, Alexandra (26 September 2014). "Vera producer joins new BBC drama team". Broadcast. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
6. "Media release: Elaine Collins joins forces with STV Drama". allmediascotland.com. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
7. Reyes, Mike (17 January 2024). "Criminal Record's Creators Took Inspiration From The 'Machismo' Of Michael Mann Movies, But Twisted It Especially For Their Apple TV+ Series". CinemaBlend. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
8. "HEAR FROM THE TEAM BEHIND CRIMINAL RECORD". TOD Productions. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
9. "TOD PRODUCES PILOT FOR SKY COMEDY". TOD Productions. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
10. Kanter, Jake (30 December 2022). "Peter Capaldi-Directed Parenting Comedy 'They F**k You Up' In Works At Sky". Deadline.com. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
11. Guide, British Comedy. "They F**K You Up - Sky Comedy Comedy Drama". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
12. "RIGHTS SECURED FOR TRUE CRIME BOOK ON INFAMOUS 'JIGSAW MURDERS'". TOD Productions. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
13. "Gruesome 'Jigsaw Murders' case of killer Scots doctor who scattered severed heads to be turned into TV drama - Daily Record". www.dailyrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
14. "STV Productions partner Tod signs up to put true crime drama on screen - Business Insider". www.insider.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
15. televisual.com; Considine, Pippa (2024-09-30). "Tod secures rights to A Spy Alone". Televisual. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
16. "Tod Productions options Charles Beaumont espionage thriller A Spy Alone". C21media. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
17. Daniels, Nia (2024-09-30). "Criminal Record producers acquire spy novel". The Knowledge Online. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
18. Novak, Kim (1 September 2021). "Doctor Who's Peter Capaldi has grandparent-ing down to a fine art as he spends time with baby". Metro. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
19. Lobb, Adrian (20 January 2024). "Peter Capaldi on why his new cop drama Criminal Record is going to be your next TV obsession". Big Issue. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
20. Thomas-Corr, Johanna (5 November 2015). "Peter Capaldi interview: 'Sexism in the TV industry is ridiculous'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 November 2015.

External links

• Elaine Collins at IMDb

• 1958 births
• 20th-century Scottish actresses
• 21st-century Scottish actresses
• Living people
• People from Lanarkshire
• Scottish film actresses
• Scottish stage actresses
• Scottish television actresses
• Scottish television producers