AN award-winning author and screenwriter has donated a medal and certificate to Falmouth University.

Last year Patrick Gale, an Honorary Fellow of Falmouth University, won the International Emmy for the two-part drama, Man in the Orange Shirt.

The statuette stayed with the show, but the nomination medal and certificate went home with Patrick, who has now kindly donated both to the Falmouth University archives. 

The medal sits alongside the scripts for the series, including the never-made third episode.

When asked how it felt to receive such a prestigious award, Patrick said: “It was completely amazing, not least because news of the show’s nomination came through well past the point when I was expecting any further excitement or responses.

"Several of us went to New York for the awards ceremony – both producers and the director – and had pretty much succeeded in convincing ourselves that being nominated was an award in itself, when lo and behold Best Short Drama or Mini-series was the first award announced and we won.” 

Patrick has donated a large quantity of materials from throughout his career, which are held in a special collection.

He has lived in Cornwall for 30 years and made his first donation to the Falmouth University archives in 2009; it now contains materials from all 17 of his novels, along with his screen and journalism work. 

Patrick donated the medal because he thought it was “important for writing students to be able to see an award. We all fixate on the writing process but – with screen projects at least – this is crucial but only the start of a long, long process".

He also admitted that he had “already managed to scratch it on the journey home and had “got rather tense” with how many fans were offering to buy it. 

Looking back at how Man in an Orange Shirt developed, Patrick said: “It was five years from our first meeting at the BBC where I received the commission to write Episode One to the screening of both episodes at the National Film Theatre. This award nomination came through another two and a half years after that. Alas, I didn’t get to come home with a handsome statuette as the Emmy was for the show, not its writing, and I was not a producer on the show. For my next show I have ensured I have an executive producer credit!” 

Patrick’s collection documents his entire career; from his earliest writing as a teenager, through his days as a jobbing journalist writing book reviews and Hollywood profiles for Marie Claire, through to his commercial success with novels such as Notes from an Exhibition (soon to be adapted for the big screen by Film4, filming this summer). 

Sarah Jane, archivist and special collections officer at Falmouth University, said: “[It] includes draft manuscript notebooks (the first draft of his novels are written long hand, in pen and ink – the books come to us well used and battered, full of crossings out and reworkings, smudges, dog paw prints and apple stickers – a real testament to his creative process). [There are also] editor’s notes, later drafts and research materials.” 

Each time Patrick finishes a cycle of writing, publishing and promotion, he donates the next set of materials to the archive. 

Sarah added: “The archive is used by Creative Writing, English and Professional Writing courses and illustrates a real-life industry example of the career and creative process of a writer. It is also used, like many of our Collections, by our creative students in other disciplines looking for inspiration for their own work, such as our Making:Archives project run with BA Textile Design.” 

 The Patrick Gale Collection is in good company, with archive collections from other Cornish writers and creative practitioners such as playwright Nick Darke, designer and pioneer of landscape theatre Bill Mitchell, as well as the archives of Kneehigh Theatre and Wildworks. 

To book a viewing of Patrick’s work in the archive, please email Sarah at archives@fxplus.ac.uk. It is open to all: staff, students and members of the public.