Jesse Armstrong: Writing America from the Outside

This event takes place in the British Library Pigott Theatre and will be simultaneously live streamed on the British Library platform. Tickets may be booked either to attend in person, or to watch on our platform (online) either live or within 48 hours on catch up. Viewing links will be sent out shortly before the event

Jesse Armstrong was a writer on Veep and In the Loop, and creator and show-runner of HBO’s Succession, one of the most critically acclaimed television shows of the twenty-first century. For this one-off lecture he reflects on what it means to write about US politics, media and culture from the outside, and asks what is possible and what is out of bounds? Discover how far an American Studies background informs his work, and how he approaches writing comedy and drama in media-saturated world - that sometimes feels far beyond satire itself.

Presented by the Eccles Institute for the Americas.

Discounts available for British Library Members, and half price tickets available for students, under 26s and other concession groups.

Bar open from 18:00. Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event at 19:00.

Jesse Armstrong is the creator and showrunner of HBO’s Succession. He was previously co-creator and co-writer with Sam Bain of Peep Show and Fresh Meat and has worked on The Thick of It, Veep, andCharlie Brooker’s Black Mirror as well as the films, In The Loop and Four Lions. In 2016 Jonathan Cape published his first novel, Love Sex and Other Foreign Policy Goals.  Jesse was born and educated in Oswestry, Shropshire, and attended Manchester University where he studied American Studies as an undergraduate and American History for his MA.

Image courtesy HBO

The British Library is a charity. Your support helps us open up a world of knowledge and inspiration for everyone. Donate today.

This event takes place in the British Library Pigott Theatre and will be simultaneously live streamed on the British Library platform. Tickets may be booked either to attend in person, or to watch on our platform (online) either live or within 48 hours on catch up. Viewing links will be sent out shortly before the event

Jesse Armstrong was a writer on Veep and In the Loop, and creator and show-runner of HBO’s Succession, one of the most critically acclaimed television shows of the twenty-first century. For this one-off lecture he reflects on what it means to write about US politics, media and culture from the outside, and asks what is possible and what is out of bounds? Discover how far an American Studies background informs his work, and how he approaches writing comedy and drama in media-saturated world - that sometimes feels far beyond satire itself.

Presented by the Eccles Institute for the Americas.

Discounts available for British Library Members, and half price tickets available for students, under 26s and other concession groups.

Bar open from 18:00. Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event at 19:00.

Jesse Armstrong is the creator and showrunner of HBO’s Succession. He was previously co-creator and co-writer with Sam Bain of Peep Show and Fresh Meat and has worked on The Thick of It, Veep, andCharlie Brooker’s Black Mirror as well as the films, In The Loop and Four Lions. In 2016 Jonathan Cape published his first novel, Love Sex and Other Foreign Policy Goals.  Jesse was born and educated in Oswestry, Shropshire, and attended Manchester University where he studied American Studies as an undergraduate and American History for his MA.

Image courtesy HBO

The British Library is a charity. Your support helps us open up a world of knowledge and inspiration for everyone. Donate today.