Rachel Lang MNZM is a New Zealand television screenwriter, executive producer and actor.[1] She co-created the television series Outrageous Fortune, Go Girls, This Is Not My Life, Mercy Peak, Nothing Trivial, The Blue Rose, and Filthy Rich. She was awarded an MNZM in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to television.[2][3][4]
Career
Lang graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1982 with a Diploma in Acting.[5] Lang's first work in script writing was as a script editor at TVNZ in the 1980s. She worked on episodes of Shark in the Park, Open House and movie Mark II.
From 1992 until 2000 she worked on Shortland Street, starting as a story liner then moving on to roles as story editor and executive producer. She was the first New Zealander employed as story editor on the show, with previous story editors employed from Australia.
In 1999 she created Jackson's Wharf, one of her first collaborations with Gavin Strawhan. They would go on to work together on Mercy Peak and Maddigan's Quest.
Filmography
Film
| Title | Year | Credited as | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writer | |||
| 13 Suspects | 2018 | Yes | Short film |
Television
| Title | Year | Credited as | Network | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Writer | Executive producer | ||||
| Open House | 1986–87 | No | No | No | Television One | Story editor |
| Gloss | 1987 | No | No | No | Network Two | Script editor |
| Shark in the Park | 1989–91 | No | No | No | Television One | Story editor Script editor |
| Shortland Street | 1992 | No | No | No | Channel 2 | Storyliner |
| City Life | 1998 | No | Yes (1) | Yes | TV2 | |
| Lawless | 1999 | Devised | No | No | TV2 | Television film Script editor |
| Jackson's Wharf | 1999–2001 | Yes | Yes (8) | Yes | TV2 | Executive producer (season 2) |
| Lawless: Dead Evidence | 2000 | Yes | No | No | TV2 | Television film |
| Lawless: Beyond Justice | 2001 | Yes | No | No | TV2 | Television film Script editor |
| Mercy Peak | 2001–04 | Yes | Yes (8) | Yes | TV One | |
| Outrageous Fortune | 2005–10 | Yes | Yes (35) | Yes | TV3 | Script editor (series 3–6) |
| Maddigan's Quest | 2006 | Developer | Yes (8) | No | TV3 | Script editor |
| Honest | 2008 | Yes | No | No | ITV | |
| Go Girls | 2009–13 | Yes | Yes (22) | Yes | TV2 | |
| This Is Not My Life | 2010 | Yes | Yes (4) | Yes | TV One | |
| The Almighty Johnsons | 2011–12 | Yes | Yes (2) | Yes | TV3 | Executive producer (series 1–2: 22 episodes) |
| Nothing Trivial | 2011–14 | Yes | Yes (20) | Yes | TV One | |
| The Blue Rose | 2013 | Yes | Yes (7) | Yes | TV3 | |
| Step Dave | 2014 | No | Yes (3) | No | TV2 | |
| When We Go to War | 2015 | No | Yes (4) | No | TV One | |
| Westside | 2015–20 | Yes | Yes (4) | No | Three | |
| Filthy Rich | 2016–17 | Yes | Yes (16) | Yes | TVNZ 2 | |
| Hyde & Seek | 2016 | Yes | Yes (5) | No | Nine Network | |
| Dirty Laundry | 2017 | Yes | No | Yes | TVNZ 1 | |
| Bad Mothers | 2019 | Yes | Yes (5) | Yes | Nine Network | |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | New Zealand Film and Television Awards | Best Script | Shortland Street | Nominated |
| 2005 | Qantas Television Awards | Best Script - Non-Factual Programme or Series | Outrageous Fortune, "The Cause of this Defect" | Won |
| 2006 | Outrageous Fortune | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Nominated | |||
| 2008 | Best Script, Drama/Comedy Programme | Won | ||
| 2009 | Won | |||
| 2010 | Go Girls | Nominated | ||
| 2006 | Air New Zealand Screen Awards | Best Script - Drama Series or Serial | Outrageous Fortune | Nominated |
| 2007 | Best Script, Drama - Television | Outrageous Fortune, episode 16 | Nominated | |
| Maddigan's Quest, episode 5 | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Monte Carlo TV Festival | Outstanding International Producer - Drama Series | Nothing Trivial | Nominated |