Born and bred in Edinburgh, the son of a civil engineer, Jimmy Gardner had no intention of starting a career in television. After attending university in the late seventies, he drifted from job to job, working as a cab driver and street trader until his son was born. This appears to have been his wake-up call.

"I thought I'd better make something of my life! I was on this course and there was a friend who'd just started working in the industry and she was saying they needed good scripts. She knew I tinkered about with writing so she reckoned I should have a go."

On the strength of an award-winning film Jimmy made whilst at the Northern School of Film and Television, he found himself writing for several high-profile television shows, including The Cops. Now he's returned to World to pen episodes for Buried.