Jake Brunger is a London based playwright, lyricist and screenwriter originally from Nottingham.

His stage adaptation of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF (★★★★ The Times, The Telegraph, The Observer, Daily Mail, Metro, Daily Express, Whatsonstage) recently played a limited 12-week season at the Noël Coward Theatre in London’s West End directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and produced by Mark Goucher & Love Productions. The show originally premiered at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham in July 2022. The Original West End Cast Recording - available on Spotify and Apple Music - was recently released by Sony Masterworks Broadway.

His debut feature film LOVE SARAH starring Celia Imrie, Bill Paterson and Rupert Penry-Jones premiered at the 2020 Glasgow Film Festival and upon its theatrical release in June 2020 reached #1 at the New Zealand Box Office and #4 at the Australian Box Office. It was released on Netflix in July 2022 reaching #5 in Netflix’s Top 10 Films.

Jake’s critically acclaimed stage musical adaptation of Sue Townsend's bestselling novel THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE AGED 13 3/4 ran for a 16-week summer season at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End from June 2019 following runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Leicester Curve. The show was nominated for the 2018 Evening Standard Award for Best Musical with the Original London Cast Recording released by Sony Masterworks Broadway. The show is now regularly performed by theatre companies all over the UK with the first actor-musician revival opening at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch in April 2022.

Jake’s stage play FOUR PLAY (“a tightly-structured, intelligent play that veers from laugh-out-loud comedy to thoughtful drama with real skill” - The Stage) was first seen at the Old Vic Theatre in 2015 starring Richard Madden and Jeremy Irvine before completing a sell-out four-week run at Theatre 503. The playtext is published by Nick Hern Books and has enjoyed subsequent productions across the UK including a six-week off-West End revival in January 2020 and is regularly performed by drama schools. It will have its US premiere in San Francisco in Summer 2024. His other plays include PEOPLE LIKE US (Pleasance Theatre) directed by Kirsty Patrick Ward and SAM’S GAME (Lakeside Arts Centre) directed by Indhu Rubasingham.

He has worked extensively as a musical theatre librettist and lyricist, including RED RIDING HOOD, TREASURE ISLAND and CHICKEN LITTLE for Singapore Repertory Theatre, PRODIGY for National Youth Music Theatre, THE GREAT BRITISH SOAP OPERA and the cult fan-favourite JET SET GO! which ran at Edinburgh Fringe before transferring for two sell-out seasons at Theatre 503 and Jermyn Street Theatre. His musical theatre work is licensed worldwide by MTI and Concord Theatricals. 

After studying Drama at Bristol University he started his career as an assistant/associate director in the West End with credits including CALENDAR GIRLS (Noël Coward Theatre), DEATHTRAP directed by Matthew Warchus starring Simon Russell Beale and Jonathan Groff (Noël Coward Theatre) and BARKING IN ESSEX starring Lee Evans, Sheila Hancock and Keeley Hawes (Wyndham’s Theatre). He co-directed PUB QUIZ at Manchester Royal Exchange Studio, which he also wrote, and was literary associate for David Pugh Ltd.

Jake currently has numerous TV and film projects in development with script commissions for Jude Law’s Riff Raff Entertainment, The Bureau, Buccaneer Media, Darrall Macqueen, Sky Cinema / Future Artists Entertainment as well as developing a new stage project with BAFTA-winning screenwriter Anthony McCarten. He also writes for the Emmy-nominated Norwegian animated Netflix TV series ELIAS for Animando. His original new stage musical MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU - written on attachment to the National Theatre Studio - workshopped in London last year starring Caroline Quentin and Anita Dobson, and is anticipated to premiere in 2024/5.