Gwyneth Hughes, the Hitchcock/Tippi Hedren BBC drama 'The Girl' - University of Huddersfield

Gwyneth Hughes has been a leading TV scriptwriter since the 1990s, when she began contributing to ITV's 'The Bill'. Since then she has written scripts for many TV series and one-off productions ranging from crime dramas to historical reconstructions, some of which have featured her exploration of characters such as Peter the Great, Jane Austen and Alfred Hitchcock.

Her award of an Honorary Doctorate of the University of Huddersfield is a recognition of her contribution to high-quality TV drama and in the wake of her 'Edwin Drood' script and this is especially appropriate in the bicentenary year of Charles Dickens.

Gwyneth Hughes's latest BBC drama, 'The Girl', is screened on Boxing Day 2012 and looks at the stormy relationship between director Alfred Hitchcock and Hollywood starlet Tippi Hedren, which ultimately destroyed both their careers.