Shonda Rhimes: “I'm never going to write a show that doesn't include me”

If anyone can be said to have changed the face of TV drama, it is Shonda Rhimes. The creative force behind Bridgerton and CEO of the global media company Shondaland, Rhimes is the first black woman creator and executive producer of a top 10 Network television series (Grey's Anatomy). She is also the first woman to create three television dramas, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and Private Practice, which have all achieved the 100-episode milestone. On top of this, she executive-produced How to Get Away with Murder, for which Viola Davis became the first black woman to win an Emmy for outstanding lead actress, among other accolades. 

“I'm never going to write a show that doesn't include me,” Rhimes told the Edinburgh Television Festival, where she was honoured with the inaugural Fellowship award.  

“Creative powerhouse doesn't even come close,” said Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh, presenting Rhimes the award. “She is a global icon, a woman of colour who redefined the television industry, but did so entirely on her own terms. For so many of us in the UK and beyond, she is the blueprint for those who have had to fight to be heard or seen. Shonda represents what's possible when a black woman dares, not just to write the story but to own the pen, the paper, and the whole damn publisher.”