Born on 13 June 1962, Bateman attended Bangor Grammar School leaving at 16 when he was hired by Annie Roycroft to join the County Down Spectator as a "cub" reporter, then columnist and deputy editor.

[4] Divorcing Jack won a Betty Trask Award in the same year and was adapted into a 1998 film starring David Thewlis.

Bateman explains on his website that "Murphy's Law was written specifically for James Nesbitt, a local actor who became a big TV star through Cold Feet.

The ninety-minute pilot for Murphy's Law on BBC 1 was seen by more than seven million people, and led to three TV series, on which I was the chief writer.

[11] He is currently writing films about Fidel Castro in New York, 'The Hotel Theresa' and the British double agent George Blake.