He entered a competition, with a first prize of £1,000, for young writers at the Liverpool Playhouse, with his play The Cherry Blossom Tree, a blend of suicide, murder and nuns.
In 1993, Harvey, premiered Beautiful Thing, a gay-themed play-turned-film for which he won the John Whiting Award in 1994.
[3] In 1995 his play Boom Bang-a-Bang premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, and was originally directed by Kathy Burke.
Guiding Star (1998), is a portrayal of a man's struggle to come to terms with the Hillsborough disaster, while Hushabye Mountain (1999) deals with a world that has learned to live with HIV/AIDS.
Taking Charlie was the outcome, staged at the 2004 Edinburgh Festival with Roberts starring, under the direction of Susan Tully.