BBC TV Drama Writers’ Festival. Part 4
24/08/2011
In this post:
- Launching a new series
- Thriller – the Trojan horse
- Adaptations (briefly)
- a few words from Ben Stephenson on what to pitch
This is the last set of notes from BBC’s TV Drama Writers’ Festival 2011.
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LAUNCHING A NEW SERIES
Chair: Ben Stephenson (BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning)
With: Bill Gallagher (Lark Rise to Candleford), Jane Featherstone (Creative Director at Kudos; Spooks), Ashley Pharoah (Life on Mars), Toby Whithouse (Being Human).
Pharoah: develop an instinct for conflict that will take years to unravel.
Gallagher: create a character you care about, want to know what happens to them, create an iconic character you love (as a writer)
Whithouse: character is fundamental. He writes pages of bios the audience never sees. You never run out of story.
Stephenson: what about premise and concept? Read the rest of this entry »
Notes from BBC’s TV Drama Writers Festival held in Leeds 30 June – 1 July, 2010. The festival was organised by BBC Writersroom.
In this post:
- Writer for Hire: How do you get original work on screen?
- ‘They Won’t Like That’: Do we all try to second guess the commissioners?
- In Conversation: TV Drama Read the rest of this entry »
Transcribed on day 1 of BBC’s TV Drama Writers’ Festival on 30th June 2010.
Poacher Turned Gamekeeper
Showrunners, the balancing act.
With Toby Whithouse, Tony Jordan, Alice Nutter and Stephen Butchard
Why is it important to be a showrunner?
They used to call them executive producers or creative producers but that title caused a lot of confusion because people didn’t understand it. It didn’t make it clear whether they’re writers or producers.
Tony Jordan: You’ve got one vision – it should remain with the creator, not hand it over to an ‘accountant’. Also, you’ve got no one else to blame if the script is not good.
Toby Whithouse: It’s important to know when to delegate. You leave the directing to a director who is a professional but the writer can have a say and make decisions about costume and other details. It’ll help keep the whole thing following the concept, one vision. That’s encouraging for writers.
Margit Keerdo 