大象传媒

Was the writing process different for you when you were creating Series 2 of The Responder?

Do you know what? It wasn鈥檛. I was expecting it to be, and everyone talks about the difficult second album syndrome, but I think I鈥檓 just too stupid to get stressed about it! So it was literally just 鈥楧o It Again鈥� 鈥� I went into a room and did it again.

Do you have a favourite scene or moment across the two series?

I always say this, and people must be sick of listening to it, but it鈥檚 still by far and away my favourite scene, which is in episode 1. It鈥檚 Chris (Martin Freeman) and Marco (Josh Finan) in the police car driving along.

One, I love it because it鈥檚 beautifully shot. It鈥檚 in the dark. It sums up what being a copper is so much about which is you and the person you鈥檝e arrested or the person you鈥檙e with and that small fish-tank environment. I love that and I love that they captured that so beautifully, the director . It was the first scene that I wrote and it was me talking to me. I wrote it as an exercise which was me being a copper later in life and me being a scally earlier in life sitting in the back of a car. So it鈥檚 very much a conversation between me and me. It鈥檚 by far and away my favourite scene.

Were there any new themes that you wanted to explore or existing ones that you wanted to build on with Series 2?

The themes that I wanted to explore and expand upon that were important to me were relationships and love. I think every show 鈥� literally every show from  right the way up to something like  is about love and relationships. It鈥檚 the whole thing for me. The Responder is not a crime show, it鈥檚 a show about those issues.

For me, being a father of a two-and-a-half-year-old I was really interested in Chris鈥檚 struggle with being a good Dad and holding that in relation to his struggle with how his own Dad wasn鈥檛 a good Dad. It鈥檚 about his fears about that and his fears about carrying that mark on him. He鈥檚 terrified that he鈥檚 going to pass those bad things onto his daughter. Those were the themes that I really wanted to look at 鈥� fatherhood, love and relationships. To me those are the most important things.

What do you think made The Responder resonate with people?

I鈥檓 still coming to terms with the fact that it did resonate with people! It resonated all around the world. I鈥檓 still getting stopped by people who want to talk about series one. It kind of caught fire and took off. I think because everyone was expecting it to be one thing and it turned out that it wasn鈥檛.

Everyone thought it was going to be Line of Duty (and I love Line of Duty) but it鈥檚 not Line of Duty. And everyone thought if it wasn鈥檛 that then it would be something like  from years ago, and it wasn鈥檛 that either. It鈥檚 just a programme about people and I think people are interested in people, so it can only be that.

How important is Liverpool as the setting and what does that bring to the story?

It was massively important to me, if only because the way that I wrote it was very much using the rhythms of speech and the people. The people in the show are almost real, well they are real to me, but they鈥檙e almost real. I鈥檝e literally just been chatting to someone who could have been in the show. It was very important to me that I got those people in the show and also I love this city, it means a lot to me. It鈥檚 nice to do something in your hometown. I think as well, it gives it an identity that maybe it wouldn鈥檛 have had if it was set in, I don鈥檛 know鈥� Hemel Hempstead. I might write that show next!

What is it about police dramas that makes them so rich for storytelling?

When I was a copper, very very early on in my career a bobby said to me that we鈥檙e never going to knock on someone鈥檚 door and tell them they鈥檝e won the lottery. You are only ever dealing with strong emotions and dark emotions. It鈥檚 very rare that you just have a bland, boring day. Everything is always very heightened.

The minute that you heighten life then any kind of drama that you鈥檙e writing about it is exaggerated again and heightened further. It鈥檚 just fertile ground for plucking stories out (do you pluck things out of fertile ground?) It鈥檚 perfect for it. Big emotions 鈥� that鈥檚 what you want in a drama.

How did your writing journey start?

A very long time ago鈥� it鈥檚 like 鈥極nce Upon a Time Tony wanted to be a writer鈥︹�� When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a writer and used to love writing stories at school. The only class I was interested in was English, that was all I wanted to do. But I failed my English exam and I thought that was it, 鈥淥h well, never going to be a writer鈥�.

Thirty-odd years later I鈥檓 driving a cab after having a nervous breakdown and quitting the police and a lady got in the cab and said to me that she was the editor of a magazine. I said to her "I鈥檓 a writer". I don鈥檛 know why I said it, but I just said it. Now I look back and I think that I wasn鈥檛 lying really, I鈥檇 always been a writer but just hadn鈥檛 written anything. Hopefully that鈥檚 been born out after three novels and The Responder.

She told me to send her some stuff, so I had to go away and start writing again. It was like someone just took the finger out of the dam and suddenly all this stuff flowed out of me. I was a writer, there was a thirty-year hiatus and then suddenly I was a writer again. I think I鈥檓 almost qualified to say now that鈥檚 what I am.

How important is life experience to your writing?

I think for me it鈥檚 very important. For my writing it鈥檚 very important. But I do sort of take umbrage with people when they say 鈥渁h well you鈥檝e got all that life experience, someone who is twenty-one hasn鈥檛 got that life experience鈥�. But they鈥檝e probably just got a better imagination that I have. I don鈥檛 think life experience is important for everyone. I don鈥檛 believe in write what you know, I believe in write what you can imagine. I think people should just enjoy writing. You shouldn鈥檛 wait to start writing.

How do you create compelling characters?

I don鈥檛 know! I hope I just do it. I think what I do is not just to write a scene between two people. I鈥檝e got one person here and one person there and information is passing between them 鈥� what should a scene do? Pass information. When I鈥檝e written that scene I鈥檒l come round behind this character, and I鈥檒l try and move into their head 鈥� this is what I鈥檓 doing at three in the morning! I鈥檒l move into their head, and I鈥檒l look at the other character through their eyes.

So, I鈥檝e got all the information but when I run that scene again in my head I鈥檓 trying to see if there鈥檚 anything between them that I can use and build on. It might be their appearance 鈥� 鈥渓ook at the state of you, where have you been?鈥欌��. It鈥檚 a bit of human language. When I鈥檝e done that, I鈥檒l come round the other side and look through the other character鈥檚 eyes.

Your scene has got to convey information. If it鈥檚 not conveying information, then it shouldn鈥檛 be there 鈥� that鈥檚 what people would say. They鈥檙e probably right but I don鈥檛 necessarily think that鈥檚 true. I think there鈥檚 always space for a scene where you don鈥檛 have to convey as much information in what people say. Sometimes no words are better than a lot of words. People think to make a compelling character that they鈥檝e got to say a lot.

Chris Carson (Martin Freeman) in the show doesn鈥檛 really say that much. He doesn鈥檛 pass that much information on. Sometimes the compelling nature of the character is in the silence as well and what they鈥檙e doing with their hands, or where they鈥檙e sitting or what they鈥檙e looking at. Get in their head, get behind their eyes and look at the world through their eyes.

Any top tips?

There鈥檚 one that I wish I had known which is 鈥� Don鈥檛 get in your own way. I keep saying this over and over. The one thing that stops writers more than any others is themselves. Get out of your way. Start writing. We talk about self-doubt and block and confidence. It鈥檚 all you. You鈥檝e just got to write it. Don鈥檛 think that you鈥檝e got to buy a new notepad. I鈥檓 guilty of all of this, I鈥檝e got about twenty brand new notepads on my desk, I鈥檓 guilty of it and that鈥檚 why I can speak with a degree of confidence. Stop telling yourself things like 鈥業 don鈥檛 know how to format a script鈥�, just write it. It doesn鈥檛 matter if the format is wrong, or you haven鈥檛 got the software.

Jimmy McGovern 鈥� well if you鈥檙e going to get writing advice go to the boss! Jimmy said to me 鈥淲rite you鈥�. At the time I thought he meant just write my story but as time has gone on, I think what he was saying was to write what you feel is right, don鈥檛 write what you think will be a hit or that people are looking for. Don鈥檛 try and tailor your work to the current crop of television shows or films. Be you, you鈥檙e individual and unique.

What are the benefits of writer development schemes?

The experience 鈥� it鈥檚 just that. I was part of the 大象传媒 Writersroom North group (Voices). You have people coming in to speak to the group who I would never in a million years get the opportunity to listen to. People would come in and talk about commissioning and theatre and radio. It鈥檚 also a calling-card if you can get onto those schemes it鈥檚 a way of other people getting to know you.

One of the first people I met at a 大象传媒 Writers event was at Stratford in East London (at the writers鈥� festival). It鈥檚 a bit of a hike from Liverpool. I met Helen Black who went on to write Time series 2 with Jimmy McGovern. When I met Helen neither of us had written anything for television but we鈥檙e still mates and hoping to collaborate together one day. I鈥檓 Britain鈥檚 worst networker so it was Helen who came over and put me in a headlock and started talking to me! If you find it difficult to network, just go anyway, you鈥檒l learn stuff, why would you not want to learn stuff?