Category: THE WRITERS ROOM
Good Faith
Matthew Hall, writer of Un Bore Mercher (Keeping Faith), tells DQ about his journey to bring the series to air and the importance of intimacy and location in television drama.
Hagai heads home
Hagai Levi, creator of Israeli drama Be Tipul (In Treatment) and co-creator of US drama The Affair, tells DQ about his latest project, his approach to storytelling and returning “home” to HBO.
Cult hit
Drawing comparisons to The Handmaid’s Tale, Israeli drama Harem shocked viewers with its depiction of life for women and children living with a charismatic cult leader. DQ speaks to the writing team behind the Reshet show, which has been renewed for a second season.
Right on the Money
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) is a certified phenomenon after Netflix revealed it was the streamer’s biggest non-English-language series ever. DQ hears from creator Alex Pina and writer Esther Martinez Lobato about making the Spanish heist drama.
Safe pair of hands
With so much TV to choose from, viewers can be very fickle – so how do you keep hold of them? Writing for DQ, screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst talks about the contrasting styles he used in his two most recent commissions, BBC1’s Come Home and Netflix’s Safe.
Sweet success
Having turned her own novel Sweetbitter into a six-part drama for US premium cable network Starz, Stephanie Danler tells DQ about the adaptation process and why television today is following in the footsteps of Charles Dickens.
Action on writing inequality
Lisa Holdsworth, TV writer and deputy chairman of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, writes for DQ about the guild’s new campaign for greater gender equality in television and film screenwriting.
You be the judge
Lee Ingleby is out to prove he’s not a murderer in ITV’s emotionally taut four-part drama Innocent. DQ speaks to writers Matt Arlidge, Chris Lang and producer Jeremy Gwilt about putting viewers at the heart of this moral dilemma.
Royal appointment
With the third season of Netflix’s The Crown about to begin production, creator and writer Peter Morgan explains why he keeps going back to the royal family and discusses the pitfalls of depicting real people.
Sun, sea and animals
Writer Simon Nye talks to DQ about writing The Durrells, ITV’s hit family drama about a British family living on the idyllic Greek island of Corfu in the 1930s.
New danger, Will Robinson
Fifty years after it left the small screen, Lost in Space is back. Writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless plus showrunner Zack Estrin discuss making this space adventure, a modern take on Irwin Allen’s classic 1960s series.
Jack of all trades
As British drama Kiri makes its US debut, writer Jack Thorne tells DQ about penning the four-part miniseries and his approach to writing, with upcoming projects including The Eddy and His Dark Materials.
So Farr so good
Screenwriter David Farr talks about his fascination with identity and how it informs the characters at the heart of his television dramas, which include Troy: Fall of a City, The Night Manager and Philip K Dick adaptation Impossible Planet.
Brothers in arms
From starting out writing sitcoms, Jack and Harry Williams struck gold with mystery thriller The Missing. In this DQTV interview, the brothers discuss their writing partnership and breaking traditions with dramas such as Rellik and Liar.
Hot damm
German writer Annette Hess tells DQ about period drama Ku’damm 56 and its upcoming sequel Ku’damm 59, her desire to create a series with strong female characters and why she enjoys writing about the past.
A bit on the Side
Brazilian screenwriter Walcyr Carrasco tells DQ how he was inspired by Voltaire’s Candide to create Globo telenovela The Good Side of Life and discusses the changing landscape of Brazilian drama.
Eyes on the prize
Kate Rowland, creative consultant at Red Planet Pictures and former creative director of new writing at the BBC, discusses the challenges of developing new writers for television as Red Planet seeks submissions for the latest round of its writing competition.
Match maker
Having already enjoyed life as short film and a kids’ TV show, the idea behind Martin Lund’s comedy drama Match has now evolved into a “grown-up” series. DQ chats to the writer, director and actor about finding the balance between high stakes and humour in a 15-minute running time.
Slaying the competition
Marti Noxon has written for some of the biggest shows in television, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Grey’s Anatomy to Mad Men and Glee. She tells DQ about her career on the small screen and previews new series Sharp Objects and Dietland.
Off with a Bang
Hinterland gave Welsh-language drama recognition on the international stage. Now, writer Roger Williams hopes to repeat that show’s success with Bang, a taut bilingual thriller set and filmed in the town of Port Talbot.