Category: THE WRITERS ROOM
Blast from the past
Spain finds a new superhero in the form of HBO Max’s García!. Writers Sara Antuña and Carlos de Pando reveal how they lifted the character from the pages of a graphic novel to create an action-adventure drama with plenty of heart.
Marriage vows
The A Word spin-off Ralph & Katie continued the story of the titular newlyweds as they face a host of domestic challenges. DQ spoke to writers Genevieve Barr and Tom Wentworth about working on the series, which broke new ground for inclusive drama.
Finest Hour
The Devil’s Hour marks the first original series from writer Tom Moran. He tells DQ about penning the Prime Video mystery horror series, receiving advice from Steven Moffat and how he almost gave up his television ambitions.
Ex marks the spot
Having already transitioned from actor to author, Catherine Steadman has now moved into TV screenwriting by adapting Jess Ryder’s thriller The Ex-Wife for Paramount+. She discusses playing with character expectation and why she wouldn’t dramatise her own novels.
Read all about it
Michael Lucas, creator and writer of Australian drama The Newsreader, talks blending fact and fiction in this 1980s-set series, building the relationship between its star female news anchor and an ambitious young reporter, and what’s to come in season two.
Sister act
Kid Sister star and writer Simone Nathan tells DQ about penning this semi-autobiographical Jewish family comedy, playing ‘herself’ and why scripts are never truly finished.
Bohemian rapsical
Verden er Min (I am Earth) creator and writer Amy Black Ndiaye tells DQ how she broke new ground with this Norwegian rap musical about a woman finding her way through life as she enters her 30s.
Caring about Karen
As Karen Pirie becomes the latest detective to join the ranks at ITV, DQ interrogates series creator and writer Emer Kenny about adapting Val McDermid’s novels, her own starring role and being inspired by Lennie James.
Shot caller
Who Shot Otto Mueller? is the first Viaplay original series to emerge from Estonia. DQ speaks to writer Birk Rohelend about working with the streamer, toxic masculinity and her love of Agatha Christie.
Deadly Games
Munich Games writers Michal Aviram and Martin Behnke reveal how they overcame their long-distance relationship to partner on this political thriller, which focuses on a new threat upon the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Olympic Games massacre.
Everything I Know About Starstruck
Rose Matafeo, the creator and star of Starstruck, and Dolly Alderton, the writer behind Everything I Know About Love, share stories, revelations and advice from their experience making their shows.
World of Hurt
Former doctor Adam Kay speaks to DQ about turning his bestselling memoir This is Going to Hurt into a BBC drama and the show’s real-world impact within the medical community.
Delving into deepfakes
Ben Chanan, creator and writer of BBC surveillance thriller The Capture, discusses bringing back the series for a second season, becoming a showrunner and keeping ahead of the headlines.
Enter Sandman
Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg and David S Goyer discuss their creative collaboration on The Sandman, Netflix’s eagerly awaited adaptation of Gaiman’s acclaimed graphic novel series.
Good to be bad
The creators of Belgian dark comedy Des Gens Bien (Good People) reveal how their follow-up to crime drama La Trêve (The Break) blends thriller and comedy as a couple’s insurance scam spirals out of control.
Summer secrets
Twee Zomers (Two Summers) creators and writers Paul Baeten and Tom Lenaerts discuss this psychological thriller in which a group of friends reunite 30 years after a tragic accident, leading dark secrets to resurface.
In the loop
Giri/Haji creator Joe Barton tells DQ about jumping through time for The Lazarus Project and discusses the art of balancing high-concept ideas with audience-grabbing entertainment.
Finding Sasha
French young-adult series Chair Tendre (About Sasha) explores teenage life from the perspective of Sasha, who was born intersex. Writer Yaël Langmann reveals the origins of the project, how she cast the lead role and the universality of its story.
The incredible Hulík
After winning acclaim with Horícï ker (Burning Bush) and Pustina (Wasteland), Czech screenwriter Štěpán Hulík again draws on real-life events to leave viewers asking more questions in four-part drama Podezření (Suspicion).
On the Ray up
Maya Sondhi has gone from starring in police dramas to writing her own. She gives DQ the lowdown on her first original series, ITV’s DI Ray, which focuses on a detective struggling with her identity.