Category: THE WRITERS ROOM
Surrogacy storytelling
Goof Shilishi (A Body That Works) writers Shira Hadad and Dror Mishani reflect on writing their first series together – one that tackles issues surrounding surrogacy as a couple seek help to become parents.
Knight on the Town
Is Steven Knight the busiest screenwriter in the business? With three dramas on air last year and several projects coming in 2023, the Peaky Blinders creator opens up about his upcoming ska music drama This Town, adapting Dickens and building his own production studio.
Off the leash
Writer Megan Gallagher tells DQ how she “swung for the fences” with Wolf, a BBC series that promises to be unlike any other crime drama on television.
Master minds
In Spy/Master, writers Adina Sădeanu and Kirsten Peters serve up a fresh take on the Cold War in a story about a Romanian spy who finds himself in danger while defecting to the US. DQ finds out how real events inspired them to write the six-part series.
Quack attack
DQ gets on board with Wreck creator Ryan J Brown to talk about the success of his cruise ship-set comedy-slasher, his plans for season two and how villain Quacky Duck became a genre icon.
Tag team
Maren Louise Käehne and Karin Arrhenius discuss their unique writing partnership on Swedish drama Händelser vid Vatten (Blackwater), a six-part series based on Kerstin Ekman’s novel about a group of characters still haunted by the impact of a double murder that happened decades ago.
No kidding around
Kenneth Karlstad tells DQ how he drew on his own life as the inspiration for arresting Norwegian drama Kids in Crime and why he used VHS cameras to add a new perspective to the story.
Walking The Path
Writer Glória Perez opens up about her latest telenovela, Brazilian series Travessia (The Path), and reveals why curiosity is the key to these long-running dramas.
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.