Editor's Note: Leo Richardson was one of eight writers who were recently invited to our first writers' residential at Alston Hall in Lancashire (in partnership with BBC Drama North). This follows many successful writer residentials at Bore Place in Kent. He explains how he got involved and what happened:
How did you become a writer? Had you been involved with BBC Writersroom before?
I used to be an actor. I gained scholarship to a great school called Webber Douglas, and so I was reading scripts all the time. I always had a flair for writing. I would write monologues for people to perform in acting and radio classes. When I left, I wrote a play, which at the time I assumed was dreadful. Through a chain of very fortunate circumstances it fell into the hands of a very good director and also literary assistant at the National Theatre. She loved the play, we workshopped it at the NT Studio and a year later (only thanks to some serious fundraising by a brilliant charitable organisation called Curving Road) it got a month run at Trafalgar Studios and gave me my first big break in writing.
My adaptation of this play was then commissioned by BBC Drama for BBC Three. I was very, very lucky. Great pieces of writing fall by the wayside all the time, but it seemed to be the right thing at the right time. Since then I have been fortunate enough to write a few American pilots, both of which were ideas of my own, and similarly worked in the UK on original ideas. I’m just trying to get that next thing onto screen…
I had never worked with BBC Writersroom before, although I know the script for "Stanley Park", my BBC drama pilot went on the website after it aired. I was quite flattered to think someone might read my script, as if I knew what I was doing. This said, I know a bit more now as I’ve been writing for EastEnders for the last two years, which has taught me tons about screen writing (after being foremost a playwright).
How did you find out about the residential at Alston Hall?
I was invited after meeting with the brilliant Davina Earl, who works for BBC Drama North. We chatted over a coffee recently — talked about some ideas. You’d have to ask her why she invited me. I’m sure it’s not because of my jokes. (I spent a lot of time on the residential making jokes).
Were you given a brief about it before – about the sort of ideas they were looking for?
We were given some audience data about BBC One and asked to think about ideas that skew more for a younger audience. Because I write for EastEnders, I did already have a good sense of this. We were asked to submit two ideas to them prior to arriving that could fit into this brief. On the first day, the team had selected one of our two ideas to develop over the two days — the one that they responded to the most.
Did you know any of your fellow writers on the residential? Did you bond?
I already knew Jeff Povey because he writes for EastEnders. He has done for years and is basically a Jedi master, as well as one of the best people to ever spend time with. I can only speak from my personal experience when I say that I feel we did all bond. We all turned up nervous, wondering if our ideas were any good, and Jo Blake basically broke the ice with saying that we don’t have to share them, but that it was a safe space to do so, and no one was going to steal the other's idea (they write everything down). We went on to share them over the next few days and it was a marvellous, trusting environment where we all supported one another. We also chipped in, gave feedback and even added to one another’s ideas.
It was so nice to be in that space with other writers. We are normally at home alone with no sounding board. Everyone in the room had a really good idea, and everyone’s was very different, which removed the need for any Hunger Games to begin. I had some arrows in my bag and was so pleased not to have to use them!
How long were you there, what was the format of the days?
We arrived Tuesday night, chatted and got acquainted. This after our taxi driver had told us the hotel was haunted. On Wednesday morning we were told which of our two ideas the team had responded to so we could work on a brief pitch. In the afternoon Julie Gearey came in (more about that below). We then pitched our ideas to the room and got some feedback so we could do it again. The next day Producer Helen Ziegler came in with a pair of fresh ears and eyes, to hear our pitches again (after having a chance to re-work them). She was super cool and really honest about what she liked and what could work better, which is invaluable for a writer.
Who came in to give presentations/workshops – were they useful?
Julie Gearey, who show-ran Prisoners Wives and the new BBC One drama Cuffs, came in. She talked about her break into writing, her career, and her shows. She was really honest and inspiring too, I felt. It was great to hear from someone who’d reached the point I want to get to — creating/running your own show, after years of hard work. She also loves the “American” style of having a writers' room and assigning different writers with episodes, which is something I also think UK shows should do more of. Later, we watched her brilliant show Cuffs, which is a fresh, exciting show about the police in Brighton, particularly the younger ones on the force, who are barely twenty five and thrust into the deep end to face horrendous things most of us don’t see in our "normal lives". I’m probably going to pester Julie to get into her writers' room. Julie, are you reading this? No, seriously, I think we all loved it, especially after hearing Julie’s journey to getting it on screen.
What were you working towards – a pitch? Did you have to go away and do any writing?
Yeah, nothing fancy or too in-depth. Just five minutes talking about what our show was, in essence. Something to get an Exec' excited about it. It was quite nerve-wracking. I was standing up talking about something that’s been in my head for five years — it mattered to me A LOT to get it right.
What happens next?
We’ve been asked to write up a page on our idea and send that in. Hilary (Martin), Simon (Judd) and Davina will then take any of those ideas that they responded to, and have room on their slate for, into further development. And like I said, everyone had a great concept and idea, so who knows what they will do… I certainly don’t.
Summing up – do you think these kinds of residentials are useful?
Yes. We learned valuable pitching skills there, but more than that, we got to work on our ideas and see what people liked/didn’t. I personally came to understand what was compelling and what wasn’t, about my idea, and even found a direction for the concept as a whole. I wasn’t expecting that. Basically whatever happens, our ideas are ours, so if the BBC doesn’t have room on its slate for what we created, we are free to take it elsewhere.
Read the script for Leo Richardson's EastEnders Halloween episode and watch on BBC iPlayer (for 30 days after broadcast)
EastEnders blog - Leo Richardson and Director Toby Frow on the explosive Halloween special
