Interview with Louise Doughty (Author of Apple Tree Yard)
What could have brought Dr. Yvonne Carmichael, a law-abiding wife and mother, an eminent scientist, into a dock at the Old Bailey about to be exposed in a highly damaging and compromising lie?
Published: 4 January 2017
When you see the detail of your novel portrayed so accurately it's both marvellous and spooky. They've been inside my head.
What has it been like watching Apple Tree Yard come to life in a TV adaptation for BBC One?
It has been both wonderful and surreal. Like many novelists, my books had been optioned several times and nothing had come of it, so my initial reaction was to feel pleased but sceptical as to whether or not it would actually happen, and it was wonderful when it did. At the same time, it's been a little surreal to see characters I imagined come to life. Emily Watson is very close to how I imagined Yvonne in so many ways, even down to gesture, wardrobe choices or settings that weren't really described in the book. When you see the detail of your novel portrayed so accurately it's both marvellous and spooky. They've been inside my head.
What did you think of the casting of Emily Watson as Yvonne Carmichael?
Once I knew Emily Watson was a possibility I think I actually held my breath until she was confirmed. Yvonne is a character who has to have so many elements to her: you have to believe she's a convincing research scientist, so she has to have real intellectual heft and gravitas, while at the same time believing she would do something utterly reckless and passionate and out of character. She has to remain likeable even when you disapprove of her actions. And she has to be independently minded and strong while having a degree of vulnerability. It's a very complex part and Emily Watson pulls it off magnificently.
What research did you do to write Yvonne's Crown Court trial?
I spent three weeks at the Old Bailey sitting through every day of a real life murder trial and it was an invaluable experience. At first, I went along looking for authentic atmospheric details but I was inevitably caught up in the drama and plot of that trial and it gave me so many ideas for the twists and turns that Yvonne endures. The Crown Prosecution Service was very helpful, as was the Murder Investigation Team running the case. It was the kind of experience that is utterly invaluable for a writer.
Does the finished product look like what you pictured as you wrote the book?
Oh yes - to a spooky extent! My first day on set was when I visited the house the production team found as Yvonne and Gary's suburban home, and it was so close to the house I had imagined that my jaw dropped. I love the look of the production - in many ways, it's a love letter to London with so many wonderful locations, but it's also part of the real world.
