Interview with Marnie Dickens

What made you want to write a psychological drama such as Thirteen? What was your inspiration?
There are lots of stories of real-life imprisonment, but it wasn’t so much those that interested me, it was more what happens afterwards. A lot of focus is put on periods of imprisonment and I wondered what happens when someone does miraculously escape, and how it can’t possibly be happily ever after. Then once I had that idea I focused on the character of Ivy.

Did you get the chance to visit the set during filming?
I did once with Liz, the executive producer. Everyone was lovely. For me, it’s quite strange visiting a set, as I used to be a runner and a third assistant director, so I kept wanting to ring the bell and call for quiet! Ultimately, as a writer, it’s great visiting the set but your job is writing the script.

What did you think of the casting? Were the characters as you pictured them when writing?
It’s hard to choose an actor and then write so I tend to start with the character first. Ivy was always going to be really tricky because it’s such a difficult part. Often in development we thought, are we asking this actress to do too much, playing so many different levels of truth and memory. When Jodie auditioned, I got sent the casting tape and I thought she was fantastic - the perfect Ivy. I think we have been incredibly lucky with the cast. They all fill their roles really well.

Did you do any research for Ivy’s story?
Absolutely. Once it was green-lit, I felt a massive burden to get it right, especially for people who may have been in a similar situation. I did my own research and read memoirs. We also had a police advisor and a psychologist attached to the show, to explain how someone might act in that situation, and it was incredibly useful to understand the reality behind it.

Did you do any research into families being reunited after such a long period apart?
I read various books and articles about captivity. The thing about this story is that it hasn’t happened, certainly not in the UK. Whilst we need to make truthful experiences, we also need to make good drama. It felt quite liberating that there wasn’t one case study I could follow, but there was enough to get a good sense from the research.

How was it writing for BBC Three as an online drama?
It didn’t affect the way I wrote at all. When Liz called me and said we have been green-lit, it was a brilliant day. I instantly asked if we needed to change the drama to fit BBC Three and she said no, the great thing about BBC Three was there was total freedom to write the scripts the way I wanted to. The only noticeable difference is the separate online story which is a different challenge. It didn’t feel different from writing for BBC One, or any other channel.

How do you feel about Thirteen being the drama to launch the new BBC Three online?
It’s very exciting to be the trailblazer! It’s a brave new world.