0:00:02 > 0:00:05Imagine you had a germ of an idea about a world.
0:00:05 > 0:00:06Its inhabitants,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10their lives, their triumphs, their struggles, their stories.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Imagine that your idea grew and grew and one day exploded into life,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16hitting living rooms everywhere,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21captivating audiences of up to 30 million viewers for 27 years.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23I'm going to take you on a step-by-step guide
0:00:23 > 0:00:25of how to write for Walford,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27from creating characters and a world
0:00:27 > 0:00:32to making your words leap off the page and onto TV screens everywhere.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43Here at EastEnders we've all had our share of cracking storylines.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46I'm going to let the writers, directors and actors
0:00:46 > 0:00:48let you in on their secrets.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50First up, what makes a gripping story?
0:00:54 > 0:00:58I think the first thing about a great story is a great character.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02They say that character is action, character is drama and it's true.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04- This doesn't hurt?- No.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06You just put two really good characters in a room...
0:01:06 > 0:01:08- Don't need to see a doctor?- No.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10..and you have drama, instantly.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- One more.- OK, what do you want?
0:01:13 > 0:01:16It's emotional content at the end of the day that really counts.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18It's not events.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Where you are moved are the things that you remember for ever.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24You have to fall in love with your character
0:01:24 > 0:01:28to care about what happens to them and what they're going to do.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29Without a connection to the character,
0:01:29 > 0:01:30it won't matter what they do -
0:01:30 > 0:01:32hanging off a cliff edge, you won't care.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35If you don't care about them, again, the story's dead.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36C'mere!
0:01:36 > 0:01:39So what are the other elements of great drama?
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Characters need a desire, which they pursue,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43that's what a story is - a character pursuing a goal.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45No!
0:01:46 > 0:01:49MAN CHASING YELLS Get out of the way!
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The essence of a story is a character in pursuit of a goal,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54overcoming obstacles to try and achieve it.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56- Where is it?- I already told you, I don't have it.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Don't lie to me, I know you're lying.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01All drama's got to have a good amount of conflict.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05- Get out the way.- Out the way! - Come on. Looking for a fight?
0:02:05 > 0:02:07All right, all right.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'They may be obstacles of circumstance, they may be an antagonist,'
0:02:10 > 0:02:13someone who wants that person not to get that goal.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15It can be all kinds of things.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20Didn't I never tell ya? You don't...hit...girls.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Throughout this documentary,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28we'll be joining EastEnders writer Daisy Coulam.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30She's kept a video diary of her experiences.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33She has 14 days in which to complete her scripts.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Hello, my name's Daisy. I'm a writer for EastEnders
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and this is my video diary.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43I'm presently writing two scripts.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46I'm sending them in...this morning.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Three weeks ago, I got a document called the storyline document
0:02:49 > 0:02:52which...is this.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Hopefully, you can't read it cos it's top-secret.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57So I've taken these, this storyline, we've had a meeting
0:02:57 > 0:03:02and then I've had three weeks to write that up into episodes.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05I think this is the most nerve-racking point because...
0:03:06 > 0:03:09..I basically won't hear from them for a week now.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Fingers crossed that they like it. OK, bye.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17The BBC has defended the baby swap storyline
0:03:17 > 0:03:18in the Christmas EastEnders
0:03:18 > 0:03:21following nearly 6,000 complaints from viewers.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24One of our most famous storylines definitely got the nation talking.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Love it or hate it,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29it's a brilliant example of what makes a compelling story.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31'The great thing about the baby swap storyline was
0:03:31 > 0:03:33'it was pitched in a room'
0:03:33 > 0:03:34of 30 professionals say,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37and everyone fell silent for about ten seconds
0:03:37 > 0:03:41and a lot of people were thinking of ways not to make it happen
0:03:41 > 0:03:42and I was sitting there going,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45"You've got to make this happen, cos this is talk-about TV.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47"This is the TV that divides the sofa."
0:03:51 > 0:03:53'The only person it could happen to
0:03:53 > 0:03:56'in the history of EastEnders, I think, is Ronnie Mitchell.'
0:03:56 > 0:03:59At 14 or 15 she had to give away a child,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01her dad Archie made her do that.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03She later found that child
0:04:03 > 0:04:06only to have the poor kid run over in front of her eyes.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10She then got pregnant, her dad pushed her, she had a miscarriage.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14She's always been a mother figure to her sister Roxy
0:04:14 > 0:04:17'so there's obviously something about her that says,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19'"I just want to be a mum."'
0:04:19 > 0:04:23And finally, we gave her that baby, and we thought, "Happy ever after?"
0:04:23 > 0:04:24Absolutely not.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28'Ronnie was a tough character to crack
0:04:28 > 0:04:30'and I felt she needed a push over the edge
0:04:30 > 0:04:33'and she got that push and it led her to do something'
0:04:33 > 0:04:34really bad
0:04:34 > 0:04:36but I empathised and I understood,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38and the fact that I emphasised with her
0:04:38 > 0:04:39shows that she was written perfectly.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42The one person that could do a baby swap story
0:04:42 > 0:04:43'is sadly, Ronnie Mitchell
0:04:43 > 0:04:46'and that's three or four years of planning'
0:04:46 > 0:04:49that comes about in a fantastic moment.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56You will find the roots of pretty much every story in fairy tales,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58if you look closely enough.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03The best advice I give to anybody -
0:05:03 > 0:05:06apart from read Shakespeare - is read fairy tales
0:05:06 > 0:05:10because that stuff is the lifeblood of all storytelling.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16And it's very, very easy to transpose Jack And The Beanstalk
0:05:16 > 0:05:21into a tale of drug dealing in Hackney if you put your mind to it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24And it's an exercise I give writers I train all the time,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27let's go back to, I give them each a fairy tale,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29and say, "OK, your job over the next few weeks
0:05:29 > 0:05:32"is to turn this into a modern-day story."
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Jack And The Giant Beanstalk?
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I mean, basically, he goes up, murders a giant,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39steals a golden thing, comes back and he's a hero.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41I mean, that... That's twisted, isn't it?
0:05:41 > 0:05:45So if you put that into EastEnders I'm sure that'd be Derek.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51So, OK.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I think I was lying before
0:05:53 > 0:05:56when I said that the most nerve-racking bit
0:05:56 > 0:05:58is sending your script in.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I now think the most nerve-racking bit is getting notes,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04so I'm just going to open the e-mail.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08If you've got seven or eight pages of notes then you start worrying
0:06:08 > 0:06:11cos you think, "Oh, God, they don't like it very much!"
0:06:11 > 0:06:14So I judge it on length and also...
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Oh, we'll see. We'll just have a look.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Compelling storylines kept EastEnders at the forefront
0:06:24 > 0:06:27of essential serial drama on TV,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29but that wasn't enough.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31EastEnders didn't feel like home to me,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33it didn't feel like it was in the same area.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35This neighbourhood has gone to pot!
0:06:35 > 0:06:38I felt that it was a bit old, a bit older than us.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Even though they had a few young characters,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43I still felt my mum loves this more than I do
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and my mum lives here and I don't.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48So the BBC decided to create something new.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59E20 is an online drama series centred around four young people
0:06:59 > 0:07:01seeking shelter in Walford.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05E20 was a great idea to try and give access to our series
0:07:05 > 0:07:07to a much younger audience
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and to also try and reflect what's happening actually in London
0:07:10 > 0:07:12or the East End right now.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Suddenly, that becomes a huge opportunity for fun
0:07:15 > 0:07:18so we join a group of characters who don't know who Peggy Mitchell is,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20or don't know who Ian Beale is.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24It's an opportunity to see those characters through fresh eyes.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Any world you create must be authentic,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29so how did the E20 scriptwriters ensure this?
0:07:30 > 0:07:33I think there's a stereotype with youth in London
0:07:33 > 0:07:36where it's got to be knives or guns or it's not good or it's not real.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41But as someone who's lived in the East End for...15 years,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I've never in my life seen someone get shot or get stabbed.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49We're kids who have problems with boys and girls and food.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51You know, there's more to being young in London
0:07:51 > 0:07:53than crime and violence.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55It's all about writing what you know.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59So get out there and experience that world. Go on, go!
0:07:59 > 0:08:01'I think you've got to be an observer,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03'to be able to watch people without looking scary or evil,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08'to watch people and just understand the reasons behind someone doing something.'
0:08:08 > 0:08:09'I'm not from the East End.'
0:08:09 > 0:08:11'We were so sly, we went around Stratford...'
0:08:11 > 0:08:13'And around the East End...'
0:08:13 > 0:08:16'And listened in on people like spies, it was cool...!
0:08:16 > 0:08:18'But sometimes when you're writing you forget what's real.'
0:08:18 > 0:08:21'And just the stuff which you'd get was amazing.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23'There was a guy handing out Bible leaflets,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25'another guy with Koran leaflets'
0:08:25 > 0:08:27and they were having a full-on argument.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28It's not a conscious thing,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32when you're out and you're talking to people you log everything
0:08:32 > 0:08:34'and you find yourself sitting
0:08:34 > 0:08:37'and you might not have an idea or anywhere to start with a script'
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and then you remember just a little spark of a joke someone told you
0:08:40 > 0:08:44or a funny conversation you overheard on the bus or something,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46and then that can be it and you're off.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Knowing the world you've created
0:08:48 > 0:08:50helps you develop the characters who belong there.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53For me, creating a believable world it's always, like...
0:08:53 > 0:08:56it's got to come from somewhere truthful
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and nowhere's more truthful than like, the people I know.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05A big inspiration is my family and friends, the people I grew up with.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I tend to always write about them.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11I've got a massive family
0:09:11 > 0:09:14that's really colourful and slightly different
0:09:14 > 0:09:19and I draw on them so much for inspiration, for ideas.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22And then it's about using your own creativity
0:09:22 > 0:09:25to take elements of people you see or things you see
0:09:25 > 0:09:28and put them together to create something new.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33For experiences you don't know, like,
0:09:33 > 0:09:34running into a new house in Walford,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38but you know the feeling of like, loneliness, isolation,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41being somewhere where you just want to find somewhere to stay
0:09:41 > 0:09:44so you take those experiences and...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47jiggle them up a bit and put them into your characters.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55We rejoin Daisy as she receives her notes from her script editor.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00I'm not going to show you cos you'll see the storylines I'm doing
0:10:00 > 0:10:01and that's top-secret!
0:10:01 > 0:10:05OK, so...how many pages?
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Six pages, not too bad for two scripts.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13The main notes I've had are about...
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Sometimes we've got some new characters
0:10:16 > 0:10:19and it's about getting into that character's...
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Finding their voice,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23sometimes I haven't captured their voice properly.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Sometimes it's quite hard... When a character's got a journey
0:10:25 > 0:10:28that's very internal and very emotional
0:10:28 > 0:10:32and they're not talking about it necessarily,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35sometimes it's quite hard to get that across on the screen.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37So some of my stories,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40people weren't clear what the characters' actual stories were.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Basically, the next week or so will be me writing,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45sitting on my own,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47going a bit crazy, generally...
0:10:47 > 0:10:51You'll be part of that, lucky you! OK, cheers.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Before you start writing you have to know your characters inside out.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I think some people do walk around the room, pretending to be the character.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Do you know who I am, bruv? I am Faith. D'ya get me?
0:11:06 > 0:11:08So you pretended to be all, "Wah, gwan" and gangsta.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Tameka, he blatantly stuck an Armani sticker where it said Primark.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15You don't know about me! I'm a G, you know what I mean?
0:11:15 > 0:11:16I don't really kind of do that.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20However you do it, just get inside your character's head.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23They can't dress themselves, they can't say words for themselves
0:11:23 > 0:11:26without you knowing where they are at any given time in their heads
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and what their attitude to a person or situation would be.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31The more you know, the better really.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35When I first started out one of the things I learnt very quickly
0:11:35 > 0:11:39is that I'd written a scene where Phil Mitchell -
0:11:39 > 0:11:41who was quite a bit younger then -
0:11:41 > 0:11:42was supposed to be ironing.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47And I got this message from the set and it was just three words,
0:11:47 > 0:11:48"Phil don't iron".
0:11:48 > 0:11:51You try and stitch me up, you even think about it...
0:11:51 > 0:11:53and I'll kill you.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56And I thought, "Really? He doesn't iron?" "No, he don't do that."
0:11:56 > 0:11:59But I've just written it and everyone's OKed it.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02They go, "No, Phil don't iron." The actor said, "Phil don't iron."
0:12:02 > 0:12:05So every time I write Phil Mitchell in the back of my mind,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07I've got this, "Phil don't iron."
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Knowing your character's traits helps you decide
0:12:12 > 0:12:14what they would and wouldn't do.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Take Faith, what's she like?
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Bear, checking me out and that.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19Faith is a diva.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Yo! T-dot-nico!
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Faith is that girl at the back of the bus that everyone knows.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27You'll never take me alive!
0:12:27 > 0:12:29The kind of girl that Faith is with her big hair...
0:12:29 > 0:12:31'She's brash, bright, breezy...'
0:12:31 > 0:12:33'With Faith she's loud, annoying.'
0:12:33 > 0:12:35I know girls who are loud and annoying but you love them for it.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Want to jump on my wave? Yeah, daddy-o.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40She's the life and soul of the day.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42All showered for you, babe! So when we linking?
0:12:42 > 0:12:45'She has no real idea what she's saying to people'
0:12:45 > 0:12:47or what she's doing to people.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Is that the Walford Gazette? I want to speak to a journalist.
0:12:50 > 0:12:51She needs love.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53She needs to be told, "Faith, I love you.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56"You're gorgeous without make-up and without the horrible clothes!
0:12:56 > 0:12:58"You're beautiful." She needs affection.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- FAITH SIGHS - Faith, go have a shower.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04You go have a shower.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05I don't need it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08In the E20 episode written by Wemmy, Faith tries it on with Donnie.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12She needs to be loved, so there's only one thing for it.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14FAITH SCREAMS
0:13:14 > 0:13:15There's no hot water in the squat
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and Faith's not the type of girl to put up with a cold shower.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22She'll do everything in her power to avoid having that,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24even going to Fatboy.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25You got a shower in here, yeah?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27'Who is no way involved in the situation at all'
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but he's got a crush on her so she plays on that.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh!
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Faith is selfish, so she plays on his love for her
0:13:38 > 0:13:40and uses him for a shower,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42which she does feel bad about because she has a conscience.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45All of this, so you could use me for a shower?
0:13:47 > 0:13:48It's a dirty exchange.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53'She felt horrible after that'
0:13:53 > 0:13:55but she went through a huge mistake to finally say,
0:13:55 > 0:13:56"I'm better than this.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59"I'm crazy but I'm a good person at the same time."
0:14:02 > 0:14:06So, today I'm starting writing,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10when I take my first draft and rewrite it.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16OK, so... I've been working... It's now nearly two o'clock.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19I'm doing all right.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I think one of the main problems I'm struggling with is,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26there's a new character and I can't seem to get her voice at all.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I'll let you know how it goes.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Believable characters have distinct voices
0:14:35 > 0:14:37and when it comes to the language of the East End,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40there's only one king...Fatboy.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41Not me, player. I'm free as the wind.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43What was important to me about E20
0:14:43 > 0:14:46was that the characters spoke as teenagers would speak
0:14:46 > 0:14:47in the East End of London.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49I didn't know much about the character of Fatboy
0:14:49 > 0:14:51when I got the call,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54I just knew he was a young boy
0:14:54 > 0:14:57and he'd have a bit of slang in his repertoire,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00so when I got to the reading for Fatboy
0:15:00 > 0:15:02it was just that, a raw script.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07When we created Fatboy, we really wanted someone to celebrate
0:15:07 > 0:15:09the language of the street.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14Only as I started to read Fatboy's lines and his lyrics and flow
0:15:14 > 0:15:18that I started to get into it and find the rhythms of Fatboy,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21cos Fatboy's all about rhythms you know, everything he does
0:15:21 > 0:15:23is almost like a rap or a song,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26"Wah gwan, baby girl, how you doin', man? You all right?
0:15:26 > 0:15:29"I'll come, we do this ting, two twos, this this, that that."
0:15:29 > 0:15:32You know, it's all a big flow and he's always on a hype
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and he's always got a lot of energy, so I found that whilst reading it.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Yes, but how do you keep the dialogue authentic?
0:15:37 > 0:15:40You'll just hear stuff on the street.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41"Bait" - which means obvious.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44"Lush" - which is really good-looking.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45And if I'm writing him,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47'I sneak a look at my kids' Facebook pages'
0:15:47 > 0:15:50where they speak this strange language anyway.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53"Vex" - which Fatboy says a lot, which means angry.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55It's all about balance,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58some writers will put too much slang in, some too little.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00"Grimy" is not a good word any more for good
0:16:00 > 0:16:03and "butters" still means ugly.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05I've grown up listening to it, speaking it
0:16:05 > 0:16:06and being in and around it.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09I know many Fatboys, many, many Fatboys,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12so sometimes I feel like I'm saying his words before he even says it.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Before it's even written, I know what he's going to say.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I think what happened over time, once the writers had created Fatboy,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20they just started making up their own language anyway,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23but there's a joy to that that makes it very exciting.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27I said to them, I'll only be happy if I understand one word in five
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and that's pretty much the ratio.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33It doesn't almost matter that you don't understand
0:16:33 > 0:16:35exactly what he's saying
0:16:35 > 0:16:39and how the other actors react to him
0:16:39 > 0:16:42actually shows us what he's talking about.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46But your characters have got to have more than just the right language.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49He's quite a wheeler-dealer, thinks he's a real romantic
0:16:49 > 0:16:51but underneath, you can see that...
0:16:51 > 0:16:54I think he falls in love quite easily.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58- Must have your sights on someone? - Nah, mate. No-one. Nah, man.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02You all right, Merce?
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Fatboy wants to be the coolest kid on the block.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07And what he needs to do is accept that he's not, he's Arthur...
0:17:09 > 0:17:11That always gives you a story.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13All yours for 350 green!
0:17:13 > 0:17:18Biggest thing that Fatboy wants is success and respect.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21What he needs? What he needs is different.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25What he needs is somebody to look after him a little bit.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27What he needs is somebody that wants to squeeze him
0:17:27 > 0:17:28at the end of the day.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32A character only works if the audience loves them too.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35In simple terms, the audience have to love your characters.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37If they don't, they just won't watch
0:17:37 > 0:17:39and that's what we call empathy,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44which is the ability for an audience to get inside a character's head
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and share their thoughts and go on a journey with them.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50But when Fatboy made the transition from E20 to EastEnders,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53the audience didn't like him.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56When any character's introduced into EastEnders,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58there's normally a period of three or four months
0:17:58 > 0:18:01where the audience are distrustful or nervous of them.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04We thought there was a great actor there,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07we thought there was something going on that was exciting to watch,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11and all of a sudden we put him with Dot Cotton,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15one of our most-loved, if not the most-loved character of all time.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16Hey, Mrs B!
0:18:16 > 0:18:18One of your friends, Arthur?
0:18:18 > 0:18:23Friend, friend? No, no, she is...she's a Mormon.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Well, your acquaintances usually aren't dressed like that.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29He interacts in our world and in a really good way
0:18:29 > 0:18:31because you're just thinking,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35"That's Dot Cotton and she likes him, so I guess we could like him too."
0:18:35 > 0:18:37So, I think...
0:18:37 > 0:18:38from his point of view,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40his character is formed
0:18:40 > 0:18:45by the way he became invaluable to someone's life.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Now, I need your help, Arthur to peel the potatoes,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51cos I'm making me dumplings for one of me beef stews.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Oh, right, Mrs B.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58He is, you know, ghetto, but he's friends with old ladies,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00so you know he's got the most genuine side ever.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04No, don't get me wrong, I'm happy, it's just that...
0:19:04 > 0:19:06You want to spread your wings?
0:19:06 > 0:19:07Yeah.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15He is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Thank you, Mrs B.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22And you see it on his face, the vulnerability,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26even though he tries to disguise it and tries to be a man about it.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29So I think that's why the audience love him.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Let us see who your character really is.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37When I look at the page, yes, the words of course are important
0:19:37 > 0:19:40but what is important to me is what is that scene there for?
0:19:40 > 0:19:42I do want to go to Paris with you.
0:19:42 > 0:19:43No, you don't.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Why have I been put in there, what is my objective?
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- Kiss me.- What? Why?
0:19:49 > 0:19:53What must I affect to make the next thing happen in the next scene?
0:19:54 > 0:19:58The scripts themselves have to be read on two levels.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02You have to see the superficial dialogue,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05the dialogue that the characters say to each other
0:20:05 > 0:20:08is written in a way
0:20:08 > 0:20:12that implies the subtext beneath.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15I've tried so hard but every time I kiss you
0:20:15 > 0:20:17it's like...
0:20:18 > 0:20:22..kissing my best mate, my closest friend.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Subtext is really important to Fatboy.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31In fact, I think it's...
0:20:31 > 0:20:34one of the words that defines Fatboy.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38His clothes - they're all bright and all very loud
0:20:38 > 0:20:40and they all say something
0:20:40 > 0:20:42and that's part of the mask -
0:20:42 > 0:20:45you see that before you see Fatboy's real heart and stuff like that,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47he doesn't let you in, really.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Can't hold the Fats down for long.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Like funky house, ain't it? Bounce, bb-dd-bb-bounce, with it!
0:20:52 > 0:20:55That is one of the things that makes you so great.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Sometimes he's just like, "Fatboy, get off the TV," you know.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59"Come on, be yourself,"
0:20:59 > 0:21:02but that's what it is with boys, sometimes there's a facade
0:21:02 > 0:21:04and Fatboy is the prime example of that.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Oh, yeah, interesting.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I got to go you know, cos main line are calling me.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10What...? Phil?
0:21:10 > 0:21:13OK, listen, I will be back at some point but you know me, man...
0:21:13 > 0:21:16OK, I'm going to get fined, now I have to go.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Daisy's script deadline is fast approaching. The pressure is on.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22So how is she coping?
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Sometimes it's quite nice to come out and just do a bit of gardening.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Try and keep my mind working.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33So it's a couple of days before deadline day
0:21:33 > 0:21:36and I've done what I tend to do at this time,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39which is...have a day off.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42I really should have worked today but instead I've done a crossword,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47I've watched a load of telly and chatted to some friends.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Sometimes your brain...
0:21:50 > 0:21:52It just doesn't...
0:21:52 > 0:21:55It can't keep going, it can't keep being creative at a certain rate.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59So tomorrow I'm going to have to work extra, extra hard.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Think I'm going to have to get up really early, so...
0:22:04 > 0:22:06That's about it, really.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12So now your head is bursting with a great story,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15an authentic world and believable characters.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19How do you turn all those ideas into a great script?
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Now, don't get offended
0:22:24 > 0:22:27but dialogue is often the least important part of your script.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Pictures speak loud
0:22:29 > 0:22:33and sometimes more pictures, less words are a very good idea.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35When I write my first drafts of my scripts
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I always do it only in what the character does
0:22:38 > 0:22:40rather than what the text is
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and it just removes everything else which you don't need
0:22:43 > 0:22:45and then you end up with three or four lines of dialogue in a scene
0:22:45 > 0:22:47but it's all that they need to say.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51I think when you're writing a script you're always thinking in images.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54I always think of a script as like a series of photos on a wall.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56So you can strip all the dialogue away
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and you could say, right, you're going to have 30 seconds,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02we're not allowed any dialogue, it's a 30 second episode,
0:23:02 > 0:23:03how would you tell it?
0:23:03 > 0:23:07You'd just put ten images on a wall and that would be the story.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09In the scripts that I've responded to the most,
0:23:09 > 0:23:13it has been with the sparsest dialogue
0:23:13 > 0:23:16and the clearest stage directions.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19But really there's only one way to judge a script.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Basically, the best thing to look for in a script
0:23:21 > 0:23:24is that at the end of every page you want to turn the next one.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26It's as simple as that.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31One example of a gripping script was the Who Killed Archie live episode,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33written by Simon Ashdown.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36This was Event TV.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Tonight, for the very first time we'll be able to watch events
0:23:39 > 0:23:41as they actually unfold,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44as they broadcast a 25th anniversary special.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Bradley, where are you? There's police everywhere, they just saw me.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52For me, it's always really about that final image,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56it's that image and the image I just had, that came into my head
0:23:56 > 0:24:00was Stacey in that street with Max, saying that she did it
0:24:00 > 0:24:02'and what made it powerful
0:24:02 > 0:24:05'was that there was Bradley, lying on the tarmac, dead.'
0:24:05 > 0:24:07- Bradley didn't do it.- I know.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- He didn't do it. - I know he didn't do it.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12It was me.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16(I did it).
0:24:16 > 0:24:18I killed Archie.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22It was me.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Doof, doof, doof, doof-doof-dd-da-da...
0:24:24 > 0:24:26The "doof-doof" is the big cliffhanger
0:24:26 > 0:24:30at the end of each episode, ensuring the audience returns for more.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33The big "doof-doof" moment in Who Killed Archie
0:24:33 > 0:24:39is basically Stacey revealing to us that she's the killer of Archie.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41This is like answering a question
0:24:41 > 0:24:44that we've been asking for the last two or three months.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46But the thing about that "doof-doof,"
0:24:46 > 0:24:49although you think it's an ending, it's not
0:24:49 > 0:24:51because she's just admitted to murdering someone
0:24:51 > 0:24:55and it's not very often that people do that,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58so now you're thinking, "You've just admitted to murdering someone,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02"the man you love more than life itself has died at your feet,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05"what the hell is going to happen next?"
0:25:05 > 0:25:08So even though we brought that to a conclusion,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12it opened up a whole massive sea of questions.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17The "doof-doof" moment for Daisy is fast approaching.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22OK, it's 7.30 in the morning, it's deadline day again.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26I've done the first script, I'm partway through the second one.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30I've got a lot to do today so I really need to crack on.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33So, it's a few hours till deadline...
0:25:34 > 0:25:37I'm getting a little bit panicky that I've got too much to do,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39but I think I'm getting there.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40OK.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47I think if you want to get into scriptwriting,
0:25:47 > 0:25:48it's such an accessible thing
0:25:48 > 0:25:51because all you need is a pen and paper.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55It's really good to try and write something you really want to write.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58It's really tempting to try and second-guess what everybody wants.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Find out your voice, what you want to say, what makes you different
0:26:02 > 0:26:04and stick with it and eventually -
0:26:04 > 0:26:06it might be hard, it might take a while -
0:26:06 > 0:26:09but eventually you'll find someone who wants that and agrees with that
0:26:09 > 0:26:11and then it will be beautiful.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Write as many scripts as you can, look over them, work on them
0:26:14 > 0:26:17and when you feel they are at a good level,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20show them to people who you know will give you honest feedback
0:26:20 > 0:26:22then maybe send a couple off to theatres,
0:26:22 > 0:26:23which accept unsolicited scripts.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25If there is a show you genuinely love...
0:26:26 > 0:26:28..try and get your work to that show,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and then don't take no for an answer, just keep going at it.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35The BBC Writersroom reads every script it receives.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38'If you've got drive, a little spark, and something different...
0:26:38 > 0:26:43'Not everyone's going to make it, you still need to be really talented'
0:26:43 > 0:26:46but if you're good enough, someone will open a door and let you in.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Once you're in there, you have to kick and scream and fight.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52One major tip I would give to scriptwriters,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55playwrights, anything, but being an actor, yes,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57is to write everything down.
0:26:57 > 0:27:03These are my sort of, books - essentially, like, my mind on paper.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06I love notebooks. I think everyone should write in notebooks
0:27:06 > 0:27:08when they see an idea they want to use in a script.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10I think sometimes, writing it down imprints...
0:27:10 > 0:27:13For me, when I study, I have to write or it won't go in.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17I think there's a misconception that to work in television -
0:27:17 > 0:27:19especially as a writer or in films -
0:27:19 > 0:27:22you have to have a film degree or a media degree
0:27:22 > 0:27:24or have had lots of experience
0:27:24 > 0:27:28and I left school at 15, went straight into work.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33I happened to see an advert for storyliner at Emmerdale,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37so I sent a ridiculous ransom note into the producers of Emmerdale,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41saying that I wanted Cain Dingle to come and rescue me
0:27:41 > 0:27:43from a kidnapping
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and for some reason they liked it
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and that was the start of me working in television.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51And the payoff of sticking at it until someone likes your script?
0:27:51 > 0:27:55When I saw my episode on the web AND on the big screen on my TV,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59I was like, "Oh...my...days!" Three words, that's all I said.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03I didn't speak for the whole day, just, "Oh...my...days!"
0:28:03 > 0:28:06This little chap came from an episode of Stay Lucky
0:28:06 > 0:28:09that was broadcast in 1992, I believe.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13He's the only memento I've ever kept from filming.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16He sits on my desk every day, looking at me and I think,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19"You know what? There's the beauty of television."
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I wrote this frog, I created this frog and there he sits.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27That's... That's my only memento cos I think he's fantastic. I love him.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29He brings me luck.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36End of episode, that's my second draft done.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38I'll go through the same process as exactly as I've just done,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41two or three more times, hopefully less and less notes each time,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45but in the meantime, thank you for joining me.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47So that's it, that's the end.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52So, everything you've seen or heard came from a germ of an idea
0:28:52 > 0:28:54and now it's your turn.
0:28:54 > 0:29:00So, yeah, be adaptable and be true and good luck to you.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Fatboy...gone!
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd