HOW TO WRITE A BRITISH SERIES IN THE NEW AGE OF TV
British writers are finding a way to succeed
The United Kingdom is Europe's largest producer of television fiction with more than 100 titles released each year, but its relevance goes far beyond this number. For many years they have shown that British series are much more than police thrillers and period dramas, and writers and producers continue their efforts to address new themes, combine genres and escape conventions.
British writers do not deny at any time the great references or the classic material, quite the opposite. They embrace it, but with the important nuance of trying not to replicate previous works and always offer something different, original and that, to some extent, is unique.
British fiction is an example of dynamics, engagement with audiences and experimentation with different visual narratives. The recent great successes of their television are no coincidence and that is why we are going to try to highlight the common points that exist between the different productions and the trends that are determining the present of their fiction.
REINTERPRET THE CLASSICS
The UK is a country with a huge literary tradition that has moved generation after generation to this day. The legacy of authors such as William Shakespeare, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Mary Shelley or Arthur Conan Doyle is still more alive than ever thanks to a source of original material that has served countless adaptations.
However, when we talk about such well-known works and stories that have been told on so many occasions, it is necessary that the writers be able to offer something different that attracts and motivates viewers. Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are two of the professionals who have best implemented this concept with their updated version of Sherlock. A series that showed us a reinterpretation of the classic adventures written by Conan Doyle through an overflowing and hyper-stylish visual narrative.
Another series that has been able to make the most of the classic monsters and the imaginary of British literature to show a series never seen before is Penny Dreadful. The series tells the origins of characters such as Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray or Dracula in Victorian London combining gothic terror with fantasy in a way never seen before.
BRITISH HUMOR CAN FIT WELL WITH DRAMA
Dramedy is one of the most trendy genres in the international fiction scene and British writers and comedians have been trying to make the most of it through the last years. This is particularly complicated because it combines two elements such as comedy and drama that may, in principle, seem antagonistic. The writer’s real challenge is to find the right tone, the perfect balance and the pulse of the story for viewers to have fun while empathising with generally tormented characters.
British humour has a long tradition and has explored numerous aspects. Today's dramedy is possibly the great heiress to classical satirical comedies. However, the genre has turned a more serious, deeper and melancholy direction in addressing issues such as depression, alcoholism, death. It can be said that the new wave of British dramedies have partially renounced the use of recurring gags to address more serious issues and convey a message.
From the broken home written by Paul Abbott in Shameless, to more recent examples such as the exploration of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's life crisis at Fleabag, Ricky Gervais' duel and depression in After Life or the refugee crisis in Europe explored in comic code by Rufus Jones at Home. British writers have found in this mix of genres the perfect way to tell relevant stories, without falling into frivolities and not stopping entertaining the audience at any time.
FUTURISTIC DYSTOPIA TO UNDERSTAND OUR PRESENT
British television has a long tradition in the fantasy and sci-fi genre thanks to one of Britain’s biggest and longest-running icons, Doctor Who. Since its premiere in 1963, the series has influenced generations of fans and created one of the best screenwriter, producer and actor tradition in the country. Doctor Who marked a before and after in science fiction and British culture.
In recent years, different series have picked up the British Sci-Fi tradition and moved away from the more escapist side to use gender as a way to understand our reality and even to anticipate our future. Probably the most prominent name is Charlie Brooker, who has used BLACK MIRROR to talk about the present and future concerns and about the effects of technology on our way of life and personal relationships.
Black Mirror is the most popular example of this trend, but it is not the first nor will it be the last. Dennis Kelly used Utopia to tell us about some of the worst nightmares of our time with a labyrinthine and a conspiracy approach but that kept computing and overpopulation as terrifying anchors of our present. Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley, on the other hand, explored the futuristic relationship between humans and robots, as well as their emotional and social impact in Humans.
The last to achieve great success with this approach to the genre has been Russell T Davies, one of the British writers and producers with the greatest track record in the fantasy and sci-fi with productions such as The Second Coming, Torchwood, The Sarah James Adventures and especially the return of Doctor Who in its modern stage. Its latest series, Years & Years, follows fifteen years of convulsing political, economic and technological changes from the point of view of a British family. A story that speaks of our present and future in such a certain and clairvoyant way that it becomes terrifying at times.
CREATE COMPLEX PROTAGONISTS
Writing characters with a certain psychological complexity is one of the biggest challenges facing every screenwriter, but it’s one of the tasks in which you can find a greater reward. It’s important that your series has a well-defined choral cast, however, having a complex protagonist with which the audience gets to feel identified can get your series to be in the popular imagination as memorable.
One of the lessons some of the most successful British series of recent years have taught us is that stories don’t necessarily have to be about good and bad. Protagonists do not have to embody absolute good and can be complex and contradictory characters. The ability to make mistakes, learn from them and evolve is something that humanizes the characters and generates a sense of empathy in viewers.
You've probably heard a lot of people comment that Phoebe Waller-Bridge's character generates antipathy to them at first and it's not a fluke. He is a very imperfect character, who has to deal with his demons and self-destructive tendencies that compromise his personal relationships or his working life. But she is a character with such magnetism that the viewer does not abandon her for a cold first impression, but decides to accompany her on her journey and ends up emotionally involved with her.
NEW SERIES FOR NEW FORMATS, NEW MEDIA AND NEW CONSUMER HABITS
There may never have been a better time to write fiction as now. However, the audiovisual industry is a constantly changing business and that is why many of the dogmas for writing television have been altered and some of them have simply ceased to make sense.
Writers should be aware that there is no perfect formula and that the age of streaming has changed the narratives. Series are almost no longer consumed on a weekly basis, but we live in the era of immediacy and globalization. Writers should be able to capture the attention of increasingly masified, varied and binge-watching audiences.
That's why it's not so high now to end the episodes with a big cliffhanger that raises the tension and intrigue of viewers enough to return next week to watch a new episode and thus maintain ratings. Now, the series still have to be addictive and keep viewers’ attention but the trend towards binge-watching allows some screenwriters to opt for a more thoughtful narrative and make their stories more complex.
British writers have shown great talent and versatility in adapting to new times to continue creating reference series and encompassing a wide variety of genres. This has been demonstrated by hits as diverse as Jed Mercurio’s adrenaline thrillers (Line of Duty, Bodyguard), Peter Morgan’s great historical drama (The Crown) or Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s acidic and versatile comedy (Crashing, Fleabag Killing, Eve).
Filmarket Hub opens its call for projects for the UK Online Pitchbox — a two-day pitch event dedicated to British feature films and scripted series in development. In partnership with Film London.
This brand new online initiative aims to discover high-quality unproduced projects, either at the script stage or with some finance secured and match them with leading companies in the industry.
The call for projects is now open! Submit yours before the 27th of May!
