Saturday 27 January 2007

Haven't done much writing...

...but it's been a good week.

Thursday and Friday saw me down in Wimbledon at the TalkbackThames studio for the first two days of the TAPS course on writing for hour-long TV drama. Truth to tell, they'd have been better off describing it as "How to write for The Bill".

They asked us not to Blog about it. Odd request, but it will be honoured. However, I'm sure they won't mind if I say that it was one of the best courses I've been on. They genuinely pulled out all the stops and I can't wait to get back there for the second two days later in February.

And, half of us on the course had been invited to the BBC party on Thursday night, which turned out to be a lot of fun. I didn't meet anybody famous, or pitch my ideas to any senior BBC bods, but then I didn't drunkenly bore any of them either. I finally managed to put faces to the names of two of my script editors from Doctors and met the man who is taking over in that capacity very shortly*. And I caught up with a bunch of writer friends who I haven't seen for a while. Great fun.


* Yes, I have yet another script editor at Doctors. He'll be my sixth, and I've only had one episode produced (well, fifth actually, but I had one of them twice). I'm beginning to feel that it must be me. But, given that some of my past contacts have gone on to greater things, I like to think that it is contact with me that gives them all a leg up in their careers - just so long as they remember me once they've reached those heights!

4 comments:

potdoll said...

Hi Paul,

I'd be interested to hear why TAPS asked people not to blog about it.

Anonymous said...

me too. Think its likely to be a request that more and more people will make...

Paul Campbell said...

I can understand it. The tutor worked very hard (and very successfully) to get a good atmosphere in the group. The thought that every word or casual throw-away remark might be reported out of context can be disconcerting and might have spoiled the team spirit.

A certain somebody in the blogosphere did report back on a recent TAPS course in some detail. Nothing malicious or even critical, but I can see why it made them uncomfortable.

potdoll said...

I can see their point but it's a shame that what we learn on these courses can't be shared by those that couldn't make it/afford it or get to it because it's in London/USA or whatever.