Monday 29 September 2008

Post Mortem

Well, I watched it over the weekend...

And I enjoyed it.

And I'm full of admiration for Mr Paul Logue, who had the unenviable job of re-writing the script in about a week (or maybe two). He didn't even have the freedom of deciding what stories he wanted to tell. We were so close to shooting that the prosthetics were already made and, I suspect, the guest actors already cast. So, he had to have one story about an old woman and her two daughters involving a drug overdose, and another about two men and a woman during which one man gets his foot crushed/amputated and the other gets compartment syndrome and requires a fasciotomy. He also used my 'fish-hook in thumb' patient for Toby.

He also had all the same serial as me - Jordan arriving, Adam being pissed off, Ruth getting hot under the collar, Toby feeling threatened, Zoe off to the gynaecologist, Jeff and Dixie seeing the counsellor, Abs attending his mate's post mortem, and Charlie dealing with Abs.

So the skeleton of his episode had to be much the same as mine. But the flesh he put on those bones was very different.

Of course, there's a bit of me that wished he'd used more of my material. But he had his own episode to write, so I completely understand that he didn't want to start messing around cutting and pasting.

There's an even bigger part of me that wishes they'd just gone with my draft.

But these things happen. It's done and dusted. I have learned a huge amount in the process and next time, hopefully, things will be different.

So, thanks, Paul, for saving my bacon.

And here's to next time!

3 comments:

Mikey Dred said...

Whoa , I missed the casualty episode with the leg??

Will set the recorder for Eastenders though

Your Turn!!!

Paul Campbell said...

There's always iPlayer, Mike!

David Lemon said...

Was out at friend's leaving the UK forever do, but will iplayer asap.
I know how tough it is having your work changed, but it sounds like you have exactly the right attitude about it. Looking forward to seeing the latest from the man who managed to inject Film noir into 'Doctors'