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Dick Clement

How and why did you get involved in this adaptation?

Ian and I were sent the book by Company Pictures. We immediately responded to it, partly because we're old enough to remember the Seventies!

It seemed to us that it's a rather forgotten era and it was time it had its turn in the spotlight.

What was it like working on The Rotters' Club, originally a novel, in comparison to something you started fresh, like Auf Wiedersehen, Pet?

We'd adapted books before, most notably The Commitments. If the book is any good - which The Rotters' Club is - our instinct is always to respect the original material and try to be faithful to it in spirit.

Obviously if it's your own creation you have carte blanche to do what you like.

The first problem we had was a practical one. Jonathan's book has a longer timeline, taking the boys from 14 to 17. We had to lop a year off that, as it would clearly be impossible to get actors to cover that large an age range.

We then researched to find out how this affected real events and found we were able to include a general election and the Queen's Jubilee.

Inevitably, we had to do a lot of editing, but our intention was always to keep the spirit of the book.

You have written an enormous amount of quality comedy. Do they differ enormously in preparation and writing compared to dramas or do they tend to have similar techniques because they are both fictional?

We've never viewed ourselves as comedy writers. We certainly can't write gags. We're interested in characters and in telling a good story.

The technique doesn't vary all that much if the subject is an out and out comedy or a thriller.

The Rotters' Club has a very exciting cast. What has it been like working with such an ensemble?

The read-through is always an exciting moment on any project, as it's the first time you get to hear your work performed and get an overview of its strengths and weaknesses.

The Rotters' Club was particularly gratifying because it has so many young actors who were new to us and it was especially satisfying to see the characters 'in the flesh'.

What do you think of Jonathan's sequel, The Closed Circle?

We like the sequel very much. As we have some experience of revisiting characters after an interval of time, it's not at all inconceivable to think that we might adapt The Closed Circle at some time in the future.

You have worked together for many years. What's your winning formula?

We feel very fortunate to have found a working relationship that has lasted longer than most marriages.

We have our occasional differences, but they are never acrimonious.

Everything we write has to go through a double filter process - we both have to like every setting and every line - which cuts out a certain amount of junk.

It's better not to analyse this too much - if something works, be grateful that it does.

What else are you working on at the moment?

We have just written a movie called Goal!, which will start shooting early in the New Year.

We have an untitled film written for Universal and are starting another for Revolution Studios called All You Need Is Love, featuring the music of The Beatles.

Baker Street, an original screenplay, is in pre-production as is Hotel Pastis, adapted from the novel by Peter Mayle.

Dreamworks and Aardman Pictures are making an animated feature from our screenplay Flushed Away.

Archangel, adapted from Robert Harris's thriller and starring Daniel Craig, is currently shooting for the 91热爆 in Latvia.

We are also developing three stage musicals: Victoria's Secret, with music by Dave Stewart and Paul Williams; Helen of Troy, with music by Brian Johnson and Brendan Healy; and Barbarella, again in partnership with Dave Stewart.