As part of , a unique and ground-breaking season of content created and curated by Idris Elba, 鈥檚 new series, has just released on 91热爆 iPlayer.
five by five is series of short films from new writers, featuring new and established on-screen talent working side by side. Set in London, the five standalone films feature chance encounters between characters which question identity and change perceptions.
Produced by d, Executive Produced by Idris Elba for Green Door Pictures, and and for 91热爆 Studios. The 5x5-min films are written by (Flea, Harlots), and new writers Lee Coan, Namsi Khan, and .
Can you tell us a bit about five by five and how you became involved in the project?
is five five-minute films that stand alone, but can also be watched back-to-back as one 25 minute film. I got involved because I was lucky enough to be working with on another project and he asked if I鈥檇 like to be involved in this one as well.
Idris was talking about themes that I was very interested in 鈥� looking at identity and perception and looking at those chance encounters that you have that can, you know, potentially change somebody鈥檚 outlook鈥r their day, at the very least.
It sounded like a great opportunity and, also, I鈥檝e spent the last couple of years writing on other people鈥檚 shows and this was an opportunity for me to lead a group of writers and I hadn鈥檛 had that experience before, so it was a great opportunity to try something new.
What does the role of 鈥渓ead writer鈥� entail? And how did you feel about taking on that title?
It was slightly different to the normal thing you might have on a show, where you have a lead writer who has created it, written a first episode, storylined it and then, you know, you bring on other writers. With this we were certain about the themes we wanted to explore and we had an idea for the format of it, but it was much more up for grabs, in the writers' room, what was going to happen.
So it was a writers' room process?
Oh, definitely a writers' room process, yes. We got into the room, people had brought ideas, we discussed them and we, as a group of people, had to meet the challenge of creating something that would both stand alone as individual films, but would work together as one story and explore the themes and ideas we wanted to explore. So it was quite, I think, a challenging and ambitious task.
Had you done a writers' room process like that previously?
Yeah, I鈥檝e worked in quite a few writers' rooms on the shows I鈥檝e been on in the last few years, but I鈥檝e never been the lead writer and it鈥檚 a slightly different role. Although, to be honest, it鈥檚 kind of a free for all once you鈥檙e in the writers' room. Everyone鈥檚 throwing ideas in.
Did you have a lot of involvement with the other writers in that process? Did you have to guide them, help them鈥�?
I was one of the voices, I suppose, feeding back to them, as is normal in telly. There鈥檒l be a lot of people inputting notes and saying we鈥檒l do it this way. You鈥檝e got script editors, producers and, at a later stage, the director all throwing ideas in and, you know, I was one of those. And hopefully one of the voices that was trying to consolidate all those notes. It鈥檚 a really difficult thing for any writer, but particularly new writers, to respond to notes, actually. There were a lot of voices feeding in and it鈥檚 a really interesting project for that. Most of the writers hadn鈥檛 had a television experience before this and they did amazingly well at dealing with that. They were so good.
Did Idris Elba have any input in the writing process?
Yes, because he had brought the original idea and he was very clear on the themes he wanted to explore, he was very involved. He came into the writers' room, he had loads of great ideas for how we could tell the stories, what kind of characters it would be interesting for us to look at, and then further down the line he was looking at scripts and inputting on that. As well as being a fantastic actor, he鈥檚 a fantastic producer. As somebody who鈥檚 directed, he鈥檚 got loads of ideas across the board, so he鈥檚 a really good person to work with.
A lot of writers say that they struggle with writing short form content and find it much easier to write a full length drama 鈥� would you agree with that?
Totally. I think writing short films is so difficult. And this, because it had a dual thing of being slightly longer as well, was just so tough. I don鈥檛 know if you鈥檝e ever heard that expression 鈥淚 apologise for the length of this letter. If I鈥檇 had more time it would have been shorter.鈥� I think that totally sums it up really. Doing something short is so difficult.
With these films, they鈥檙e about encounters between two people and, because you鈥檝e got five minutes, you can鈥檛 get into this person鈥檚 life or who they are as a person. It鈥檚 just about what happens, you know, in that moment between them. And it鈥檚 really hard to make something happen in five minutes between two characters. It鈥檚 an amazing discipline for us, as writers, to practise that thing of keeping action absolutely in the moment. Sometimes, in the writers' room, we鈥檇 stray off into that thing of, 鈥淲ell, maybe she鈥檚 coming to this place and because of that, this is weighing on her mind鈥︹�� but the audience don鈥檛 know any of that. All they care about is what does A say to B, what does B say back and what does that do to their relationship and how does that change them in some way. It鈥檚 almost like a writing exercise, you know. It鈥檚 good.
When did you first hear about the 91热爆 Writersroom and what led you to submitting to our ?
I just feel like I鈥檝e always been aware of the 91热爆 Writersroom in one way or another. I was somebody who, around that time, applied for lots of stuff. Lots of stuff on the 91热爆 Writersroom website and I went on to win that one.
Then I did the which was also because of the 91热爆 Writersroom and a lot of people who I met afterwards would say, 鈥淥h, you鈥檝e been really lucky because you鈥檝e won a few things through the 91热爆 Writersroom and that鈥檚 really launched your career.鈥� I would say, yeah, I am definitely lucky and that has definitely launched my career, but for the two things I got somewhere on, fifty things I didn鈥檛 get anywhere on! Or 100 things!
The brilliant thing about the 91热爆 Writersroom is that it鈥檚 a great way of bringing your work to the attention of people who can make a difference for you. I think the only bad thing about it is if applying for things and not getting anywhere is something that can knock your confidence, because it鈥檚 too easy to assume I didn鈥檛 get anywhere because I鈥檓 rubbish and that鈥檚 just not the case. It鈥檚 not a certainty that it鈥檚 not good because it didn鈥檛 win or didn鈥檛 get shortlisted. There are a million and one reasons, you know, so I would like people to know that I鈥檝e applied for so much stuff that I鈥檝e got nowhere on!
For every writer that is out there working professionally, they have got a ton of rejection letters under their belt, I guarantee it. There are probably some very lucky ones who make it through without that, but they鈥檙e most definitely the exception.
How did you initially approach the transition from writing for radio, to writing for screen, or had you always been doing both?
I was writing stage plays really, when I entered the Alfred Bradley Award, but I was really keen to write for television. I鈥檓 trying to remember which came first. I think it was that I did the short film 鈥� the iPlayer Shorts - and then around the same time I had the opportunity to write an episode of . Which I can鈥檛 recommend highly enough, actually, because the great thing about Doctors for a new writer is that you get to create the characters, you have to bring them a story and a group of characters. That is so exciting.
I did an episode of Doctors and that did well, and then I went on to another 91热爆 show, , I wrote some episodes of that and then I went on to 鈥� All 91热爆 shows! I have done other shows too! I do work for other broadcasters too, just so you know.
When people say that continuing dramas are just a training ground, what would you say to that sort of statement?
I would say that it鈥檚 an invaluable experience. Like any craft, you have to learn it, you know. All these shows give you a really good insight into something. Doctors is great because you鈥檙e creating characters. EastEnders is great because it鈥檚 got its own distinctive style, house style, that you have to write in. If you鈥檙e going to be a jobbing writer out there working on people鈥檚 shows, you need to be able to adopt the voice of that show. That鈥檚 a great skill to learn. I think working on continuing drama is great. I wouldn鈥檛 have got the opportunities I鈥檝e had since if I hadn鈥檛 done that. Also, it鈥檚 really good fun as well!
Do you have any writing rituals? Or funny habits?
Oh, only procrastination. Not being able to get started. And not being able to start until I鈥檝e tidied up and had a cup of tea and had a bath and walked that cat. Or whatever else I can find. That thing of procrastinating, for me, was always about鈥� You know, I鈥檇 have this script to write, I鈥檇 have this deadline, and really it鈥檚 the fear because once you鈥檝e started, you鈥檝e committed yourself. The script doesn鈥檛 exist. The script can be amazing, but if you commit yourself to write it, the script is what it is. But, actually, if you鈥檝e got two weeks to do it and you don鈥檛 start until the second week, it鈥檚 not going to be a different script in the end. You鈥檙e just going to have spent a week worrying about it.
The more experience I鈥檝e had, the more I鈥檝e learnt, as well, that this stuff is so subjective. If one person doesn鈥檛 like your script or has particular notes, the next person will feel something different about it. I think it鈥檚 important not to allow those things to knock your confidence, really.
Have there ever been moments where you鈥檝e said, actually, I鈥檒l challenge that note, or would you always go with what鈥檚 been said?
I think you definitely should challenge notes that you feel really strongly are not the right thing, but, you know, it鈥檚 a constant grappling with yourself of working out, 鈥淚s my response to this note because it鈥檚 not a good note? Or is my response to this note because I鈥檓 very attached to this and I鈥檓 defensive and I鈥檝e lived with it for a long time and I can鈥檛 see it another way?鈥�.
I think, generally, if someone is really pressing for a note, you鈥檝e got to give them at least the benefit of trying it. I鈥檝e never worked with any producers or script editors who鈥檝e said, 鈥淵ou must do this.鈥� It鈥檚 always been a dialogue. Collaboratively finding a way to get to the end of the process. For me, one of the most exciting things about television is how collaborative it is. For some writers, they want absolute, undiluted authorship. That鈥檚 great, I don鈥檛 think television is the right medium for those people. But if you like working with people and like an idea evolving and growing, then television鈥檚 brilliant.
What advice would you give to new writers trying to break into TV and Radio?
I think it鈥檚 learning to take what resonates from notes and leave the rest behind. Trying to develop a thick skin. Trying to not take rejection as a soul destroying thing. And to keep writing. The more you write the better you get. One time I was saying these kinds of things and I got kind of trolled for saying them. 鈥淟ike we don鈥檛 know you have to write, Cat!鈥� But I remember starting out and not writing that much and, kind of, just hoping that I鈥檇 get somewhere on these few bits that I did write. But the more I write, the more I practise, the better I get. And recycling. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 make this happen as a stage play, let鈥檚 see if I can make it happen as a radio play.鈥� It鈥檚 hard to invest into characters and then do nothing with them. Loads of times I鈥檝e had stuff that didn鈥檛 happen for one reason or another and then come back in some form.