Toby Whithouse is a massively experienced TV writer. He’s worked on Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Hotel Babylon, devised his own show No Angels, and most notably created the juggernaut supernatural show called Being Human.
He talks about screenwriting, how Being Human arrived, and how it felt to bring Sarah Jane Smith back to Doctor Who.
Toby is a great talker, and in this interview he really goes to town on a wide range of subjects, including:
- What made him start writing in the first place when, as he puts it, there are some days he thinks he ‘couldn’t write ‘F**k on a dusty blind’
- How he got his agent
- How writing in the theatre and entering the right competition is a great way to get noticed
- Why you need a calling card script
- The inside story on coming up with the episode in which Sarah Jane returned to Doctor Who
- What it takes to write all six episodes of your own show
- His advice for new writers on breaking into the industry
And an awful lot more!
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I myself have written two episodes of a Doctor Who spin off show – the much loved Sarah Jane Adventures. (The Warriors of Kudlak episodes from series 1.) If you want to use the method I always begin with when I write my own scripts, then why not download my step by step guide on how to write a screenplay? (The link opens in a new window so it won’t affect the interview playback.)