The Passing Bells, a new five-part drama for 主播大秀 One, runs from Monday 3 鈥� Friday 7 November, as part of the 主播大秀鈥檚 programming to mark the Centenary of World War I. About the 主播大秀 caught up with series writer and 主播大秀 veteran Tony Jordan to find out more about the programme and his writing.
I first heard Tony Jordan speak earlier this year at the . He was the chairperson and introduced proceedings with panache and a breathtaking candour. When I spoke to him recently from his shed (yes that鈥檚 where he writes鈥� he used to write in his garage, but he鈥檚 upgraded) the same honesty struck me again, along with a bewildering modesty and a joyous ability to laugh at himself.
Maybe that鈥檚 because Tony鈥檚 clearly a 鈥榬eal鈥� person (not starry or pretentious at all). He started out as a market trader, and sort of fell into writing for television, under 鈥渇alse pretences鈥�:
鈥淚 was born in Southport near Liverpool, and I was travelling all over the country doing markets. I ended up living next door to a guy called Doug Briggs who was trying to write for television and we used to talk about it a lot. At some point he said, 鈥楳aybe you should try and write a script, because your stories are great鈥�. So I did it as a bit of a laugh and put it in a drawer. Then Doug said, 鈥榊ou have to send it somewhere!鈥� So I put it in an envelope, wrote 主播大秀 London on the top and posted it.
鈥淚鈥檇 forgotten all about it 鈥� then after about three months I got a letter from the 主播大秀 saying, 鈥榃e got your script, would you like to come in and talk to somebody?鈥� Next thing I know I鈥檓 in the EastEnders office, where they assumed - because they knew I was a market trader - that I was an East End barrow boy. They thought I鈥檇 be an authentic voice for the show.鈥�
It was only when, several years and many scripts later, Southport-born Tony was approached for a feature about how growing up in the East End had affected his writing for the show that he was forced to admit he wasn鈥檛 actually a Londoner.
The interview was politely declined and Tony continued to write for the programme for another 10 years. EastEnders became the making of him as a writer. He had a wonderful productive relationship with a script editor called Jane Gillespie early on, who 鈥渘urtured and taught鈥� him. That winning relationship and others led to Tony writing over 200 episodes of the soap, of which he seems justifiably proud:
鈥淚 loved the Slater week of course, [where ]. You know, when people have a pop at EastEnders you can say, 鈥楬ave a look at this and then say that again,鈥� that was a piece of drama that would stand up next to anything.
鈥淚 also enjoyed the daft episodes. I used to send EastEnders to Spain a lot: Phil and Grant having gut-buster breakfasts and carrying women over their shoulders. And I went back four years ago to do , that was something I鈥檇 always wanted to do. June鈥檚 an amazing actress, she鈥檚 on another level.鈥�
Despite his unusual, blessed path, Tony鈥檚 passionate about inspiring and supporting new writers, who he calls the 鈥渓ife blood鈥� of television. So much so, his production company established the to find new writing talent for the medium.
鈥淚 was expelled from school when I was 14, so I didn鈥檛 really have much education, I wasn鈥檛 academic at all, I wasn鈥檛 a great reader of books, I didn鈥檛 want to be a writer. I literally fell into it by accident, which I know is really annoying to writers out there who are desperately trying to get a break. I didn鈥檛 start writing till I was 33 so I鈥檇 already had a life before I started and that really helped.鈥�
He describes with eloquence the complex, fundamental condition of being a writer 鈥� requiring a deep empathy, but that in turn making you sensitive as a person, and susceptible to the views of others. And that鈥檚 a dangerous place to be, when everyone is looking at and judging your work. 聽He went on to explain that this is why the relationship with a script editor is key; a supportive one is invaluable, but if they鈥檙e not helpful it .
Tony鈥檚 entry to EastEnders also began the start of his special relationship with the 主播大秀:
鈥淚鈥檝e always said I鈥檓 kind of a 主播大秀 boy. When I sent my script in to the 主播大秀 all those years ago it went to the 主播大秀 Script Unit - which is now the - and their job was to look for new writers and new voices. The 主播大秀 read that script, the 主播大秀 got me in and talked to me, the 主播大秀 placed me on a show and gave me a new profession, and that鈥檚 why a vast majority of my output has been for the 主播大秀. Shows like and , and , , , they鈥檙e all 主播大秀 shows because I鈥檓 a 主播大秀 boy.
鈥淎t the moment, with my company Red Planet, I鈥檓 working with ITV, Channel 4, Sky and they鈥檙e all great, but the 主播大秀 feels like home to me. Ben Stephenson [主播大秀 Controller, Drama Commissioning] and Polly Hill [主播大秀 Head of Independent Drama] are brilliant because if you look at their output 鈥� it鈥檚 been amazing and continues to be. They make you feel treasured, they鈥檙e really smart, with incredible instincts. I love working with them.鈥�
That relationship continues with Tony鈥檚 forthcoming series The Passing Bells. A five-part drama it follows the experiences of two young men, one English, one German, who become soldiers in the First World War.
鈥淚t occurred to me every war film I鈥檇 ever seen was the same: good guys, bad guys, triumph over adversary kind of thing, or messages: the horrors of war exposed. And when I thought about the First World War I realised all my images of it were disjointed, black and white pictures in my head, with people I couldn鈥檛 relate to or understand. So I thought, 鈥業 want to do something, but I don鈥檛 want to do a war film, I want to just understand who those boys were who went to war鈥�.
鈥淪o I took two characters, a young British soldier and a young German soldier, and avoided all the clich茅s, there isn鈥檛 a single officer in it, no 鈥榣ions led by donkeys鈥�, or 鈥榯ally ho, over the top chaps鈥� none of that. We only see one real battle, and there鈥檚 no good guys and bad guys, there鈥檚 no accents, we just follow these two boys through the war.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to make people engage with the war emotionally, it鈥檚 supposed to make you feel something, not learn something. There are lots of documentaries for that, but this is to bring into colour the stories of those kids that were sent to war.鈥�
Whether Tony鈥檚 face is familiar or not, you will very likely have watched something he鈥檚 penned for the 主播大秀, and he鈥檚 plenty more interesting projects in the pipeline to follow The Passing Bells.
鈥淭he big shows I鈥檓 ensconsed in at the moment are Dickensian [a drama set in Victorian England using characters from all Dickens鈥� writing] 鈥� I am spending my days writing scenes between Scrooge and Fagin and then I go to Mr and Mrs Bumble鈥檚 for tea. Mental. I鈥檓 loving it. We鈥檙e also doing another series of this year.鈥�
And on the rare occasion when Tony gets some time to himself he avoids watching drama on telly, opting instead for documentaries.
鈥淚鈥檒l sit and watch Come Dine with Me for hours, and I organise my lunchtime so I can catch Bargain Hunt. I hate watching drama because then I鈥檓 still working.
鈥淢y wife and I were sat watching EastEnders about 10 years ago and we鈥檇 just introduced Kat and Alfie. They were arguing on screen and I鈥檇 forgotten, but it was word for word an argument my wife and I had had the previous month鈥� I could feel her turn and stare and me 鈥� she was furious. She said, 鈥業 understand that you have to use your life experience but what really gets me is that in the middle of that argument you must have been thinking 鈥業 can use that鈥�.鈥� It is a bit like that 鈥� taking notes for use later. I鈥檓 always nervous when we watch stuff together in case she recognises anything."
So while Tony鈥檚 avoiding watching his own work on telly for fear of getting a clip round the ear, the rest of us are setting our digiboxes to record it, or watching it live. 聽I know I鈥檒l be making a date with The Passing Bells all next week on 主播大秀 One 鈥� with five programmes, one each night in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday it鈥檒l be a television event that I don鈥檛 want to miss.
Hannah Khalil is Digital Content Producer for About The 主播大秀 website and Blog.
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