�� Writers Feed

Writing '�� Front' Season 4 for �� Radio 4

2015-05-22T13:14:20+00:00

�� Front Season 4 trailer

Editor's Note: Sebastian Backiewicz is lead writer on �� Front Season 4 which returned to �� Radio 4 this week.

The theme of Season 4 is Profiteering, how does that manifest itself in the storylines?

In the few short months since the beginning of the war in August 1914, the world very quickly changed in Folkestone and across the UK. Inevitably the opportunities the war provided meant that some people began to profiteer from it. Some operated on the thin line between legality and illegality, which we’ve represented with some new characters this season, whilst others did so within the framework of the law.

In Folkestone itself there was a huge influx of Canadian soldiers who came over to support the war effort as members of the British Army, and the local population was immediately galvanized. These boys were hungry to have a good time. They knew they were going to be shipped out to France and they had money, quite a lot of money, to spend. And where there are boys with money, there are people quick to profit from them.

Lead writer Sebastian Baczkiewicz sets the scene for �� Front Season 4

And Volunteering?

Volunteering also strongly features during this season. At that time there was a huge proliferation of volunteer organisations - we mention the National Egg Collection Society, for example. In August 1915 over a million eggs were collected in just one week for wounded soldiers as people felt compelled to do their bit for the ongoing war effort.

But of course against all this the casualties are starting to mount up, as the global nature of the conflict becomes very real. We hear about the Dardanelles, Gallipoli, Ypres. We hear about the terrible casualties sustained on both sides of the conflict. We witness a growing sense of anti-German feeling amongst the population. Society as it existed nine months before has simply ceased to exist. It’s a theme that a lot of the characters pick up on - how much Folkestone has changed.

Hannah Tointon, Nigel Harman and Daniel Kendrick in the �� Front studio

There are several new characters this season. Is there one you’ve particularly enjoyed writing?

As ever with �� Front, each season brings some new characters. Amongst them is the brother of Archie Tulliver, Thornton (played by Nigel Harman). He is a powerful and persuasive business man, with his fingers in a lot of pies, including illegal horse racing, selling alcohol to Canadian troops, setting up clubs where officers can get drunk after hours. He is exciting, charismatic and fun to be around, but he also has a somewhat shady and dangerous past.

We’ve also included a showgirl Muriel Granger (played by Hannah Tointon) who works at the theatre and is a bit of a thorn in the side of Ivy Layton the assistant manager.

We’re lucky to have Toby Jones playing Doctor Howard Argent. He was Reverend Ralph Winwood’s best man and is an old family friend. He has returned from World War One having lost his hand from an infection. He’s a progressive-minded doctor who has taken an interest in the psychological, as well as the physical, effects of the war on the returning soldiers.

And there’s Josiah King (Daniel Kendrick), a dedicated and thorough policeman, who feels that it’s his duty to impose order on the troubled streets of Folkestone.

Toby Jones with Nicholas Murchie and Rachel Shelley

Any favourite moment during studio?

At that time there was a spate of illegal horse racing, known as “flapping”. Local races were officially closed down because of the war, forcing them underground. Crowds would gather for these illicit ‘flaps’, so in this season we pay them a couple of visits which I really enjoyed.

Was there anything surprising that the research threw up?

The most surprising thing that the research threw up for me was how profoundly the timbre of the town had changed in nine months. There was a sense at the time, recorded in local histories, that Folkestone went a little crazy. Young men and women became known for adopting Canadian-isms, like “sure” for yes, to the consternation of traditionally-minded people.

There was also a huge explosion in crime from the beginning of the war. Suddenly the magistrates courts include an abundance of trials for prostitution, drunkenness, public brawling, the odd murder. One career criminal in fact has walked straight out of history and made her way into Season 4.

Sebastian Baczkiewicz with Paul Hilton, star of Radio 4's 'Pilgrim'

You’re best known for writing 'Pilgrim'. Are there any similarities or difference in writing the two projects?

As the creator and writer of Pilgrim, I work closely with my producer and then I go away and write the episodes. With '�� Front' it’s very much a team effort. We are all inspired by the same material and come together to decide storylines, discuss research and plot future seasons. So the great thing about '�� Front' is I get to work with an amazingly talented writing team, under the always inspiring guidance of Jessica Dromgoole.

It’s very much a collaborative effort, but each of the writers is given an awful lot of latitude in terms of how they approach the subject matter and how they portray the characters.

Listen to �� Front Season 4 on �� Radio 4

Meet the �� Front characters

�� Front Editor Jessica Dromgoole introduces the series on our blog

Katie Hims on writing the first season of �� Front

Download �� Front scripts from our Script Library

Writing �� Front, Radio 4's First World War drama

2014-09-03T10:31:22+00:00

Editor's Note: Katie Hims' recent radio work includes Listening to the Dead, The Martin Beck Killings, King David and Lost Property which won the 2012 Audio Drama Award. Her stage play Billy the Girl was produced by Clean Break at Soho Theatre in 2013.

Katie was the the lead writer for the first series of Radio 4's epic drama about the First World War, �� Front, which began on the 100th anniversary of the start of the war on 4th August 2014 and reflects events which happened exactly 100 years ago in each episode. Producer, Lucy Collingwood, spoke to Katie about the challenges and rewards of writing �� Front and acting as lead writer.

Drama serial charting life on the home front during the First World War.

How did you find writing an individual character’s story per episode?

I loved loved writing this way because each twelve minute episode became it’s own tiny play. There wasn’t the pressure to tell everyone else’s story within this brief time scale. And the rules were so clear. No action could take place without the presence of the central character – for a simple brain like mine it made it much easier! It also felt as if you could go deeper into a character in this way. It allowed for a level of emotional detail that was really satisfying to explore/ write.

Were some characters easier to write than others? Do you have a favourite character?

I loved writing Gabriel Graham with his constant newspaper and the way in which his addiction to the news and world events often meant he was oblivious to the emotional temperature around him or anything else that didn’t coincide with his own concerns. I also enjoyed writing Alice Macknade with her blunt manner, her no frills attitude to life because life was hard and she wasn’t going to lie about it.

Sam and Jimmy

You write lots of brilliant characters who are children… what appeals to you about writing for child characters?

I like the way that children see the world, the way they interpret events or come to their own conclusions. They can be so left field or wild or imaginative or literal or lacking in politeness, and they offer an opportunity to tell a story that feels more anarchic, less in control. I really do love the way the children speak and the things they choose to comment on or ignore. Lines that children say in real life stay with me often.

How did you prepare to write �� Front? What was your way in to writing about such a huge subject?

We were lucky enough to have fantastic resources made available to us. When we first started thinking about �� Front we spent four days in Folkestone walking around the area, working in the library, meeting local historians. The �� also had it’s own ongoing research team so someone else has always been a step ahead of us in gathering information. When it came to specific details that we were interested in obviously we could do our own background research but there was always someone one else on hand to help or help us find what we needed.

Folkestone

How do you come up with stories? What kind of stories most appeal to you?

I’m a big fan of a story that seems really dark and the sun unexpectedly comes out at the last moment. (Although of course you can’t play that trick every time . . .) A good short story can do that very well and these twelve minute episodes have a lot in common with the short story. They are about small and large moments. Or moments that appear small and later turn out to be significant. Moments which some truth becomes revealed.

And what has jumped out most story-wise from the research you’ve done/local newspapers? Did you find some bits of information sparked more stories than others?

The language of the newspapers is very striking. Adverts for remedies for obscure and unnamed ailments which sound completely unconvincing and quite useless. The pressure to enlist with girlfriends being asked’ is your best boy in khaki?’. The best local news articles told half a story and left you as a writer to fill in the gaps. The postman who drops dead in the first week of the first season is lifted straight from the newspaper. The male beauty competition is another.

�� Front

How did you find working with historical info/facts?

Sometimes the facts were perfect and inspiring and sometimes we found ourselves really wishing that a storm had happened on a different day. Or a ship had sunk earlier or later. Historical dates did not always serve our story purposes but obviously we couldn’t ignore them, we needed to bend to them rather than cheat. Like any other constraint in a creative process the changes we regularly needed to make only improved and developed the story.

Have you ever written anything like this before?

I’d never written as a part of a team before. I’d never sat in a room with a group of writers and devised stories or invented long running characters.

How does writing as a team and writing as lead writer compare with working on your own projects?

In some ways there’s more responsibility involved in being part of a team. You don’t want to let anyone else down. Being lead writer worried me! Of course it gave me the opportunity to shape the overall narrative and that’s satisfying but only if you have a clear idea of where it all needs to go which of course at times we didn’t because it’s such a huge project. But we did an awful lot of the work as a team – and our editor Jessica Dromgoole is so brilliant at seeing what is missing from a story in order for it to work. The final pulling together of the story document was my job and I loved it but now I ‘m very happy to take a break and to be passing that role over to the highly organised and meticulous Shaun McKenna!

�� Front is on Radio 4 every weekday at 12pm

Find out more, meet the characters and see photos

Catch with episodes so far and download them for free

Read a blog from Series Editor, Jessica Dromgoole

Read the first week's scripts by Katie Hims

Katie Hims is one of the judges for this year's Writer's Prize for Radio Drama. Find out how to enter before 29 September 2014

World War One on the ��

Creating �� Front - Radio 4's epic new First World War drama

2014-08-01T10:54:59+00:00

Editor's note: Radio 4's '�� Front' begins on Monday 4th August 2014, marking the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. Each episode is set exactly 100 years before the date of the broadcast and the programme will expand and develop over the four years of the war to explore its impact on the lives of people living on the home front.

�� Front: Charting life on the home front during the First World War.

When I was preparing to interview for the job of Editor of �� Front, I knew there would be the question: ‘what is your vision for the series?’

I already knew that it was a massive, epic commission. A new drama in a new place in the Radio 4 schedules. That it would be broadcast – in seasons – for the duration of the centenary of the First World War. That each episode would be set a hundred years exactly before broadcast. That it should complement Tommies, the meticulously researched military history drama that will be broadcast for several Afternoon Dramas each year of the centenary. That it should somehow reflect the whole country, all classes, both genders, all ages, most politics. That it should be a trigger to help listeners learn about the history of the time, as well as the intangibles of living through the conflict. And that it would, initially, be set in Folkestone.

Folkestone Harbour Station

I knew that I didn’t want it to be a soap. I love soap, but there’s nothing everyday about life in wartime. �� Front is set against a backdrop of crisis. The war is the enemy, and all our characters are up against it. So if it’s not a soap, it has to be series, or seasons. I’m a fan of The Wire (the Baltimore police drama, in this instance, although I do also love the Radio 3 drama strand), the way that each season inhabits a different world of the same city.

Broken into seasons of around forty episodes each, �� Front can tell stories set in fifteen worlds. Fifteen worlds should definitely include the outbreak of war, recruitment, industry, the church, farming, nursing, women working, conscription, conscientious objection, espionage, food control, propaganda, internment, striking, entertainment, education, sport… As soon as you start to think about all you want to achieve, nearly 600 episodes starts to feel like barely enough to scratch the surface.

And I knew that it should be compelling, pithy and delightful, for which there is only one principle manoeuvre: to line up the best writers I could find, and keep my vision as outlined to them compelling, pithy and delightful.

Writer Katie Hims

Story led by Katie Hims, our writing team came together to start the process, as outlined in Leo McGann’s blog from earlier this year (which also answers 'why Folkestone?' for the first series)

And then the writing process started. The story document was good, full of great stories, big and little, wonderful knitting in of the history of the time and the town, sustained in-depth reference to the strangest gems we’d uncovered, fleeting reference to the unprecedented military machine that was finding its rhythm at home and abroad.

Next came the scene by scenes – intricate breakdowns of each of the forty-five twelve-minute episodes, imparting more of a flavour of the finished article, and something of each writer’s style. A huge amount of work, much of it brilliant, the size of a small novel. And terribly disappointing. Not in parts – the writers were fantastic, and their plans were full of bold choices and beautiful flights of imagination. Just the whole felt a bit familiar, a bit ho-hum. Somehow navigating the strands of all these stories, keeping all our narrative balls in the air, respecting a budget that dictated cast size per week, finding comedy and heart-ache, while pinpointing the exoticism of the time, was an awful leveller. Every episode felt a bit like every other episode, a mix of this and that, and every thread moved on from was trivialised simply in the turning away. To say nothing of the metronome of regular cliff-hangers that started to get a bit, well, boring.

Modern-day Folkestone

Katie and I talked for hours about what to do. We looked at changing the stories, and some of them developed nicely with some tweaking. We threw out a lot of backstory, and made all the significant events happen on air. We introduced a greater range of characters – our social cross-section didn’t quite include the very poor, and so we invented the Macknades; our cast didn’t include a soldier we could adore, and so we added Freddie and his mother Sylvia Graham to the original father and daughter household. We considered introducing a narrator, but couldn’t decide who it would be, and knew that the indecision reflected a deeper uncertainty about the wisdom. And then my daughter Maud, who has always been a willing sounding board for whatever I’m working on, suggested that we make each episode one person’s story, not a monologue, but a short play with a central character.

Folkestone Bandstand at the Leas

It was as if someone had thrown open the windows and doors. Light shone on the stories. If they were plays they could be different from each other. They would take the tone of the central character’s day, and feel discreet and polished, a tile in the greater mosaic picture. We wouldn’t have to keep stories simmering until the time came to bring them to the boil. We could be ruthless, and lurching, and playful with this form in a way that liberated us.

Listeners would be able to enjoy single episodes for their own sake, and the desire to tune in to the next episode would be predicated on each one being compelling, pithy and delightful.

Listen to �� Front on �� Radio 4 from Monday 4th August 2014 at 12pm

Read scripts from the series in our online Script Library

Sign up for free downloads of �� Front and never miss an episode

Find out more about �� Front

Photo Galleries

Character Profiles

�� Front is part of the ��'s season of programming marking 100 years since the First World War

�������� Writers Feed

Writing '�������� Front' Season 4 for �������� Radio 4

Writing �������� Front, Radio 4's First World War drama

Creating �������� Front - Radio 4's epic new First World War drama

�� Writers Feed

Writing '�� Front' Season 4 for �� Radio 4

Writing �� Front, Radio 4's First World War drama

Creating �� Front - Radio 4's epic new First World War drama