Sorry I have not read all the messages.
Dolly not sure if you got a reply to your
"I'm sure RTD said something along the lines of "I saw this show - and this is true - the opening line was "Happy wedding day sis"!". So it was a real show he was referring to."
RTD was going on about in soaps, EastEnders for example having a scene when someone says "Happy wedding day sis" that no one ever talks like that in real life, no one ever calls their sister sis. It's all a lazy way of saying there is a wedding and we are introduced to the sister....hope that helps?
Actually just wanted to let people know that RTD book isn't a bad read. Has some great example's of script layout, a lot of what he said in the Charlie Brooker prog he also mentions with a bit more detail. There are probably a lot better script books out there and it is very script heavy.
If you have 40 quid I have to admit it's not a bad look into what goes through a top writers mind. Actually it also puts you at ease if you coming up against brick walls in your writing that people like RTD also go through the same thing.