Jessica Knappett interview
Jessica Knappett is the writer and star of Drifters. Here she talks to BCG about Series 4:
When you started developing Drifters, did you ever think it'd run this long?
Not at all. Who gets to make four series of anything? What is this, America? It's been hugely satisfying to keep writing it and have the characters learn absolutely nothing in the space of four entire years. And the older they get, the more tragic their lives are becoming. They are now on their fifth gap year.
When the show was launched, it was dubbed "the female Inbetweeners" by some. Did you find that label helpful or annoying?
Thing is, shows written by women are called 'female shows' and shows written by men are called 'shows' and that is the sad world we live in, but you can't get annoyed about it can you?
'Watch this show, it's funny' is the thing everyone is really trying to say by comparing it to other good shows and that's flattering. Everyone likes labels. When The Inbetweeners came out, they probably got given a label too. 'Grange Hill with jokes' or something, I don't know.
Amidst a rise in writer-performer sitcoms in the last few years, from Miranda to Josh, comes the inevitable question: how autobiographical is Drifters?
Meg may be unlucky in love but I have been pretty jammy in the love stakes recently. Two years ago this really hot journalist turned up on my door and last week I married him. Also I have been propositioned more than ever since I started wearing a wedding ring. Wish I'd known that before.
Bunny and Laura are actually versions of me weirdly. Laura is my down to earth Northern side and Bunny is the self-indulgent actor in me. If I am short on ideas though, I just phone one of them up. Lydia and Lauren are the best inspiration a writer could ask for. They are hilarious and gorgeous and absolutely crackers.
Similarly, do you find people confuse you with your character?
The most common response when people see me in the street and are fans of the show is to give me a pitiful hug, so yes probably they do.
What can fans look forward to in Series 4? Have we really seen the last of boyfriend Mark?
Mark is gone for good and Meg gets a new boyfriend. The only trouble is, he won't sleep with her so she has to figure out why.
Laura gets a job at a call centre surrounded by 'grade A hotties' so she dumps Gary... but they can never be apart for long. Bunny continues to pursue an 'acting' career, and there is a cameo from Alex Reid the cage fighter.
Does it become easier to write the episodes, the more you write, or is it hard to devise good ideas?
It has become easier in many ways. Writing in general is easier and I have started writing with Emerald Fennell now who is hilarious and brainy and much more diligent than me. She is also radiates positive vibes so I haven't had to deal with all those sad feelings of 'the show is going to be shit' on my own this year. We are working on a couple of pilots now and we are hoping to get those off the ground next year. It's just a joy and a huge relief to have found someone I can write with.
Presumably you'd like to continue making Drifters?
If we got a fifth series, it would probably mark the end. I said that about the third series and the fourth series.
Will Meg, Bunny and Laura always have messy lives, or do you think they'll eventually manage to settle down?
If they settle down then the show is dead so no, hopefully they will be a mess for all eternity.
Series 4 of 'Drifters' is on E4 on Mondays at 10pm.