Ben Elton interview
Ben Elton has helped co-write some of Britain's most loved studio sitcoms, most notably Blackadder and The Young Ones. He's now back at BBC studios to make a new comedy...
Hi Ben. Can you tell us about the premise of The Wright Way?
The Wright Way is my first studio sitcom since The Thin Blue Line almost 20 years ago, so I'm very excited. Working for the BBC is a real privilege and I'm very grateful to have been given this new opportunity. I love the studio sitcom format - it's the traditional way of making television comedy and creates a real connection with the audience. You can be sure that all the laughter you hear in the show is real and was recorded live on the night!
My personal favourite sitcoms are Dad's Army and Fawlty Towers, shows which feature brilliant ensemble casts but which also have a central leading character, who is constantly at odds with the 'slings and arrows' of everyday life. In fact, Slings And Arrows was the original name for The Wright Way but I changed it because it wasn't particularly relevant to the situation, which is a Council Health and Safety Department. I chose this situation because it offers endless opportunity for logical absurdity and big physical comedy while also allowing for a bit of social satire on a subject which looms large in everyone's lives.
What inspired your return to writing for TV, and to the situation comedy in particular?
For me the sitcom is the holy grail of comedy writing, the toughest discipline but also the most rewarding. If you get it right you can become a real part of the culture in a way that other TV entertainment, be it drama, comedy or variety just doesn't. Think of Fools And Horses or Porridge or The Office or countless others. Of course that's a big ambition but you have to aim high, don't you? You also have to get the chance and I started by saying how grateful I am to have been given this one. Being back in studio at the BBC is a joy for me; it's where I started in 1981 with The Young Ones and it's truly wonderful to be back.
What is the inspiration behind the series, particularly Gerald Wright's character?
Character is even more important than situation in comedy and Gerald certainly is a character. If I'm honest, there's a bit of me in the character (at least my wife says there is). I've certainly been known to sneak in after she's loaded the dishwasher and secretly re-load it to my own satisfaction! The thing about Gerald is that at heart he's a very decent man. He just goes on a bit, that's all. This kind of obsessive certitude fits in well with his job as a Health and Safety Officer. He sees his mission as to eradicate all risk within his municipal jurisdiction. Even, as he is anxious to stress, if no such risk exists.
What is your writing process for a situation comedy like this?
For me, the writing process is always the same and always has been, be it a novel, a sitcom, a play or a musical. You just have to just get down to it. If I'm working on something I go to my desk straight after the kids have gone to school and try to stay there pretty much till they come home. Sometimes it's hard but I find I can only get on a roll by really focusing. The old perspiration/inspiration thing is true I'm afraid. The great thing about a sitcom, though, as opposed to a novel, is that the writing process continues in rehearsal. I love to spend time with the actors and am constantly reworking and refining the scripts, they're never fully set till we record. That's the part of the job I enjoy most.
You've worked with Adrian Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders in the past... now you're working with their daughter, Beattie. She plays Victoria...
Well clearly Beattie got her job 100 per cent on merit: I auditioned her three times and she was up against a number of wonderful, talented funny young women all of whom I would love to work with another day. If I was conscious of Beattie's comic heritage at all it was only to be even more rigorous in my decision to cast her. Of course Adrian and Jennifer have been two of my dearest friends for more than 30 years so once I was absolutely sure that Beattie was right for the role it was lovely to share in their delight at seeing her begin to fulfil her ambitions. They came up to Salford to see one of the recordings and it was a very special night.
How much does the script change once the actors begin to bring it to life?
I certainly do keep refining the script throughout rehearsal. Having said that, the changes tend to be quite small and specific because I'm pretty clear about what I have in mind when I'm writing, which is why I take such care over casting. There's no doubt that once the actors start to make the characters their own it's a real inspiration towards further comedy but they don't come up with lines, it's not a cooperative!