Shaun Pye interview
Shaun Pye talks about why he created There She Goes.
What gave you the idea of writing There She Goes?
My daughter has a chromosomal disorder. I used to put on Facebook a lot of funny things that she, my wife and I had said and done. People told me: 'This is great. It's really original. I haven't seen this perspective anywhere else.'
How did you develop it from there?
I started to think that because I'd written a lot of comedy maybe these experiences would make a good sitcom. It would be a way of dealing with this that we hadn't seen before in other programmes about children with special needs.
Are you making general points about disability in There She Goes?
No. It's not a generalised story about disability. This sitcom doesn't speak about any other parents' experiences. There are billions of different chromosomal disorders and we don't even know which one my daughter has. There She Goes is a very authored piece. All I can do is tell my story as truthfully as I can.
Are all the incidents in There She Goes taken from real life?
Yes. I've taken some dramatic licence; some things shown in the sitcom didn't actually take place at the same time. But everything you see in this show is based on real events.
Is that important?
Definitely. When you're making a show like this, if you're telling the truth, people will accept it a lot more than they would if we were fictionalising it. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's not - it's a comedy drama - but it's always true.
What was the thinking behind making Rosie's father the butt of a lot of the jokes?
I think for many people the show will be funny because it paints my behaviour in a ridiculous light. She does something that is correct for her world, and how I react is funny. For example, in the first episode I get exasperated because I'm completely unable to put her to bed. She always emerges as the hero of the piece.
Why did you decide to set There She Goes in two different times?
One is set a couple of years ago. It's quite light, like the Facebook posts. It's fun and there's a warmer feel to it. It's a family sitcom that just happens to feature a unique child. It's funny, but it's not complete froth.
What about the earlier timeline?
That one is set in 2006. It's much darker, but we thought it was important to put it in to show how we got where we are today. Six months into my wife's pregnancy, the midwife realised the baby was small. That's when we first knew something might be wrong. That earlier timeline deals with the family unit, how it functioned and how sometimes it failed. It looks at depression and a family coming to terms with the fact that something is wrong with one of your children.
Did you consult your wife?
Absolutely. She's been really supportive and heavily involved in the writing of the show. I had a lot of long conversations with her about that period. That was very helpful. If we weren't making this show, the chances are that we might not have got around to having those conversations for a long time.
Might some viewers regard this series as controversial?
It's true that some of the things the parents say in the early timeline are strong and might be controversial. But we've put them in to say, it's okay to think these things.
Is comedy the appropriate vehicle for this story?
Some people might think that comedy is not the appropriate form for this. They're entitled to their opinion, and that's fine. But what we're doing is truthful. If funny things have happened to us, then why shouldn't we put them on TV? Hopefully it comes across that we're not laughing at Rosie at all; we're laughing with her and at the ludicrous responses of her parents.
Could you have cast a girl with a learning disability as Rosie?
No. Why we cast someone without a learning disability in the role is a very good question. The answer is that we were told by the professionals that it would be too much for someone with a learning disability. On set, the demands are very tough. So after an exhaustive audition process, we found Miley, and she's wonderful. She's so adorable! She's perfect. We're so lucky with our cast. David and Jessica are brilliant too.
How would you sum up There She Goes?
During the course of the series, we learn about Rosie and try to understand and celebrate her wonderful world. The central message of the programme is that hearing this news about your daughter is on that list of things you never want to hear in your entire life. But for this particular family, it going to be all right. It's worked out. Rosie is an adorable girl and brings the family joy every single day.