Writers Simon Carlyle and Gregor Sharp interview
Simon Carlyle says: "Two Doors Down is about crazy neighbours. We've all got them. They seem ok, they seem to have everything together but when you scratch the surface, they're all a bit nuts. Essentially it's about being stuck with these neighbours; it's about living in a suburban street where you want a bit of privacy but you rarely get it and end up spending time with people you'd probably rather not want to be with.
"We tried to create a rolling sense of calamity. Two Doors Down has a mix of chat and also more traditional jokes and some physical comedy too. I think that in these sorts of family units, no matter how hard the men try, it's always the women's voices that prevail. The real life Cathy and Christine are out there but they'd kill me if I gave their identities away. Or they'd want royalties. Either way - the price is too great to bear!
"This series sees Elaine C Smith join our cast. She's one of the comedy legends I grew up with and having her on set was a treat. She talks nearly as much as me so it's a great distraction for me having her there. She also knows 'funny', so we could ask her and Doon about how to structure the gags best."
He adds: "My writing partner, Gregor Sharp, brought discipline, knowledge and a capacity for making jokes to the writing process for Two Doors Down. I brought change for the vending machine, colourful anecdotes about my time as a transvestite bartender in Soho, London and a hearty supply of duty-free cigarettes to help the process along."
Gregor says: "Everybody needs good neighbours - we've basically done a version of Neighbours except without the interesting stuff, like Bouncer, Lassiters or Mrs Mangel."
He explains: "Two Doors Down is about a bunch of people who all live on the same street; it's about how sharing problems can sometimes make them worse rather than better, how the downside of friendship is obligation, and what to do if you leave your freezer door open all night.
Comedy rarely has enough female leads and while Two Doors Down is definitely an ensemble piece, Beth, Cathy and Christine are all formidable in their own ways. They are all quite no-nonsense people and not backwards about coming forwards, so sparks do sometimes fly.
The actresses playing these parts - Arabella Weir, Doon Mackichan and Elaine C Smith - are all exceptionally gifted and there was an amazing energy on set during the scenes they played together.
I was brought up on a street like Latimer Crescent, where all the kids played together and the parents would take it in turns to go round to each other's houses for parties and social occasions. There was always a fair amount of gossip from those sorts of affairs and the New Year parties were particularly eventful. The characters in Two Doors Down aren't really based on anyone in particular. I'd say they're amalgams of people we've known over the years; so hopefully no one will be too offended!"
Gregor concludes: "I don't think you're necessarily missing out if you don't have an intimate relationship with your neighbours but generally I'd encourage people to be nice to theirs - you never know when you might be able to ask, or bestow, a favour!"