Behind the Curtain

Exactly a month to the day after we bowled up to Leicester for De Montfort University’s one-day Television Scriptwriting Workshop, Work Buddy and I headed into Bloomsbury for Adrian Mead’s Insider’s Guide to TV Drama class.

A one-time hairdresser with a second job as a nightclub doorman, Adrian has the build of the latter and the demeanour of the former. Having gotten into the business, writing for television drama and writing and directing short films and his first feature Night People, he’s eager to see other people have the same kind of success.

In the classes he’s not there to talk about script format and structure but the business of writing, taking his audience behind the curtain and showing them the workings of the great and mighty Oz. Unlike other professionals who guard the shrinking borders of their own little personal fiefdoms turning away all intruders or dole out dribbles of advice on a quid pro quo basis, he’s confident in his own abilities enough not to fear the competition.

His first order of business was to get everyone to communicate with each other, which we certainly did, meeting new friends and strangers. Sitting at a nearby outdoor café prior to the event, Work Buddy and I were joined by Lucy and Lianne, who I had only recently met a couple of weeks back, and Lara (who should have come for lunch that Saturday but bailed). Arriving in their wake came Dom, followed by the effervescent Potdoll.

Once again there was the bizarre moment of, upon meeting someone you’ve corresponded with through their blog, reconciling the face to the name and P Dolly wasn’t what I expected. Then again, she thought I’d have glasses. Okay.

The thing everyone should know is that they don’t know everything. There are always things to learn as well as suspicions to be confirmed. In hindsight, some of Adrian’s insights may have seemed pretty obvious, but the thing is, you only realise that well after the fact. It may have been hiding in plain sight but someone else had to reveal it to you.

A very personable and entertaining guy, Adrian just wants everyone to succeed and is happy to help them avoid the pitfalls and mistakes he encountered on the way up. If you missed this class, keep an eye out on the MeadKerr website for future events.