There are times when I come up with an idea for a story, whether
it be an episode for a TV show, a film or a play, and wonder whether my heroes
would either a) Approve of it, or b) Already come up with the idea themselves. The latter of the two is exactly what happened last week
when an idea I was most proud of had already been done.
As a huge fan of One Foot in the Grave and its writer David
Renwick, I am aware that he wanted to write a silent episode free of comic dialogue in favour of more visual comedy and farce. Sadly, such an episode never
materialised due to a lack of ideas.
However, the concept stuck with me and as I am currently
developing a sitcom about a married couple, I began writing down how it would
work. To be within the realms of reality it could only work if the events
occurred at night, as the majority of people will be asleep. The initial
setting and timing led to all sorts of plot ideas. What if one of the
characters couldn’t sleep? What if they texted a friend who also couldn’t sleep
and we as the audience saw their conversation? What if they tried to quietly prepare a midnight snack but were making lots of noise?
The ideas came thick and fast but I knew there needed to be
something else that would give the story that extra something. After all we’d
have 25 to 30 minutes to fill. Then I thought: What if a couple of burglars
broke into their house? Then they would have to remain quiet and try to avoid
the character who is awake.
The whole concept is farfetched, but it was an idea that
excited me and would be a challenge as I prefer to write dialogue humour over
slapstick.
By Wednesday morning I had the idea written down and hoped
to write a script. Then the evening came around and a new, silent episode of
BBC2’s brilliant new series Inside No. 9, written by my heroes Steve Pemberton
and Reece Shearsmith. Having already read an interview with the duo and knowing
there would be a dialogue free episode, I was intrigued to see how they would
meet the challenge and as a result I did not read a plot synopsis.
You all know where this story is heading. Therefore
this image is pretty self-explanatory…….
 |
| Inside No. 9: An image from the perfectly titled 'A Quiet Night In.' |
Yep! The exact same idea. They even did the text
conversation gag.
So there you have it! An idea I was so proud of and excited
to write had already been done by two performers who I highly rate. If you
think I was annoyed by this, you’re right, I was at first. But then I thought,
something must be right if I’m coming up with an idea that was exactly the same
as theirs. And just because that idea can't happen, does not mean there aren't other possible stories.
On the episode itself, it was extraordinary. A truly wonderful
30 minutes and the show is by far one of my favourites of the New Year. Having
followed the duo from The League of Gentlemen to Psychoville, the concept of
Inside No. 9 was already gonna grab my attention and it is simply genius.There’s no other way to describe it.
I know that was a long first article. But this blog is
not called a ‘Rambling’ for nothing. At the end of the day, that’s all I’m
doing.
