This blog post is part of a series where the ±«Óãtv Writersroom approached selected writers to offer them a platform to discuss what they feel are the most relevant topics affecting the broadcast industry today.
From as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to write for TV. I was one of those nerdy kids who would watch the credits at the end of programmes. I began to notice which writers I particularly liked, writers whose work spoke to me. I was in awe of the fact that everything I’d watched had come out of one person’s head. But I couldn’t help but notice that it was rare to see a character who was disabled, and even rarer to see a character with cerebral palsy like me. I decided long ago that this was something I could help change.
So I was proud to finally have my first original pilot produced and broadcast last year. It was a long slog. I’d been writing TV pitches and scripts for the previous 13 years. I’d practically become an expert at getting rejected. I remember vividly going for a meeting with some ±«Óãtv TV producers in 2009 about my first attempt at a comedy pilot script. They told me that, if you took away the fact that my main character was disabled, then the script didn’t have a USP. I asked why on earth would you want to take that away? Surely making the character disabled gave him a different home life situation and lived experience that would be unique and engaging to audiences? But at the time they did not agree.
Now I’m not for one minute claiming that first script was perfect, far from it in fact, which is somewhat ironic given that I gave it the title Perfect! Between then and finally getting produced, there have been a string of other failed pilots, script notes, mentoring schemes and training courses. I learnt that the only way to really get better at screenwriting is to pick yourself up after a rejection, dust yourself down, learn from your mistakes and have another go. As Jack Thorne once told me, 95% of this job is being told where you’ve gone wrong!
Laurence Clark's original Comedy, 'Perfect' aired on Dave in August 2022
But also a lot has changed in terms of the screen industry’s attitude towards including disabled, deaf and neurodivergent people over the past few years, although undoubtedly there’s further to go. Significantly, there is a growing recognition that there are only a certain number of stories to tell, therefore a way of making those stories new, interesting and exciting is to include characters from a range of diverse backgrounds, drawing on lived experience. For example, a thriller about a single mum suddenly gets an added dimension if we make that character a wheelchair user who as to navigate all of the various attitudes, barriers and systems that come with that situation.
I’ve noticed, particularly in continuing drama, it feels like there’s a tendency to have disabled characters because they know they ought to, but the writers don’t really know what to do with them. So, these characters are present on screen but don’t get any of the juicy storylines. I put this down to two factors: a fear amongst non-disabled writers of getting it wrong; combined with a lack of disabled, deaf and neurodivergent writers up until now. Certainly, whenever I’ve done writers’ rooms, I’ve always put myself forward to write for the disabled characters, not least because it’s easier as I can draw upon my lived experience.
Laurence was a part of the Writers' Access Group 2020/21
This is why it’s so important that ±«Óãtv Writersroom are currently recruiting another cohort of disabled, deaf and neurodivergent writers for their Writers’ Access Group. As someone who did it last time, I can vouch for the fact that it gave me the knowledge and skills I needed to start earning a living from screenwriting. The more screenwriters like myself we have working in the industry, the more authentic, nuanced portrayals informed by lived experience we'll see on our screens.
And what did I call my pilot which was broadcast last year? Why what else but… Perfect! It was a completely different script to the one that was rejected in 2009, because I’m now a better writer, but it had the exact same themes. It just wasn’t dismissed as lacking a USP as the industry has moved on and learnt to value lived experience. And I figure, if you are going to plagiarise, probably best to plagiarise yourself!