Writing a hit TV script

‘Write for your audience. By that I mean don't create something that is unfathomable, self-indulgent dross then be surprised when nobody watches. You need to take your audience with you, to help them to understand the world you've created and the characters that inhabit that world. Let them see what your characters are striving for and give them a reason to care if they succeed or not. Life on Mars, Hustle, Dickensian and now Hoot and the Lady are all worlds that you may not be familiar with, but I hope they're worlds that the audience understands and wants to revisit often.

Tony Jordan, whose scriptwriting credits include EastEnders, Life on Mars and Dickensian in The Times