Roy, CBBC, Weds 16th

Have you been watching Roy on CBBC these last few weeks? Good, isn't it? If you don't have CBBC, no worries, all the episodes are available on iplayer for, like, months.

If you have missed it, or don't have a clue what I'm talking about, then here's the trailer for the series:



And here's an extended clip from one of the episodes:



Any-old-hoo, my episode is on this Wednesday at 4.30pm. It's called On the Run: "Roy thinks he's been kicked out of home by his mother so he decides to go it alone on the mean streets of Dublin."

I haven't seen it yet so I'll be watching it 'live' on Wednesday for the first time. I did visit filming last September, and had an absolute ball working on the show with all the other writers and producers.

Here's how I got the gig: a script editor (whom I had met thanks to this very blog) contacted me. Was I interested/available in writing for a new show called Badly Drawn Roy? Naturally, I was. He asked for a couple of sample scripts and if the producers liked them, they would invite me to pitch ideas. My samples went down well so I went over to Dublin to pitch to the producers and CBBC team.

Occasionally you get the opportunity to pitch for a show, and you give it a go but your ideas don't get picked up. You brush it off. 'Never mind, wasn't meant to be'. However, with Roy, I felt an immediate attachment and passion for the project, and I was determined not to let the opportunity slip by. I HAD to write for this show.

I toddled over to Dublin and met the producers, prior to the official pitch meeting. However, as we chatted about the show, they casually asked about my ideas. Luckily, I was OVER-PREPARED and was able to pitch right there and then. They seemed to like the ideas, and they gave me suggestions which I thought I'd use at the official pitch meet.

We all met in a hotel boardroom - writers, producers, exec producers - and prepared to pitch. Who would go first? Cough, my hand went up. I was so excited about the show, I couldn't help myself. I did my pitch AND GOT A ROUND OF APPLAUSE! But I think that was mainly for going first.

After a couple of days going through the ideas and world of the show, the producers went off to decide what writers and episodes they would pick. Despite all of the writers and pitches being top notch, at least a couple of writers were going home empty handed. As ever, no guarantees. Happily, they chose my pitch, which I then developed into a scene-by-scene, three draft scripts and a polish.

Once again I must give special mention to Alan Keane, script editor, (whom I wouldn't have met if it weren't for the blog). He made the process so rewarding from start to finish (as Alan has thorough respect for writers and the writing process). And of course to JAM Media and CBBC, who were terrific.

So, there you have it. Roy, this Wednesday, 4.30pm on CBBC. I'll probably give another shout-out on the day to remind everyone but thought you might be interested in a behind the scenes rundown on how it came about.