Moffat wows AWG forum

10 December, 2015

Steven Moffat, showrunner on BBC’s highest rating dramas ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Doctor Who’, took time out of his busy Australian tour to conduct a private Q&A with AWG members.The Q&A was held at Australian Film Television and Radio School with an audience of about 90 members. Steven was generous with his time and expertise, being funny, engaging and humble.He discussed ‘Press Gang’ – the 1989 ITV teen drama of which he wrote all 43 episodes – and how this early experience informs his writing now. In particular, he talked about the importance of cold opens and capturing one’s audience from the outset – a trademark he continues to employ when writing both ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Doctor Who’.Steven discussed his sitcom ‘Chalk’ and its failure, as well as the success of ‘Sherlock’. His wife and producing partner Sue Vertue also attended and Steven admitted his hugely successful sitcom ‘Coupling’ is loosely based on their relationship.He kindly donated an autographed script from ‘Sherlock: Scandal in Belgravia’, which was won by a lucky AWG member.Write Nights are organised by the Guild’s NSW Committee and the organisers said they were thrilled Steven Moffat donated his time for this unique opportunity share insights into his craft with AWG members.