Pilot TV

Riot Women, The Iris Affair, and Monster: The Ed Gein Story. With guests Sally Wainwright, Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes

Oct 13, 2025
Sally Wainwright, the acclaimed writer behind Happy Valley, dives into her new BBC series Riot Women, exploring themes like midlife and dementia. Adjani Salmon, creator and star of Dreaming Whilst Black, shares insights into the show's development and character arcs for its second season, alongside co-writer Ali Hughes. They discuss the vitality of satire in modern storytelling. Plus, they critique the true crime approach of Netflix's Monster, featuring Ed Gein, sparking debates over storytelling ethics. A riveting conversation!
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ADVICE

Run Table Reads Early

  • Use a writer's room and shared tools to speed collaboration and iterate quickly on scripts.
  • Write aloud in table reads to hear which jokes land and fix weak lines before shooting.
INSIGHT

A24 Brought Resources, Not Just Money

  • A24's involvement gave Dreaming Whilst Black not just funding but research and institutional support to back creative choices with data.
  • That extra access let the creators take bigger creative risks and justify jokes and storylines.
ADVICE

Use Composites To Capture Industry Truths

  • Base fictional industry characters on broad real behaviours but avoid claiming specific real-life scenes are direct copies.
  • Use composite experiences to make industry satire feel accurate without naming individual incidents.
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