Connections Frankie by DJ Forrest

Created by Lucy Gannon, who wrote 4 of the 6 episodes in 2013, Frankie is the story of the trials and tribulations of a District Nurse, dealing with a dishonest boyfriend, and a stalker of a boss. As with many a series we watch, it’s always interesting to see a large proportion of cast from Who, Torchwood and SJA.

So as usual, we’ve done the research so you don’t have to.

Directed by

Mark Everest directed 2 episodes in 2013. He directed Torchwood: Adrift in 2008. Appeared as himself in Torchwood Declassified episode #2.11 in 2008.

Alice Troughton directed 2 episodes in 2013. Directed 9 episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures from 2007 - 2009. Directed Doctor Who: Midnight and The Doctor's Daughter in 2008. Directer Torchwood: Small Worlds and Out of Time in 2006. Appeared on both Doctor Who Confidential and Torchwood Declassified in 2006 and 2008.

Ashley Way directed 2 episodes in 2013. Directed 8 episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures from 2010 - 2011. Directed Doctor Who: Cold Blood & The Hungry Earth in 2010, and 6 episodes of Torchwood from 2007 - 2008. Directed 13 episodes of Tardisodes in 2006. Directed the video game Doctor Who: Attack of the Graske in 2005.

Appeared on Doctor Who Confidential episodes, After Effects and What Goes on Tour in 2010. Appeared as himself also for 6 episodes of Torchwood Declassified from 2007 - 2008.

Cast 

Eve Myles played Frankie for 6 episodes in 2013. Eve has played Gwen Cooper for 4 seasons of Torchwood from 2006 - 2011 as well as playing Gwyneth in Doctor Who episode, The Unquiet Dead in 2005. With the return of Torchwood to audios, thanks to Big Finish, Eve is back as Gwen Cooper for series 1 Torchwood 2015 - present

Dean Lennox Kelly played Ian Hargrave for 6 episodes in 2013. Played Shakespeare in Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Code in 2007.

Derek Riddell played Andy for 6 episodes in 2013. Played Sir Robert McLeish in Doctor Who: Tooth and Claw 2006 - the beginning of Torchwood. Also appeared in Doctor Who Greatest Moments in 2009 and Doctor Who episode, Journey's End in 2008.

Jemma Redgrave played Dr. Zoe Evans for 6 episodes in 2013. Played Kate Lethbridge-Stewart from 2012 - 2015 in Doctor Who, and long may she continue to appear on the show. Appeared as herself in 2014 for Doctor Who Extra - Death in Heaven. Was uncredited in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot as Kate in 2013.

Noma Dumezweni played Angie Rascoe for 6 episodes in 2013. Played Capt. Magambo in 3 episodes of Doctor Who from 2008 - 2009.

Christine Bottomley played Diane Preston for 1 episode in 2013. Played Maggie in Torchwood - A Day in the Death episode in 2008.

Babatunde Aleshe played Tim Partington for 1 episode in 2013. Played Sean in Doctor Who: The Lodger in 2010.

Helen Blatch played Cheryl Fripp for 1 episode in 2013. Played Fabian in Doctor Who episode: The Twin Dilemma Part 1 in 1984, and was the voice of Matrix, part 4, uncredited in part 1, in 1976.

Tom Georgeson played Clive Harvey for 1 episode in 2013. Played Kavell in parts 3, 4 & 5 of Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks in 1975.

Played Detective Inspector in Logopolis part 1 & 2 in 1981.

Julian Gillard played a Concerned car driver for 1 episode in 2013. Was an uncredited Scientist in Doctor Who: The Power of Three in 2012.

Barnaby Kay played Toby Ellis for 1 episode in 2013. Played Heidi in Doctor Who: The Girl Who Died in 2015.

Darren Morfitt played Dan Fortune for 1 episode in 2013. Played Marco in Doctor Who double episode Flesh and Stone and The Time of Angels in 2010.

Scott Stevenson played Man on the bus (uncredited) for 1 episode in 2013. Although all roles were uncredited, has played 80s Man in Doctor Who: The Rings of Akhaten in 2013, including a Submariner in Cold Ware, Dipped Man in The Crimson Horror, and 80s Man again in The Name of the Doctor in the same year. In 2014 he played Chef in Mummy on the Orient Express.

Series Music by

Jeremy Holland-Smith for 6 episodes in 2013. Was additional Orchestrations and conductor for Doctor Who episode, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe in 2011.

Cinematography by

Mark Waters for 2 episodes in 2013. Was director of photography for 3 episodes of Doctor Who from 2010 - 2015.

Was director of photography for 11 episodes of Torchwood from 2006 - 2008. Appeared on Doctor Who Confidential for the episode What Goes On Tour as himself in 2010.

Film Editing by

Philip Hookway was film editor for 2 episodes in 2013. Was Editor for Doctor Who: Flatline in 2014. Was Editor for Torchwood: Random Shoes in 2006.

Elen Pierce Lewis was film editor for 2 episodes in 2013. Was editor for Torchwood episode, End of Days in 2007.

Art Direction by

Nick Murray for 6 episodes in 2013. Was Stand-by props for 21 episodes from 2007 - 2008 and stand by art director for 10 episodes from 2008 - 2015. Was Stand-by props for 2 episodes of SJA in 2007.

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

Steve Hughes was second unit director for 2 episodes in 2013. Was director for Doctor Who Prequel to Let's Kill Hitler and Closing Time in 2011. Appeared on Doctor Who Confidential episode, Open All Hours in 2011 as himself.

Matthew Scrivener was first assistant director for 2 episodes in 2013. Was first assistant director for Doctor Who episode, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe in 2011.

Art Department

David Cottam was graphic designer for 4 episodes for 2013. Was graphic designer: dailies for Doctor Who episode, Before the Flood in 2015.

Mike Parker was property master for 6 episodes in 2013. Was forward dresser for SJA episode Invasion of the Bane in 2007.

Special Effects by

Danny Hargreaves was special effects supervisor for 6 episodes in 2013. Was Special effects supervisor for 42 episodes of Doctor Who from 2007 - 2014, and special effects technician for 13 episodes from 2006 - 2007.

Appeared as himself for Doctor Who Extra series from 2014 - 2015. Appeared in 31 episodes of Doctor Who Confidential in 2006 - 2011. Appeared as himself for Totally Doctor Who for 3 episodes from 2006 - 2007.

Appeared in Torchwood Declassified documentary for Children of Earth 2009 and Sleepless in Cardiff in 2008.

Warwick Boole was special effects technician for 1 episode in 2013. Was special effects technician for 14 episodes from 2013 - 2014.

Appeared on Doctor Who Extra for the episode Water, Water, Everywhere in 2015.

Leon Harris was special effects for 1 episode in 2013. Was Special Effects Crew for 3 episodes from 2012 - 2013, and special effects for 2 episodes in 2013.

Stunts

Chris Pollard was stunt double: Andy for 1 episode in 2013. Was stunt performer for Doctor Who: Robot of Sherwood in 2014.

Camera and Electrical Department

Mani Blaxter-Paliwala was focus puller for 6 episodes in 2013. Was first assistant camera for 18 episodes of SJA from 2010 - 2011.

Was camera assistant for 5 episodes from 2006 - 2008 and assistant camera for 3 episodes in 2006.

Rick Woollard was steadicam operator for 6 episodes in 2013. Was Steadicam operator for Doctor Who: The Zygon Inversion in 2015.

Ben Griffiths was best boy for 4 episodes in 2013. Was electrician for 38 episodes of Doctor Who from 2007 - 2011.

Was electrician for 5 episodes of Torchwood in 2009.

Appeared on Doctor Who Confidential episode, Lords and Masters in 2009.

Stuart Biddlecombe was director of photography: second unit for 2 episodes in 2013. Was Cinematographer for Doctor Who episodes, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent in 2015. Was director of photography in Death in Heaven and Dark Water in 2014.

Richard Turner was focus puller: "b"camera for 2 episodes in 2013. Was focus puller for Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor in 2013 and Let's Kill Hitler in 2011.

Laurence J. Wigfield was second assistant camera: second unit for 1 episode in 2013. Was camera trainee for 12 episodes of SJA in 2009.

Articles Lucy Gannon

Lucy Gannon has written many popular dramas over the years.  Soldier Soldier, Peak Practice, Best of Men and Bramwell to name but a few, but it’s the series Frankie that has piqued our interest over the past few weeks, as it welcomes a return to our screens of Eve Myles aka Gwen Cooper, this time in a different role as District Nurse Frankie Maddox.  Frankie lives and works in Bristol, with a team of district nurses who call in at the homes of patients in and around the city and she cares more for them than she does about anything else, even more than her relationship with Ian played by Dean Lennox Kelly. 

The story touches upon many subjects, such as assisted suicide, dementia and the usual trials of life that pass in and out of the surgery.  There are some familiar faces amongst the cast, having spotted another Torchwood face – Christine Bottomley (Maggie – Torchwood, A Day in the Death), Noma Dumezweni (Capt. Magambo – Doctor Who, Planet of the Dead)  and Jemma Redgrave (Bramwell).    

Each episode revolves around a member of the team.  The story is a breath of fresh air for a Tuesday evening and six episodes are just not enough and we really hope there will be a second and third season of Frankie to enjoy. 

Lucy Gannon’s career started in 1987 when she wrote a play about a disabled boy whose father had committed suicide, called ‘Keeping Tom Nice.’ It earned her a six month writer-in-residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company.  The play was shown at the Ameida Theatre in London and later in 1989 was shown as a BBC TV screenplay starring Linus Roache.

Lucy received the MBE for services to Drama in 1996. Among her other awards are The Eileen Anderson Award, The Richard Burton Drama Award, The Susan Smith Blackburn Award, The BAFTA Cymru and the Contribution To The Media Award (Women in Film and Television) and the RTS Award (South West England) for Best Writer for her film The Best of Men, written about the pioneering work of Dr. Ludwig Guttmann and the start of the Paralympic games at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital.  It starred Eddie Marsan as Guttmann and Rob Brydon as Cpl Wynne Bowen a patient at the hospital.

Lucy’s prior career as a military policewoman, residential social worker and a nurse may be the reason why her characters and her creations work so well on screen.  You develop a real empathy for the characters that Lucy writes about, from the army barracks of Soldier Soldier, to the surgery at Peak Practice, and now for Frankie, her programmes always have you begging for more, and we certainly want MORE Frankie!

For more of Lucy’s credits please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Gannon 

Project: Torchwood caught up with Lucy during a break in her busy schedule and talked with her about Frankie, her career as a playwright, television writer and producer and general chat.

You can find Lucy on:

https://twitter.com/LucyGannon2 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304475/

Research source Wikipedia

Interviews Lucy Gannon by DJ Forrest

I was reading up on your credits on Wiki and can see where the interest in medical dramas came from.  Being a nurse and a residential social worker, you must have experienced quite a lot of dramas in that, had it always been something you wanted to do – writing, or did it start as a hobby that gradually progressed, and do you ever miss the work as a nurse and that environment?

Lucy: Writing came to me as a complete surprise - we were broke and without work and my Dad saw a play writing competition advertised and said 'Give it a go - you're very good at writing letters.' Before that I had been to the theatre as an adult only once (we had free tickets) so I knew nothing about writing, or drama, and I didn't even own a type writer. I entered the competition (The Richard Burton Drama Award) and won. 

I suppose that everything you experience feeds into your writing life, so nursing and the Army etc must have fed into mine but my first few series were a response to requests from the broadcaster (in this case ITV), rather than a decision of my own. No, I really don't miss anything in my past life, I don't believe in 'missing' things. Life is too full and busy indulge in nostalgia. 

I love Frankie, I love dramas like that which is why I loved the initial stories on ‘Peak Practice’ and ‘Soldier Soldier’ because it wasn’t just about the work that they did, it also covered their everyday lives, but it wasn’t solely about their lives, although Peak Practice did become quite centred on the Practice than the patients at one point.  Will the BBC commission more Frankie as this is a brilliant series and a breath of fresh air kind of show that I enjoy watching and like Doctor Who, the remote stays where I can see it, nobody must talk and all eyes focus on the screen.

Lucy: You ask about a second series of Frankie. We're still waiting for the decision. I think it's very much in the balance as our viewing figures have never been huge, although our Audience Appreciation Index (some clever way they have of gauging how much the viewer likes a programme) is high and climbing. Our figures took a massive fall in week3, when we were moved from our usual slot to another night but recovered in week4 when we went back to the usual night.

The episodes you’ve touched on in the series, the euthanasia and dementia were pretty hard hitting, how close to the truth were you able to get in these two episodes? Sometimes I’m never sure how much you can involve the audience into euthanasia without picking up on negative feedback from people not wishing to see things like that.  Not everybody’s cup of tea of an evening.  Me personally I thought it was fantastic, but sometimes when I’m writing something I often wonder how much I can cover without someone saying, that’s too close for comfort or that’s not something people want to see on a light hearted drama.

Lucy: The episode dealing with assisted suicide (which is NOT euthanasia) wasn't at all controversial. I think we're all getting a lot more balanced and mature about end of life choices, and we can come to a better and fuller understanding of the issues by gentle, non confrontational, angst free stories like this one. 

While I was going through the list of credits, I saw Bramwell, and saw Jemma Redgrave stars, then realised I’d seen her as the doctor in Frankie.  When you’re casting people for your dramas, do you tend to work with familiar actors, and when you’re writing as you had done for Rob Bryden and Eddie Marsan do you write with that person in mind?

When you wrote Frankie had it been with Eve Myles in mind?

Lucy: Casting is never easy and it's a huge huge mistake to write with an actor in mind unless you're absolutely sure you can get him or her. Actors are booked up months, sometimes years, in advance but often projects are green lit either late or early so the actor's schedule goes awry and you can never be sure if you'll get them. It's best to create a character and to let it breathe. For singles, or mini series, I have sometimes had the luxury of knowing a particular actor wants the part, but you never ever know that for a whole series (which gobbles up three months of the actor's life). I wrote all my characters in Frankie, including Frankie, with no one in mind at all. No one was cast until we had already written three eps. 

There are some well known faces within the series, some really cracking characters especially the guy who plays the receptionist in the wheelchair, I love his outlook on life, will there be more stories featuring the cast in the District Nurse office?

Lucy: All of our regulars get their own strand in this series, and yes, you will see a lot more of Ben Owen Jones.

You’ve written for radio, how different does that compare to writing for a television drama, in terms of scripting?

Lucy: I've written for theatre, radio, and for TV and the three mediums are very different. There's a wonderful liberation in Radio - you can set a play anywhere, at any time, and it won't cost an arm and a leg to make it. With TV you are always limited by the budget and by the practicalities of shooting/weather/location. I've just recorded a radio play set in the Highlands of  Scotland in the 19th Century and we made it in London, for no more expense than if it had been a modern play set in a radio studio! The other great thing about radio is that there's only you and the director between the script and the actors - with telly there's controllers, commissioning execs, exec producers, producers. In radio your script may go to the actors and three or four others (engineers, SFX), while in TV it will go to 70 people and they'll all have input (actors, director, 1sts, 2nds, camera, make-up, wardrobe, design, location, composer, etc etc etc).  

Theatre is less restrictive than TV as well. I once wrote a play set on an archery field and it was produced in The Bush Theatre, just about the smallest space ever. We had a rake going up into the audience (like a second stage) and somehow the idea of a field was created. That's what the theatre does - it takes ideas and brings them to life.

With TV in order to get a commission you have to interest just three or four people in the UK, the heads of drama at BBC, ITV, Ch4, and more recently Sky. If those few people don't share your enthusiasm, forget it. And even when they do, even when you get the green light, you always have to work to an increasingly small budget which means shorter shoots, and that limits the stories you can tell. In some ways it's a great discipline - the best TV I've written over the last 20 years has always been for Whitby Davison Productions, a small, intense and passionate production team who - because they're small Indies - have to work with tiny budgets. Together we made Bramwell (3 series and 2 TV films) and The Best Of Men (last year) and the discipline of budget and time enhanced rather than damaged the drama. 

On Wikipedia it says you’re developing a three-part drama for the BBC, a four-part drama, a radio play and a film, busy lady, can you tell us anything about them for Project: Torchwood?

Lucy: Work on my desk at the moment includes a new serial for the BBC, and a two parter for the BBC. There's a new series which doesn't have its broadcaster finalised yet so I'm saying nowt about that. The radio play you asked about is now in the can and should be transmitted in the Autumn.

Do you have a blog page of your own or a website for people to follow you, or are you just snug on Twitter at the moment?

Lucy: I don't have time for a blog page - Twitter is about all I can manage! With my time split between West Wales, London, Cardiff and Bristol, I can just about cope with a  few succinct words. 

Would you ever write and base a story in Scotland and film up there or are you firmly grounded south of the border? (Like SW Scotland)

Lucy: I'd love to film in Scotland. I'm also keen to work in Northern Ireland. Anywhere that will have me, really! 

Where was Frankie filmed? 

Lucy: Frankie was filmed in and around Bristol.

When you’re not writing, what do you do to relax? Or do you find writing often is what relaxes you, depending on the topic?

Lucy: Hmmm. Relaxation. I tend to write to relax. It's when I'm most comfortable with myself, happy in my skin as they say. 

I wrote a 10 minute short film script – my first ever script for a course in Screenwriting quite a few years ago now, do you have any advice for people who want to get involved in film making, and putting their work in front of the camera? 

Lucy: My advice to a new screen writer? Work hard, listen well, take criticism from those who are in the business, remember that the producer is your friend and ally. And if the producer really isn't your friend and ally, find another producer. Try to understand your director. If your script isn't getting the response you hoped for, look at it again - chances are the fault is with the script quite as much as with the person reading it. Be passionate about your characters, live in their world, have fun. 

You've got one life, and if you're a writer you'll spend much of it in some fantasy world - try to enjoy it.

Ken Bruce.  My gran used to listen to him of a morning, is he your favourite DJ?  All the clips involving the commentary coming from Ken Bruce were these recorded or when the radio came on in Frankie’s car were these purely adlibbed for the moment?

Lucy: Ken Bruce questions! Ken is a consummate DJ. He's wry and witty and most importantly he knows his stuff. He doesn't have to prop his show up with a bunch of cackling hangers-on, or 'posse', and he doesn't speak to us as if we're all ten years old. He understands the medium of radio, the dip in and out nature of listening to Radio 2. I wrote his lines and he said them. Like a proper trouper. Next series (if there is one) I'm just going to write Frankie's response to the radio and he can do his own lines. This is a one-off. I won't be offering the same treatment to any other actor (so don't start, Myles). 

Questions from the fans:

Karina Longman asks: Do you have any connections to District nursing and what gave you inspiration?

Lucy:  I don't have any connections with District Nursing. 

Mickie Newton: What are your inspirations when you’re writing?

Lucy: I always get my inspiration from the characters as they begin to sparkle off the page. 

Thanks Lucy for a fantastic interview!

Lucy: And one last question...... but this time from me......can I have a photo of the weevil?