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Some of the most interesting and inspiring stories I’ve heard are about people’s creative journeys and what they’ve learned along the way. The world needs to hear more of those stories, and now you can hear them on the Follow Your Curiosity podcast. Twice a month, you’ll hear a new interview where we delve into one person’s creative journey. Some of these folks will be better known than others, but they’ll all hold up a mirror to the importance of creative endeavor in every life. In the alternating weeks, you’ll hear short Creative Pep Talk episodes where I feature a creativity tool or tip to help you keep your creative energy flowing. You’ll find something you can use in every episode of Follow Your Curiosity!
Episodes
Wednesday Dec 04, 2024
Wednesday Dec 04, 2024
My guests today are Lisa McMullin and Alfie Shaw, both of whom write for Big Finish Productions, creators of audio dramas ranging from established series like Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, and Dark Shadows to original dramas featuring the Air Transport Auxiliary from World War II and Marcus Tullius Cicero in Ancient Rome. Lisa started her career as a drama teacher before moving into dramatic writing—she’s written for TV series like Death in Paradise and the Sister Boniface Mysteries as well—and Alfie, who is also a producer for Big Finish, dabbled in stand-up comedy.
We talk about Big Finish’s apparently magical ability to redeem characters—including villains—who were less than beloved, the challenges and opportunities of recasting familiar characters, the way Big Finish finds new writers (including the best ways to do that), what the writing process looks like for an audio series, and a lot more. While there’s a lot of Doctor Who in this conversation, there’s also a lot of insight into the creative process, too. We apologize for being a bit vague about particular stories so as not to spoil them for those who haven’t heard them. Here’s my conversation with Lisa McMullin and Alfie Shaw.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:39 Lisa's creative childhood
09:22 Alfie's early passion for stand-up.
11:03 Alfie worked at BBC before Big Finish.
21:10 Lisa met writers, felt impostor syndrome, networked successfully.
23:19 Mixed interests: Paul McGann, river, Big Finish's "Survivors."
27:46 Amused student challenges English class symbolism interpretations.
34:57 AI affects creativity more than expected.
42:27 Exploring creativity within set formats is valuable.
44:13 Big Finish enhances characters like Sixth Doctor, Daleks.
50:54 Varied reactions to piece on religion, conversion.
57:04 Balancing new ideas and classic elements creatively.
59:44 Paul Spragg entries processed anonymously for judging panel selection.
01:05:56 Balancing established and new talent in writing.
01:14:58 Audio parallels theater through character-driven dialogue.
01:21:24 Recast Doctors' strength: unique, non-traditional portrayals.
01:23:24 Continuously innovate and explore new creative possibilities.
01:28:25 Eleventh Doctor and Jacob Dudman.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who and writing.
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