Queen
of the
Screen
Author of Trial & Retribution and Prime Suspect, Lynda La Plante, CBE was drawn
into the world of drama at a young age, her Liverpool upbringing inspiring her to
become an actress before succumbing to the other side of the lens
Linda La Plante holds her North West heritage cross over. Nothing can be worse than spending as I find writing so fulfilling and enjoy every
dearly, drawing strongly on her background and months on a script and then seeing a similar plot minute of it, which is not to say I don't act out all
the wit it taught her. She says, “Humour and already in production.” the parts when I am writing.”
terrific timing are for some reason very much part Launching her own career in performing arts, With acting competition like Dame Helen Mirren,
of a Liverpudlian’s inheritance.” Humour, however Lynda was inspired by a former teacher who gave one of the country’s best-loved actresses, who
is one genre Lynda has so far avoided in her her the confidence to go on to study at one of could blame her for choosing to stay behind the
career as a writer. London’s most prestigious theatrical schools. camera.
Born Lynda Titchmarsh in 1946 and raised in “I was inspired to become an actress by my drama “I think Dame Helen Mirren is one of our greatest
Blundellsands, Merseyside, Lynda La Plante is teacher from school. She thought I had potential living actors,” she says, “She is a consummate
one of our country’s greatest crime writers. Her and encouraged me to go to RADA.” professional actress, a joy to work with and so
back catalogue is world-famous, ranging from talented.
Prime Suspect which she penned in 1991, to Trial
“Humour and terrific
“To have the success of Prime Suspect I think
& Retribution, another long-running crime changed both our lives, and I would relish the
drama series, which last month celebrated the
timing are for some
opportunity to work with her again.”
release of the fifth collection on DVD. As fate would have it, Widows developed from
With a wealth of talent in our own region, Lynda one of the original scripts Linda had written that
recommends up-and-coming writers to do their
reason very much a part
had been turned down by her producers on T_he
homework and research the differences between Gentle Touch. She says, “Although all four were
TV, film and stage before approaching a produc-
of a Liverpudlian’s
turned down, on one idea, ‘T_he Women’, someone
tion company. had written 'this is brilliant'. Taking that encour-
“My advice to any budding writer, be it for stage
inheritance.”
agement I reworked the treatment and it became
or screen, is to make sure you are aware of the Widows. So in many ways I will always be grateful
genre you have chosen. It wasn’t long however, before Lynda turned her for the rejection.”
“If it is an idea for television, be aware of the attentions to writing, and while starring in T_he Queen of crime thrillers, Lynda La Plante played a
shows currently in that genre because if your Gentle Touch, she wrote four plotlines and sent prominent role in TV throughout the 1990s.
storyline crosses over similar ground, it is likely to them for the attention of the show’s producer. T_hanks to her strong business mind, in 1997 she
be rejected.” Unsuccessful yet undeterred, La Plante struck launched her own TV production company, La
Practicing what she preaches, Lynda is an avid gold with Widows, a six-part, spellbinding crime Plante Productions.
follower of all crime thriller programmes, drama, which she wrote in 1983. “I set up La Plante Productions so that I would
favouring a much-loved Glaswegian detective “Although I started out as an actress and was in have creative control of my work and ownership of
pencer
series, she says, “I do favour Taggart because I like many ways successful as I was constantly in work, my material. T_his means I own all the foreign
y S
the fact they cast unknown faces. T_his keeps when the opportunity came for me to write the distribution rights.”
things fresh and believable,” she continues, “I series Widows, for T_hames Television I knew it Big Stateside as well as this side of the Atlantic,
Kerr
watch virtually every crime series on the TV. If I heralded a change. Lynda set up a production company in America
ds:
or
am out then I record them. I have to so I don't “I have never missed or wanted to return to acting too.
W
10
waterfrontmagazines.co.uk
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