Amy Guyler is a graduate from our Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Doctors Shadow Scheme and has gone on to write for Doctors and EastEnders. Amy has also written an episode of Beyond Paradise (the new Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One spin-off from Death in Paradise). We caught up with her to find out more about Beyond Paradise and what else has been going on in her writing life.
Watch Beyond Paradise on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer from 8pm on Friday 24th February 2023
Beyond Paradise - Watch the trailer... Death in Devon. DI Humphrey Goodman relocates from tropical Saint Marie to sleepy Shipton Abbott, cracking cases and hoping for happily ever after with fiancΓ©e Martha.
‘From writing beloved detectives to hateful bigots – it’s about adding different strings to your bow.’
Becoming a writer is hard. And growing up in Nottingham, with no contacts in the industry – I had no idea how I’d be able to break down that door. After managing to find a PA job in London, fresh out of Uni - I moved down the day after my 21st birthday, with no idea where I’d go from there.
A few years later, I’d managed to bag a role on the script team of Holby City – not writing, but formatting scripts; still dreaming of the day when I might write my own. And then things changed. After meeting with the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom team, I was invited to apply for the Doctors Shadow Scheme; which involved writing a ‘shadow’ episode for Doctors on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One. It was a fantastic experience – we went to set, met the production teams and worked with a script editor… and I was delighted when my ‘shadow’ episode earned me a commission for a real one.
Doctors 'Any Moment' - episode written by Amy Guyler (2018)
After five episodes on Doctors, I was still working a full-time day job, now at a drama production company – but had managed to get an agent. I asked her to kindly harass the team at EastEnders, and miraculously, it worked. I like to think my obsession with the show terrified them into giving me a shot, and I’m now a regular contributor for Albert Square.
As a huge fan of Death In Paradise, I was stunned when an offer came through to write on the spin-off show; Beyond Paradise. I’d crossed paths with (the showrunner) before – and as everybody will tell you, he’s the nicest man in television! After a couple of days storylining, mostly discussing the series arcs for the main characters with a series bible - it was time to come up with a ‘crime’ idea for my episode (Episode 3, broadcast 10th March). This was definitely the hardest part. We wanted mysteries with puzzles at their heart; with engaging characters and satisfying solves. In comparison, the actual writing part was a breeze! And having seen the first episode, it’s looking like a brilliant watch. It manages to keep the DNA of the show alive for fans of Death In Paradise - but can also stand up as something totally new, too.
Watch a clip from episode 1 of Beyond Paradise "I would never call you a crone" Humphrey attempts to win over his future mother-in-law over a family dinner discussing 'Old mother Wheaton' and the Shipton witch trials, but ends up putting his foot in it.
As a writer, you have to keep doing stuff. In 2020, I’d just gotten my first EastEnders commission when Covid hit - and everything stopped. I decided to write a new spec' script about a young boy with a superpower (The Jude Problem) – and by the end of the year, it had topped (a list of emerging screenwriters, voted for by production companies). My life changed overnight. I gave up the day job, and over the past couple of years, have slowly built a list of projects that I’m developing with different producers.
If TV work is ever quiet, theatre always keeps me going. Scratch nights, fringe festivals – hearing my words aloud has improved my craft 1000%. It’s a place to take risks, to make bold choices; which (for newer writers) is much harder in TV. But it’s not always easy. The two mediums are incredibly different, which is important to know if you’re diving between them. And often I have to prioritise my TV deadlines, because (unless you’re cosy with the big theatres) there’s just not enough money to focus exclusively on theatre. Even worse - the - the lifeblood of London’s fringe theatre scene - has just lost its home, now raising money to find a new venue for next year. And I’m praying that they find a way.
(L-R) DS Esther Williams (ZAHRA AHMADI) and Humphrey Goodman (KRIS MARSHALL) in Beyond Paradise (Photographer: Craig Hardie Image copyright: Red Planet Pictures)
Writing is hard. But from writing beloved detectives to hateful bigots – it’s about adding different strings to your bow. My newest play, POISON, HATE & VITRIOL is about a couple who create a fake, provocative persona to rile up hatred. The play is darkly fun, controversial – and about as far as you can get from Beyond Paradise. And Beyond Paradise is also pretty far away from EastEnders. And all of those things are different to my other work in development. But that’s the joy of this job; working across a range of wildly different stories. And you never know which one could be the one that helps break down the door…
BEYOND PARADISE begins on Friday 24th February on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer from 8pm
POISON, HATE & VITRIOL is on at Vault Festival from 28th Feb – 5th March
Are you interested in writing for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Continuing Drama Series? Writer development opportunities for these are now looked after by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Studios ScriptWorks team.