Marston Bloom: 'Research is absolutely vital – especially when you’re coming up with ideas - it’s where stories and truth come from'
BY Emily Powter-Robinson
1st Oct 2024
We're delighted to welcome Marston Bloom to our tutor team, he will be leading our upcoming Writing TV Drama – Three Months course in London.
Marston is a screenwriter and producer who has featured as a masterclass speaker on the course numerous times. He has recently written a film adaptation of Antal Szerb’s Pendragon Legend for Lucky Cape Pictures. Previously Marston has written on conspiracy thriller Strangers for Two Brothers Pictures/ITV/ Amazon, and on Rellik for Two Brothers Pictures/ BBC1/Cinemax, and before that Marston was part of the original writers’ room and wrote an episode for Marcella created by Hans Rosenfeldt (The Bridge) and starring Anna Friel. Marston also written for numerous successful TV series including Hustle, Hotel Babylon, Vera and New Tricks.
Read on to discover how Marston got his first break as a screenwriter and for his advice to aspiring TV writers ...
What first inspired you to get into screenwriting?
I’ve always been a TV junkie. Partly because it was such a fleeting experience when I was younger– things were only shown once, and you couldn’t record them to watch again so you had to concentrate really hard to capture them, but when I moved back to London after uni there was a Blockbusters near us in Elephant &Castle and I finally got to dive deep into some of those incredible homegrown dramas like Edge of Darkness, Prime Suspect, Cracker and Our Friends In The North, followed by all those seminal US shows (West Wing, Six Feet Under, Nip/Tuck). But it never occurred to me that screenwriting was a job that I’d be ‘allowed’ to do until I started doing script coverage for film companies, and I realised that there were loads of people, not all of them brilliant, making a very good living out of it!
Following on from this, do you remember the first project you worked on?
I came to screenwriting quite late, and my first projects were a couple of spec scripts I wrote in the hope of getting an agent. I’d do my thinking on the tube to work, and then write at home in the evening after we put the kids to bed and I found that I really enjoyed the ‘essay crisis’ pressure of having such limited time – which made me write with a deal of clarity and focus. And though I mostly write ‘all day’ now, it’s still sometimes really refreshing to just set aside a 45-60 minute period to crack a specific task, and see what comes up!
As for the first paid project that I worked on, Carnival were kind enough to give me an episode of Hotel Babylon, and it was one of the best experiences of my life: the collaboration and discipline of the process, the friendships, and the amazing feeling of working alongside so many talented people and ultimately seeing the result on screen.
What is the most rewarding thing about mentoring new and up and coming screenwriters?
It’s always been incredibly rewarding to work with, and learn from, other writers, new or old, who want to engage in honest creative partnership where we open our minds, share experiences, interrogate ideas, get things wrong, and find solutions together. And I’m really looking forward to having the same experience with all the great writers on the CB course.
You’ve worked on a range of TV projects – from hit shows like Casualty and Vera to executive producing Selection Day and The Reunion. Is there a project you’ve worked on which you’re most proud?
I’m proud of all of them! It’s such a tough job, when you’re alone at your computer plagued by self-doubt, and once you move into production there are so many moving parts (beyond the writer’s control) that have to align for a project to succeed and I’ve been incredibly fortunate that usually my scripts have been vastly elevated and improved by fantastic script editors, directors, producers and actors. There have been a couple of times though where things have gone badly awry, but my therapist says that’s all part of the ride and I should be proud of those too.
How important is research when you’re developing scripts for TV? And what is your approach to research?
Research is absolutely vital – especially when you’re coming up with ideas - it’s where stories and truth come from, but I guess the skill is in deciding how much time to spend on it. When I started out I hid behind research – using it to avoid getting down to any actual writing – and I had a tendency to load my scripts with fascinating facts and quirks at the expense of character and moving the narrative forward. So now I generally write from the start of the day until it gets stodgy, then ‘reward’ myself with research (usually on a completely different project) to freshen things up and change the mood.
What TV dramas have you enjoyed recently? Is there one that all budding screenwriters should be watching?
My current favourites are Slow Horses, Pachinko and Hacks – but I’m always going back to old friends like Les Revenants, Peep Show, Succession, Dix Pour Cent, Jordskott, Happy Valley, Young Offenders, and Le Bureau.
I could have listed three dozen others and it’s mean to ask for just one drama so I’d suggest anybody and everybody should watch Fargo, Slow Horses and This is England for world building serialised narrative; Poker Face, Greys and Sherlock for episodic; and the astonishing I May Destroy You for authored.
Finally, if you could only pass on one piece of advice to aspiring screenwriters what would you say?
Everyone has their own relationship to writing – and it can take a while to figure out what works best for you.
But for me the key thing I’ve learned is to be honest with myself, ditch the excuses, show up at my desk and actually write. Something. Anything. Good or bad. The whole time. And then re-write what I’ve written. Then re-write that. And then again. And again. Over and over. Until I have to walk the dog or find a mars bar.
Basically, I used to self-censor and agonise about the perfect words for a scene, but that got shot down the moment I met professional deadlines. So, now I’m a big fan of taking the pressure off and speed writing/ vomit drafting –giving myself permission to write badly and quickly to just get something down. And once it’s there, I can start beating myself up again about being rubbish and get to work rewriting. Which turns out to be the secret of everything, and much easier once there’s something there to begin with.
Oh, and reading scripts is good too. Lots of them. And watching telly. There can never be enough telly.
Do you have an idea for a TV drama? Don’t miss out on the opportunity to work on your screenwriting with Marston Bloom and other top TV writers, producers, Curtis Brown Theatre, Film and TV agents and directors. Apply by Sunday 13 October for a chance to develop your work on our Writing TV Drama – Three Months course.
We also have one scholarship available for a talented writer of limited financial means. Apply for our Breakthrough Scholarship for TV Screenwriters with Low Income by Sunday 20 October.