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purplefringeTonight I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the Royal Television Society event 'Sherlock: Anatomy of a Hit'. It was awesome - Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Sue Vertue, Amanda Abbington and Ben Stephenson (controller of BBC Drama) were all there, and all had interesting, funny, insightful things to say.
They talked about the making of the show - obviously - but also a bit about Conan Doyle, and fandom, and their writing process. They showed and talked about some of their favourite clips from all 3 seasons. There was a lovely atmosphere throughout, and they all came across as hugely warm, talented and very humble people. Steven Moffat was particularly enthusiastic on the subject of fic (and fan art), and defended it - expressly including slash fic - wholeheartedly. Every probing question from the interviewer or the audience about the negative side of running a phenomenally successful show was deftly handled and turned into something positive. Is it terribly pressured and stressful having to keep up with ever heightening audience expectations? Well, mostly it's brilliant and exciting, and much better than having to cope with running a show that's a complete commercial failure! Are there awful fans who complain loudly and incessantly about how the show has gone downhill? Inevitably, yes, a few, but the vast majority are full of love and passion and creativity, and when they dislike a direction the show has taken they write their own fic to fix it. I had a great time.
Afterwards, there was unexpected mingling and drinks. I was by myself, but as I had a ticket for a free drink I went to loiter in the bar and see what was going on. After about five minutes, Steven and Sue and Mark and Amanda showed up. It was the most perfect opportunity you could possibly imagine for talking to them - relaxed and pretty casual, not too many people, and yet an environment where they expect people to talk to them about their shows, so you don't feel like you're being obnoxious when you ask them to sign your book of academic essays on Sherlock Holmes.
I was still hopeless though.
Much like that time I met Jewel Staite a couple of years ago, (and, in fact, like every other time I have met one of my heroes) I was completely shy and awkward and tongue-tied and rubbish. I managed to stammer out a thank you to Sue Vertue for getting Sherlock off the ground (seriously, it would still be a Moffat/Gatiss pipe dream without her), and I said about one sentence to Mark Gatiss as he signed my Vincent Starret book.
Amanda Abbington was wonderful - she was kind and smiley and gracious, and very fervent on the subject of female characters in the media and the unjustified hate they get. A subject, incidentally, that comes up nigh on daily in my flat and amongst my various fannish friends, and yet when it came to talking about it with her, my mind went completely blank. Everything I've ever thought on the subject, and everything I've ever heard anyone else say, went completely out of my head. All too soon, there were other people wanting to talk to her and take photos, and that opportunity was gone. But she was fabulous and delightful and totally the kind of person I would like to invite round for tea. :-)
I also spoke to Steven. Now, I've met Steven Moffat in a few other contexts - there was the time many years ago whensuch_heights and I, along with a couple of other friends, randomly saw him in the pub, just a few months before it was announced he was taking over as DW showrunner. Then there was the time he and Mark Gatiss were at a work party I was at (and I, having no idea they were going to be there, was wearing Dalek earrings….oops). Both times I was with groups of people, and was unprepared for the occasion. This time, I should have been prepared. AND YET. I actually cannot even begin to count the number of things I would like to say to Steven Moffat, if I could just get my brain in order. His influence on my life as it is at the moment can't really be overstated. And yet all I could think of to ask was 'do you think there might be more female writers in the next series of DW?' Which, of course, sounds like a personal attack on him and is probably the kind of thing he has to put up with all the fucking time from journalists. At first he went on the defensive a little bit, but I managed to reassure him that I wasn't going to quote him anywhere, and that I was a huge fan of his work and was not about to write some angry rant about what a misogynist idiot he is. And so he gave me a proper, genuine answer, and once again that could have turned into a really good conversation, except that whilst I was dithering and trying to turn my brain on, the conversation was hijacked by someone else. (He was really nice about that, by the way.) But anyway, the whole thing only served to reiterate two things for me: 1) that Steven Moffat is exactly the brilliant, wry, funny, intelligent, slightly sharp but thoroughly lovely human being I have always thought he was, and I will continue to defend him and his writing forever against all of the people who hate on him. And 2) that I will never, ever get any better at meeting my heroes :-(
They talked about the making of the show - obviously - but also a bit about Conan Doyle, and fandom, and their writing process. They showed and talked about some of their favourite clips from all 3 seasons. There was a lovely atmosphere throughout, and they all came across as hugely warm, talented and very humble people. Steven Moffat was particularly enthusiastic on the subject of fic (and fan art), and defended it - expressly including slash fic - wholeheartedly. Every probing question from the interviewer or the audience about the negative side of running a phenomenally successful show was deftly handled and turned into something positive. Is it terribly pressured and stressful having to keep up with ever heightening audience expectations? Well, mostly it's brilliant and exciting, and much better than having to cope with running a show that's a complete commercial failure! Are there awful fans who complain loudly and incessantly about how the show has gone downhill? Inevitably, yes, a few, but the vast majority are full of love and passion and creativity, and when they dislike a direction the show has taken they write their own fic to fix it. I had a great time.
Afterwards, there was unexpected mingling and drinks. I was by myself, but as I had a ticket for a free drink I went to loiter in the bar and see what was going on. After about five minutes, Steven and Sue and Mark and Amanda showed up. It was the most perfect opportunity you could possibly imagine for talking to them - relaxed and pretty casual, not too many people, and yet an environment where they expect people to talk to them about their shows, so you don't feel like you're being obnoxious when you ask them to sign your book of academic essays on Sherlock Holmes.
I was still hopeless though.
Much like that time I met Jewel Staite a couple of years ago, (and, in fact, like every other time I have met one of my heroes) I was completely shy and awkward and tongue-tied and rubbish. I managed to stammer out a thank you to Sue Vertue for getting Sherlock off the ground (seriously, it would still be a Moffat/Gatiss pipe dream without her), and I said about one sentence to Mark Gatiss as he signed my Vincent Starret book.
Amanda Abbington was wonderful - she was kind and smiley and gracious, and very fervent on the subject of female characters in the media and the unjustified hate they get. A subject, incidentally, that comes up nigh on daily in my flat and amongst my various fannish friends, and yet when it came to talking about it with her, my mind went completely blank. Everything I've ever thought on the subject, and everything I've ever heard anyone else say, went completely out of my head. All too soon, there were other people wanting to talk to her and take photos, and that opportunity was gone. But she was fabulous and delightful and totally the kind of person I would like to invite round for tea. :-)
I also spoke to Steven. Now, I've met Steven Moffat in a few other contexts - there was the time many years ago when
such_heights and I, along with a couple of other friends, randomly saw him in the pub, just a few months before it was announced he was taking over as DW showrunner. Then there was the time he and Mark Gatiss were at a work party I was at (and I, having no idea they were going to be there, was wearing Dalek earrings….oops). Both times I was with groups of people, and was unprepared for the occasion. This time, I should have been prepared. AND YET. I actually cannot even begin to count the number of things I would like to say to Steven Moffat, if I could just get my brain in order. His influence on my life as it is at the moment can't really be overstated. And yet all I could think of to ask was 'do you think there might be more female writers in the next series of DW?' Which, of course, sounds like a personal attack on him and is probably the kind of thing he has to put up with all the fucking time from journalists. At first he went on the defensive a little bit, but I managed to reassure him that I wasn't going to quote him anywhere, and that I was a huge fan of his work and was not about to write some angry rant about what a misogynist idiot he is. And so he gave me a proper, genuine answer, and once again that could have turned into a really good conversation, except that whilst I was dithering and trying to turn my brain on, the conversation was hijacked by someone else. (He was really nice about that, by the way.) But anyway, the whole thing only served to reiterate two things for me: 1) that Steven Moffat is exactly the brilliant, wry, funny, intelligent, slightly sharp but thoroughly lovely human being I have always thought he was, and I will continue to defend him and his writing forever against all of the people who hate on him. And 2) that I will never, ever get any better at meeting my heroes :-(
