'In Conversation With Andrew Davies'

By Daniel Williams

Andrew Davies’ name is continually connected to costume drama adaptation because the most major production in the last two decades have been written by him. I went along to the talk a little wary about just how many adaptations he’s done- it makes me wonder if he has anything to ‘say’ as a writer, which is why he chooses to adapt other’s work. As it transpired Davies has done original work, the most prominent (and only) mentioned in the talk was A Very Peculiar Practice, a sitcom about a university doctor. Davies joked that he put “Everything” into that one show and has had nothing to say since, but I did wonder if despite the light heartened manner if it were true. Andrew Davies is generally regard as the adaptor of classic literature for the screen; adaptation I’m sure is a very hard task but it does seem to me that he’s manipulating classic texts to make the original author’s point rather than one of his own. I understand that fans of the book would be disheartened to see the book changed (like it took me three viewings of the Robert Altman film The Long Goodbye before I got over the fact the setting, time period and ending had been changed- but it actually works well for the point it wishes to make), but it seems that this form of writing is pandering to jut what an audience wants to see, rather than giving them something to really engage with. It’s like repackaging an old product and then re-selling it. I’m sure it’s is a hard job, but I can’t help be a little wary of it.

Back on topic, Andrew Davies was interesting to listen too, though became a little too self-congratulatory in place. There was several small hiccups technically, which served to amuse me if nothing else.