So, I got my feedback from someone high up the foodchain at Talkback Thames concerning my pilot episode for drug worker drama The Sharp End, which I pitched recently at Channel 4 and wrote about here.

Kind words were written about the work I’ve put into the project so far, and it’s great to get kudos for that. What’s interesting is getting feedback from someone of this stature, who is clearly used to thinking at a level that is currently alien to me, but which I’m planning to embrace. Relevant quote follows:

“The treatment shows that you’ve done the research and know the world. But to tantalise commissioners, I’d be inclined to pull back on this a bit and instead focus on showing that you’ve devised big, bold charismatic characters that are really going to engage us, and that there are enough big stories to make 8 60′ episodes.”

Fair comment? Absolutely. It has to be said that I was and am so fascinated by the world of drugs work that I took its inherent drama as unquestionable. But what fascinates me doesn’t necessarily compel audiences to switch on in their millions, which has to be the objective if you’re thinking television drama.

Are my characters big and bold enough to stand by Kat Slater and Frank Gallagher? I’d like to think so. But if I haven’t yet convinced a potential backer that my characters are every bit as fascinating and frustrating as those icons are, I clearly need to do some more work. And I will…in time. But first let me lick my wounds and find another way to bring this project to life.

I’m convinced The Sharp End will be brilliant television, and the limited industry response I’ve had so far has been favourable, so there’s plenty to feel good about. The issue is whether this is going to be a pitch that people like and maybe gets me work on other peoples’ projects, or if it will find a champion who wants to get it made. Pragmatically, either result would be good. But writing isn’t about pragmatism.

What interests me about the feedback quoted above is the insight it gives into what life is like in a commissioning meeting. The commissioner clearly believes that characters are the hook that gets viewers engaged and enraged. And that’s a refreshing thing to hear, as a fan of character-based drama.

All I’ve got to do now is come up with a way of convincing people at production companies that my stories are peopled with characters that commissioners will get excited about. Which, you know, I should have sussed by now already. Only, when I look at what’s on television I don’t see it populated by charismatic types whose every move fascinates me.

OK, you’ve got your Ecclestone and now your Tennant in Doctor Who, but I’d be pushed to name many more characters whose stories compel me to flick that on switch. And besides, once you get under the hood and start writing yourself, you soon realise that character and story are inseparable: to stay with the Doctor Who example, Captain Jack was an awesome character when he first appeared, but when he cropped up on a weekly basis in Torchwood a lot of that glamour went because many of the stories in the first series were frankly risible.

Back to the drawing board then? Well, not really. Much of the work I’ve done on The Sharp End still stands up — and there’s also the fact that I’m dealing with just one person’s opinion here, however well placed and authoritative that opinion is. But yes, this news is indication that a rethink is in order if I’m going to make this series catnip for commissioners, which is ultimately the objective.