Post by suse on Oct 3, 2009 6:54:58 GMT
Thanks to Steve at Perfect Blend for this great interview about the planning for Didge's exit.
How far in advance did you know that Eloise was planning to leave? Did it spoil any longterm plans for Bridget and Declan?
We usually know well in advance when we’re parting ways with one of our actors. It did require a rethink of where we were taking Bridget and Declan, who’d grown into an inseparable ‘golden couple’, but at the same time Eloise’s departure also prompted some exciting story possibilities.
Were other departure stories considered, or did you see death as the only option for the character?
We settled on Bridget’s death very quickly. We had been on such a rollercoaster ride with Bridget and Declan, had invested so much in them as a couple – it seemed to us to be the only satisfying way out. Splitting them up I think would have appeared contrived and unsatisfying… I was a strong advocator from the get-go that the only way out of this, to do justice to the love story we had crafted over the past two years, was for Bridget to die. We made the final decision at a long-term planning conference, and worked out in broad strokes where the story would go after her death (for instance, exiting the Parkers and setting up who would ultimately be responsible for the crash).
Was it always intended that Bridget and Declan would marry before the birth, or was this added in to make her death even more tragic?
Yes Bridget and Declan would always have married. We had planned this for some time. We liked the idea of an impromptu, lower-key wedding… something more ‘earthy’ seemed much more in-tune with how Bridget was as a person.
Do you struggle, when killing off characters, to find the correct balance between portraying the grief of those left behind, and not making the story too depressing, particularly in a show like Neighbours, which is well known for its comedy and light-hearted feel?
It is very difficult to strike that balance, especially in a show like ours which is lighter in tone than a lot of other serial dramas. But we decided from the outset that Bridget’s death needed to be treated with the impact and respect that the story deserved – which did mean the show would be darker in tone for a while. We accepted this, and ran with it. Everyone in the cast and crew embraced the idea and from a personal point of view I think it resulted in one of the strongest blocks of Neighbours ever. We're all very proud of what we achieved in that block.
How often do you personally feel that death should touch the lives of the Ramsay Street residents? Would you consider killing off two regulars in one year, for example?
Death is a currency that should be used sparingly in my opinion. When it’s infrequent it can have much more dramatic punch and emotional impact. From a personal point of view, I feel Bridget’s exit was such a massive, well-told story that I wouldn’t want to cheapen that by killing another character for quite some time. Unless of course we come up with a corker of a story – so you never know!
How far in advance did you know that Eloise was planning to leave? Did it spoil any longterm plans for Bridget and Declan?
We usually know well in advance when we’re parting ways with one of our actors. It did require a rethink of where we were taking Bridget and Declan, who’d grown into an inseparable ‘golden couple’, but at the same time Eloise’s departure also prompted some exciting story possibilities.
Were other departure stories considered, or did you see death as the only option for the character?
We settled on Bridget’s death very quickly. We had been on such a rollercoaster ride with Bridget and Declan, had invested so much in them as a couple – it seemed to us to be the only satisfying way out. Splitting them up I think would have appeared contrived and unsatisfying… I was a strong advocator from the get-go that the only way out of this, to do justice to the love story we had crafted over the past two years, was for Bridget to die. We made the final decision at a long-term planning conference, and worked out in broad strokes where the story would go after her death (for instance, exiting the Parkers and setting up who would ultimately be responsible for the crash).
Was it always intended that Bridget and Declan would marry before the birth, or was this added in to make her death even more tragic?
Yes Bridget and Declan would always have married. We had planned this for some time. We liked the idea of an impromptu, lower-key wedding… something more ‘earthy’ seemed much more in-tune with how Bridget was as a person.
Do you struggle, when killing off characters, to find the correct balance between portraying the grief of those left behind, and not making the story too depressing, particularly in a show like Neighbours, which is well known for its comedy and light-hearted feel?
It is very difficult to strike that balance, especially in a show like ours which is lighter in tone than a lot of other serial dramas. But we decided from the outset that Bridget’s death needed to be treated with the impact and respect that the story deserved – which did mean the show would be darker in tone for a while. We accepted this, and ran with it. Everyone in the cast and crew embraced the idea and from a personal point of view I think it resulted in one of the strongest blocks of Neighbours ever. We're all very proud of what we achieved in that block.
How often do you personally feel that death should touch the lives of the Ramsay Street residents? Would you consider killing off two regulars in one year, for example?
Death is a currency that should be used sparingly in my opinion. When it’s infrequent it can have much more dramatic punch and emotional impact. From a personal point of view, I feel Bridget’s exit was such a massive, well-told story that I wouldn’t want to cheapen that by killing another character for quite some time. Unless of course we come up with a corker of a story – so you never know!
I think that was where I actually got started talking with Suse etc about it. But yeah, I guess besides that, the regulars there are quite Didge-appreciative, even if they're not all as obsessed as we are. 
I guess you can't generalise about all members of a place, but I've always liked that the mood there seems to be more open to give "recent Neighbours" a chance and they seem to see what we see in Didge so they must have taste... 
