I’m coming up to ten years writing for television. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that imparting advice is cringe. But there’s one thing I never see anyone tell you, but it’s something I come across more and more and more, and is worth knowing…

If you’re replacing another writer on a job, you will be gaslit. You will be told the reason the other writer didn’t work out and the reason you will, is they were bad, and you’re not. It will almost never be true.

The reason that writer failed will almost certainly boil down to a mix of things, at the top of that mix: processes, procedures, working conditions practiced by the producers/channel now trying to bring you on board. Before you take the flattery, before you take the job…

…you owe it to yourself to ask - anyone - how you’re going to be helped to succeed where someone else was allowed to fail. Everywhere lie the corpses of the replacement writer, flirted into picking up dregs, victimised by the same malpractice that killed the first.

So if I could give any cringe advice: never take a job based on flattery. You might be talented. You’re not uniquely talented. Your predecessor wasn’t uniquely shit. Find out how your colleagues will help to facilitate your success, for your own sake. Or run a mile.

There are so many bad faith actors out there. So many bad companies and producers with incredible credits, crunching development, throwing writers under buses, offering nothing creatively but panic. They always think ‘a fresh start’ will save them before they examine themselves.

You have to examine them. You have to see past flattery and hype. More and more often we’re going to be replaced or we’re going to be the replacement, because there are fewer talented producers out there, and writers pay the price. You have to be more discerning. For your sake.

The new industry joke is ‘Everyone comes with a health warning these days.’ Whether it’s the indie company boom, big money streamer pressure, there is a new plague of bad faith actors, thousands new execs or gatekeepers who aren’t good enough, who always pass the buck down.

I’ve known writers lose faith in themselves when what’s driven them to this is bad producer processes. When the writer can’t live up to the impossible, rather than examine the process, the producer criticises the writer. ‘This is how it is. Maybe you’re just not cut out for it.’

No one is telling the execs they’re not cut out for it. You can tell them by doing your research, not assuming the mess you’re walking into was created by a uniquely shite writer, and by telling these people no. If you can’t afford that, at least don’t walk in blind.

And if you ever need to talk about anything, get something off your chest, make sure you’re not going mad, you can talk to me. I promise I’m a lot more responsible and discreet than I seem on here.

I’m also happy to point you in the direction of the genuinely brilliant people who are still working in this industry, who do take responsibility, who do consider process, who do take care of writers, who do offer something creatively.

You are cut out for this. I promise you. X