I find being on the set of VERA, the TV adaptation of my novel HIDDEN DEPTHS strangely liberating. At this point I have absolutely no control over proceedings. It's like being in a plane: I have no idea how it works and if something were to go wrong there would be nothing I could do to improve matters, so I might just as well enjoy it. And enjoy it I do, from queuing up for breakfast at the catering truck, to chatting to the actors, the costume and make-up people, the designer and the producer, the mother whose fourteen year old daughter is getting her first big break in the business. And watching the book come to life in a series of small gestures, Brenda Blethyn stamping up the road, Gina McKee brushing her hair away from her face, David Leon, solid and dignified, walking in Brenda's wake. Every moment spine-tingling.
I suspect scriptwriter Paul Rutman finds the experience less comfortable. He's closer to the material and he's worked as a producer so he does understand how things work. Maybe he feels like an off-duty pilot sitting in Business Class and itching to be at the control. If so, he shows no sign of that, but he is very concerned about the detail and I find that very reassuring. I know he gets the books. I've just finished the first draft of a new Vera novel and I'd be happy to show it to him. Although we write separately and in different ways there's already an element of collaboration.
The most important thing for me in this project is that it's being filmed here, in my north east England. The location today is North Blyth, a strange isolated post-industrial community. Almost an island with the North Sea on one side and the River Blyth on the other. There's a huge rusting container ship at the end of the street, a fantastic backdrop to the action. Out to sea a line of wind turbines. Earlier in the week they were filming in Dunstanburgh, a dramatic ruined castle on the Northumberland coast that must have featured in every tourist board poster for the county. I love it that the two executive producers up from London for the day rave about the beauty of the city of Newcastle.
Of course I'll be nervous when I see the final cut. My reputation will be on the line as well as that of the filmmakers; for many people this will be their introduction to my characters and I don't want readers who love Vera to be upset by the adaptation. But I know that everyone involved in the project has taken it seriously. It's been made with care and with passion. I think it will be good.
Hidden Depths is published by Pan
