Interview with Bernadette Davis

Interview with Bernadette Davis, writer and creator of Some Girls

You co-created and wrote the 1990's hit Game On - what inspired you to write Some Girls?

As far as I know, there aren't any other comedies about girls of this age. Inbetweeners has shown what a rich area for comedy this age group is - but girls are very different and I thought they should have their own show.

How did the idea for the series come about?

I was a stay-at-home mum for over a decade and had lots of ideas bubbling away throughout that time and this was the one I kept coming back to. I wanted to do something funny and warm with a group of girls who are having fun. These are normal kids having a laugh, becoming adults, and it's an unbelievably rich seam for comedy.

How much inspiration did you take from watching your own children and their friends?

Not much, as my children are much younger. They are all very keen on playing football though and that has inspired me. They also introduce me to slang that I wouldn't otherwise know, but I have to be very careful about using it in the scripts. A smattering of slang is enough to suggest real dialogue; too much and the scripts would date quickly.

You said that the show 'would not simply be a girls' Inbetweeners but that the setting is tougher, the girls are tougher and their lives are more emotional and multi-dimensional.' Is that still how you would describe it?

I think the show has more of a comedy drama element than Inbetweeners - Viva's home life has some serious elements and is not played purely for comedy. The setting for Some Girls is definitely urban, whereas Inbetweeners feels very suburban, but I'm not sure I would describe the girls as tough. They may live on an estate within a "tougher" setting but I don't think that makes them tough.

Why did you decide to focus on a group of 16/17 year old girls?

It's obviously an age of change - from childhood to young adulthood. Change is always interesting. This is also an age where girls are very interested in talking about boys and sex and do so extremely candidly with their close friends. Often these conversations about sex go far beyond anything they have actually experienced, but can be more entertaining because of that. It's also an age where a large number of girls have had sexual experience which throws up all sorts of other interesting areas.

Tell us a little about the casting?

The casting was an interesting process. Sometimes girls came in for a certain character but were asked to return and audition for a different character. It was a challenge to find four girls who had the right group dynamic. The casting was fairly prolonged as we held various table and chemistry reads where different executives needed to approve of our cast. The hardest part to cast was Viva, perhaps because she is a little more subtly characterised than the other three. She felt like the centre and heart of the show so there was a lot of pressure to get it right. We cast Adelayo Adedayo only a few days before rehearsal started on the show.

Why have you set the series in South London?

I grew up on a council estate in South London until I was 11 and then on quite a rural council estate in Kent. And I live in South London now so it's an area I know well. There's a great sense of vibrancy and life about groups of school kids I see around here.

How did Hat Trick get involved?

My other comedy shows - Game On and The Wilsons (for Channel 4) - were both produced by Hat Trick, so I knew people there. Jimmy Mulville is a great champion of writers. He really respects them and makes sure they play a crucial role in production process. Also my husband Guy Jenkin co-writes Outnumbered. So it was a no-brainer to send the script to Jimmy.

BBC Three prides itself on encouraging new talent. What do you hope people will take away from the show?

I really hope it makes people laugh. I want them to feel that they had some fun watching Some Girls.