Scriptwriters on the script
What was the biggest challenge of writing Cowbois ac Injans
Jon - So far, we’ve scripted 16 episodes and it’s been quite a challenge to try to come up with ideas and stories that are of equal standard to the stories we started out with. I hope that we’ve succeeded in doing so – we’re happy with the results!
Cath - That I don’t drive and don’t understand much about cars. It’s lucky that my brother, Jon, had worked in a car showroom. That we set ourselves the challenge of writing a comedy drama, so, it had to be funny. Also, that we wanted to break new ground and create a fresh, real, credible world where we could investigate the tragedy in each of the character’s lives as well as the comedy.
What did you enjoy the most about writing the script
Jon - It’s fantastic having so much creative freedom and not feeling that we have to pass our work through lots of people before reaching the screen. Such a process can drain the freshness out of new, original ideas.
Cath - Having been part of a big operation such as the Casualty series, it was nice to be able to write something original without having to fit in with someone else’s ideas.
Did you have to do a lot of research into car dealerships
Jon - I worked at VW in central London for two years so I know quite a bit about how a car showroom operates. I was surrounded by a number of bizarre characters and served many interesting people including the Dutchess of Kent and Alan Bennet…so we had kind of head-start when writing about Wheelers Garage. I still talk to people in the car business.
Cath - Well, Jon had worked as a second-hand car dealer so he had a number of stories already. We spoke to a few people, but it’s not easy walking into a car showroom and asking them to share their selling scams or strategies. The customer is meant to be in the dark. And the honest salesmen (there are some), well, they were a lot nicer than our characters that cheat customers every chance they get.
How would you describe the storylines
Jon - Deals with comedy and tragedy. One of the main elements is the fact that individuals can be extremely sly and deceitful, sometimes over the smallest things! The storylines weave into each other in an unexpected way so that the viewer is never quite sure where the story is going.
Cath - Love, betrayal and cheating between the married salesman, Manny and Jo Jo, the boss’s daughter which runs through the series and reaches a powerful turning point in episode 5. Also, Bili Wheeler, the garage owner, has a lurking dark secret on his conscious. Another salesman, Balders, has financial problems which pulls him into very funny situations. Weekly customers form a storyline for each episode and these range from the lighthearted to more serious storylines.
Do you have a favourite character and why
Jon - I love them all. But it’s always nice when we visit the pub scenes where the landlord, Jeff (Eifion Price) and barfly, Bry (Huw Caredig) are putting the world to rights as well as joking around. They all remind me of a few local characters in Llanelli.
Cath - They’re all great! The actors have done an even better job than expected and our expectations were high to begin with. But I did enjoy writing for Del’s character who is a single fortysomething which is overly keen on a glass or two of wine in the evenings. Hmm…why I wonder?