I give him a sidelong glance. I haven’t forgotten what he said about my first draft. ‘But…’
‘No buts!’ says Art. ‘It’s great! Like, it would be great even if you hadn’t written it under these insane circumstances but as it is …’He shakes his head. ‘It’s kind of miraculous. I mean, it’s better than mine.’
He sounds so genuinely surprised by this that, even though I’m offended by his amazement, I can’t help laughing. ‘Wow, praise indeed!’
‘Sorry!’ says Art. ‘It’s just … it’s good, McDermott. It’sreallygood. They can’t pretend it’s not. Even Bernard.’
‘Oh,’ I say. ‘Thanks.’
‘It’s just a pity we have to rewrite big chunks of it,’ he says.
And that’s what we try to do. But as the hours go by, we keep coming up against the restrictions. In my episode, Ritchie spends almost all of his scenes in the hospital pouring his heart out to Paddy (these scenes should have been a real showcase for Adam Pender’s acting), before finding out that Louisa is behind Paddy’s accident and Amanda and Joe’s disappearance. Then, when he confronts Louisa, who’s been spying on him at the hospital, he gets kidnapped. It’s going to be very, very hard to rework all of these scenes without the viewer ever seeing Adam’s face. The only person viewers will actually see on screen in the big kidnapping scene is not fan-favourite Ritchie but Louisa, who has only been on Charlemont Street for a few weeks. Casual viewers who tune in to see the big anniversary episode won’t even know who she is. They’ll only see Ritchie from behind, played by a double. Even with Adam dubbing in his lines later, it’s not exactly going to be dynamic. It is, by a long way, the toughest challenge we’ve had since we arrived atNorthside.
‘How about if we bring Mozzer into the hospital just before Louisa kidnaps Ritchie?’ says Art. ‘At least she’d liven things up a bit.’
‘She’s on her date, remember?’ I say. ‘She’s hardly going to abandon her old flame to see poor old Paddy.’
‘Of course she won’t,’ he says. ‘God, my brain is melted. I think I need another coffee.’ He looks at his watch. ‘And lunch. It’s nearly one already.’
‘Come on,’ I say. ‘Let’s go to the canteen.’
Art’s phone buzzes with a text when we reach the lobby. He glances at it and says, ‘Sorry, I should answer this. I need to let my mates know I can’t make it to football tomorrow.’
‘Were you meant to be watching a match?’ I say.
‘No, playing one,’ says Art. ‘Well, sort of. Some of my school friends have a five-a-side football thing and I said I’d join them.’
‘Really?’ I wouldn’t have thought of him as a hearty sporty type. ‘Do you actually like football?’
Art laughs. ‘Don’t sound so surprised, McDermott! Yes, I do. I’m pretty good, as it happens.’ Of course he is. ‘Also, I need the exercise, seeing as I’m spending so much time working. And,’ he adds, ‘it’s a good way to make sure I see my friends.’
I think of our conversation about figuring out how to find a new rhythm with old pals. It looks like Art’s managing it.
Good for him, I think. And I mean it.
When we arrive at the coffee counter Susan is paying for a large latte. She’s with a vaguely familiar middle-aged blonde woman in an incredibly chic dress, heels and statement necklace. Far too glamorous to be aNorthsidestaffer.
‘Ah, Annie, Art!’ says Susan. ‘Have you met Triona Clancy? Triona, these are our two new staff writers, Art Sullivan and Annie McDermott.’
The head of drama. Bernard’s boss. Our boss too. The woman with the power to decideNorthside’s fate.
Art gives her one of his most charming smiles and extends his hand. ‘Great to meet you.’
Triona shakes it but she doesn’t smile back. ‘Susan tells me you’re both settling in.’
‘We’re trying.’ Shit, did I sound a bit prickly there? I didn’t mean to. Not in front of the big boss.
‘I hear you’re writing the anniversary episodes,’ says Triona.
‘That’s right,’ I say.
‘Bernard told me a lot of the action has to basically take place off camera now,’ says Triona, ‘thanks to Adam’s accident.’ Oh God. I’ll bet he loved telling her all about that. And how it was all my fault. ‘But Bernard assures me there’s really no alternative now Adam is out of action.’
Because of me.
‘Not at such short notice,’ says Susan firmly.
‘Well.’ Triona’s expression is severe. ‘It’s not ideal.Northsidereally needed something big for the anniversary. Something that would make a splash, get people talking about the show in a positive way. It’s under a lot of pressure, both internally and externally. You know that, don’t you?’