Time writer Jimmy McGovern tells Lacey Turner he was heckled by gardeners for Brookside scripts

To reach that location, you needed to pass through a well-structured neighborhood with clearly defined streets… You had to go through security checkpoints, then walk down this long, expansive road. Eventually, you would enter the closest house on that street, and it was located all the way at the end – that’s where the storyline meeting took place.

In his account, he mentions that during the initial year of the soap production, when it was considered rather crude or shoddy, both he and the fellow scriptwriters often faced mockery from the gardening staff, electricians, and essentially everyone else involved in the television show’s production.

In the video, he clarifies: “They’d begin exclaiming questions like: ‘Who penned such nonsense last night? Who made such a claim? Who is accountable for that ruckus?’

As you strolled through the premises, you’d be met with a barrage of harsh words. So, we’d keep our eyes cast down, attentively listening while being corrected about the performance.

He notes that eventually, Phil Redmond, the creator of Brookside, moved the hut’s location to the start of the site. This change meant that the writers were no longer exposed to harassment.

He believes what happened earlier was wrong, but he thinks we should have continued to endure the abuse because it benefited us significantly.

You can watch the full clip at the top of this page.

In this episode of Turner’s podcast, past interviewees have included actress Jessie Wallace, known for her role as Kat Slater; screenwriter Sarah Phelps who wrote The Sixth Commandment; acting duo Rakhee Thakrar and Davood Ghadami, both former characters on EastEnders; and Anita Dobson, the original landlady of the Queen Vic.