Fictional Ghosts and the Pleasure They Bring...

ANSWER: Reading out the notices, dealing with Pam, organising the summer fete.

QUESTION: What do you think the Hot Priest from Fleabag is doing now?

A Fleabag-less Hot Priest.
Sigh. It's probably for the best.

Don't tell me you've not thought about it. I do daily. Of course my real answer is 'leaving the church over a matter of conscience, telling Fleabag he made the wrong decision and then... but you know what? I'm not so sure. What do I actually want for Fleabag? Her ending was perfect. Perhaps I'd prefer the HP to stay in his parish and let her mend and grow without him. Maybe. Maybe not. The good news is I can have a different opinion every time I consider the issue. The joy of fiction.

No biggie. Just one of my
fictional ghost mates checking 
in whilst I sleep. 

Hello there. You've caught me doing what I do a lot. Thinking about characters that are so well conceived, so well executed on the page or screen, that I can't let them go when their time's up. Whether it's the length of a novel, six episodes of a series, or simply an effective scene (more of that later) characters that stay with you, are the best. They help shape your world view. They teach you about things you thought you already knew. They're friendly ghosts you pick up along the way, clinging to your soul for the rest of your days. You think you're just reading my nonsense now? Oh no. There's loads of us here*. Like a perfectly sane schizophrenic. I - like everyone - is the product of the people I've met before. And some of those people are fictional characters. Soz but it's true.

It's a Sin. Channel 4, Friday nights, 9pm.

BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT, NICKY? WHAT'S YOUR POINT? Yep, it's a fair question. But if you've been consuming the same telly as I have recently, I reckon you've got a clue. Two weeks ago, a new series started that I've already decided is the best thing I've ever watched in my life. No hyperbole here. No Madam, not for an instant. I mean it. It's a Sin was broadcast on Channel Four and I've not stopped thinking about the characters all week.

There'll be no spoilers from me. Worry not about that. I had intended to watch it weekly, taking my time over the next few Fridays. But when I realised Twitter had steamed ahead and binged the lot (on All Four), I jumped right in and devoured the whole thing. For three hours and fifty-three minutes I was part of the LGBTQIA+ community in 1980s London. I heard the first rumblings about the mystery virus, I watched people I know get scared then get ill, and I outlived some of the friends I had come to love. That was the power of the writing. I wasn't a viewer. I was a participant. I was there. What power Russell T Davies and his pen have. To take the viewer on a journey so all-consuming, so visceral. It's quite the skill.

 

Jill, and real-life Jill.
An added layer of realism.

My favourite character from It's a Sin was Jill. (Seconded by the woman with only one scene in the whole thing - Ruth Sheen in the kitchen in Episode Five. Perfection.) But back to Jill. Perhaps it makes sense that the female ally was my way into the story. Over the past week, I thought about her and her mates, every single day. I know I'm going to have to watch it again sooner rather than later. That three hours and fifty-three minutes - a mofo length of time if it were a film - simply flew by. There was no clock watching, no pausing every so often for tea or toilet breaks. It was as easy to watch as my own life is to live. Naturally flowing, with all the ups and downs, joy and trauma that that entails. Last week's blog referred to making the most of lockdown's lack of social life by catching up with your mates on the telly. In one afternoon, I was lovingly dragged into Jill's group of pals, and allowed to be part of their stories. And now I'm left reeling, wondering how they and their families are doing and what happened next.**

It's advice of sorts. Just make me
care about the people. That's
the best thing.

Some writers are driven by plot. They meticulously construct cliffhangers and reveals that take the reader/viewer on a twisting path of constant surprise. I love those stories. There's nothing like a good thriller to keep you guessing. But it's not my own writing bag. I'm all about characters. I want to write like Russell T Davies. Like Phoebe Waller Bridge. Like someone who plants a pal in you head, and makes you wonder where they're at, days after you've finished the book or series.

I planned out the plot of Assembling the Wingpeople in April 2019. I'd just finished Fleabag and it inspired me to tighten up the vague ideas I'd already jotted down. It's a Sin is going to be the next fire under my arse when it comes to writing something new. An example of absolute brilliance, dangling out of reach of my own abilities, but that will forever inspire me. When people moan that all they've done is watch telly over lockdown, they don't appreciate how character-building, informative, and therapeutic that really is. Keep watching. It's more important than you know.

Have a lovely week, folks.

*Shirley Valentine, Sally Allbright, Angelique De Xavia, Fleabag, Michael Tolliver, Céline and Jesse, Jack Parlabane, Dolly Wilde, Birgitte Nyborg, Anna Madrigal... they're all here!

**Several hours after writing this, I was part of a Writers' Guild Zoom chat with Russell T Davies. He shared his thoughts about what Present Day Jill was doing, and it was immensely satisfying. I now need all writers of my favourite things to do the same please. Phoebe Waller Bridge, Christopher Brookmyre, Nora Ephron... yes?