Dead Drunk Detective: How we Made Series One

Turns out that it is true the key to success is not what you know, but who you know.

In a fortunate coincidence, I learnt that one of the very first people I met through improv comedy, Ed Fargher, was looking for projects to develop with radio producer extraordinaire Katharine Kerr. They wanted scripts. I had a full series of a show needing a home. Perfect.

The supernatural nature of the show made a Halloween release an obvious goal. We first met around May, so we had to move fast. Ed's cousin, Aimee Sajjan-Servaes, was quickly commissioned to create our superlative title card artwork. After having only been given the show’s premise and a few scripts to work with, Tom Hodge turned out an instantly perfect theme tune. There was also a little rebrand.

Before I thought the first script was anything other than a one-off, I had provisionally titled it after the district in which Johnny worked: Dead End. Ed and Katharine gently suggested that this was quite generic. The name was dropped as was the location idea - the show has since never been too specific about where it takes place.

When searching for an alternative title, we eventually agreed that the best option was the obvious one. What is the show about? A Dead Drunk Detective. It's simple and instantly gives you the elevator pitch. I also really appreciate the double meaning (he is dead, drunk, and dead drunk).

We decided to record the first series in front of a live audience (which appealed to me because of my love of radio comedies). We booked slots at The Actor’s Studio, a black box room in London. With the dates secured, we could now approach cast.

I pulled from the world of improv once again, staging a table read in July where people tried out for different roles. Not everyone in that room got a part, but some castings were instant locks. Except for one.

Pretty much all of the men in the room – including Ed – tried out for the titular role. One person we had been interested in however had not been available that night. I decided to contact him again, titling my message ‘would you like to play the wittiest most sarcastic person in every room?’.

That man was Arfie. I am incredibly lucky he said Yes and perpetually grateful that he continues to do so year on year.

Although we almost immediately lost him again as he had a date clash. Getting this news when I was at work, I started to formulate alternate plans while serving drinks. My panicked solution was to drop the first episode (which, as aforementioned, sets up so many things that the series would later run with) so we can record more shows across two nights instead of three. This idea was wisely vetoed.

Fortunately for the show (and my blood pressure), Arfie’s prior commitment ended up being cancelled. We had secured our dead drunk detective.

In a fitting twist, I then couldn’t make that recording. The first three episodes would shoot in September while I was out of town at a stag do (not my own).

I made both subsequent sessions despite the latter date coinciding with my mum’s birthday. I joined her for a restaurant lunch in the morning, headed to the theatre in the afternoon, then rushed to get to my bar shift. Now when we schedule recordings, I simply book the night off.

Katharine assembled edits of each edition, then sent them over to me for notes. This being a comedy, my suggested changes are either about someone's timing or absurd details like 'can the bogeyman's splat sound wetter?'. Of course it can! Katharine can do anything. She is an audio wizard.

The series launched on October 3rd 2016 with a double bill. The debut episode was 'Out for the Count' AKA the script that had started it all. From the first draft to podcast, it had probably taken three years to become a show. But what a show...