Producer: Richard Stokes

Richard Stokes has been a producer and executive producer on shows such as Holby City, Murder in Mind, and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.

Richard Stokes was a researcher for the BBC light entertainment department before going to EastEnders, where he moved through the ranks of script editor, series editor and then on to producer. He produced Murder In Mind and Holby City before becoming an Executive Producer overseeing Holby, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and single films.

I got to where I am now through a bit of luck and a lot of hard work. I started as a runner in BBC entertainment having done 3rd AD work for corporate film companies. I'd also trained in picture editing at film school so had a fairly good background by the time I was at the bottom of the ladder looking up. After that a lot of letter writing (pre-email!) and lots of meetings. The opportunity which changed my life was a call from Corinne Hollingworth to become researcher on EastEnders…

As series editor on EastEnders I ran a shadow scheme which allowed a few writers their first break into commercial drama television writing. I'm still friends (and still commission) a handful of writers from that time on various programmes.

In a script you look for life; something which leaps out of the page at you and makes you feel you want to see this on screen. A script isn't an end product but a blueprint for something visual and a writer who understands this and knows the whole process is collaborative and at times as painful as it is joyous will go a long way.

It's really subjective but if I read something and want to make it… I'll fight for it. Good characters in good stories told with some spark and some originality will always get noticed. Easy to say… harder to do.

The way I approach improving a script is: a balance. It depends on the writer, how far into the process you are and your relationship with that individual. You have to be sensitive to people's feelings and no one wants to hurt anybody. On the other hand it's a business and sometimes the brutal truth is the only way forward. An editor once said script editing is "90% diplomacy and 10% spelling" and there's a real truth in that - you have to get the writer excited about change otherwise they resent the process and end up resenting the script. It has to be collaborative and the only agenda should be to make the script as good as it possibly can be. If everyone comes at it from that point of view feedback is actually quite easy - even if it has to be quite tough.

The common problem in scripts that I read are characters' voices blurring into one, being derivative, stories taking their time getting going - or the reverse which is being unbelievable or melodramatic.

My favourite current writers are many Americans like Aaron Sorkin, David E Kelley and Joss Whedon. Tony McHale and Andrew Holden do outstanding work on Holby City (in a core group of many others), Sandy Welch, Lee Hall, Ed Whitmore, Russel T Davies and yes, of course I'd like to work with Paul Abbott…who wouldn't?

The production I wish I'd had the opportunity to work on is the original Star Trek but that may be a bit tough… without a time machine.

I gorged on the last five episodes of series six of The West Wing one Friday night a couple of weeks ago (how rock n' roll am I?) It's brilliant and very brave and found form again following Aaron Sorkin's departure a couple of seasons ago.

If I weren’t in my current role I’d be 3rd AD on feature films or, more realistically, an out of work actor...