The Missing creators: "We felt f***ing stupid" writing acclaimed BBC thriller
"It felt like writing teenage poetry, because it's really serious and emotional."
Prior to writing their acclaimed thriller series The Missing, which in its first season charted the search for a missing boy in France, Harry and Jack Williams had predominantly written comedies, including short-lived series such as Roman's Empire, Full English and Fried.
A hit right out of the gate, The Missing led the brothers to focus on thrillers full time, and they went on to write shows including Liar, Rellik, The Tourist and their latest release The Assassin.
Now, speaking with us for The Radio Times Writers' Room, our interview series in which we get to know how screenwriters tick, they have explained how much of a gamble writing The Missing was - and how it left them feeling "f***ing stupid".
The brothers revealed that they originally wrote the series because they hadn't worked for "about nine months", and that they realised they couldn't do comedy anymore "because no one wants them".
Harry said: "So it was like, 'Well, let's try something completely different and do something with zero jokes,' because paedophile shows shouldn't really have jokes."
Jack added: "Not usually, no. And when we finished it, we sent it to our agent and said, 'If this is really embarrassing, don't tell anyone. Just don't show it to anyone.'
"It felt like writing teenage poetry, because it’s really serious and emotional, and we felt f***ing stupid. We thought it was good. We liked it. We felt really strongly that it was really good."
"But it was very emotional," Harry said. "It was very serious, and [had] lots of speeches and dark moments and the sort of s**t we hadn't done before. So yeah, as you say, it felt like showing someone your diary or something embarrassing."
Jack concluded that "fortunately, he liked it, and other people liked it".
Elsewhere in their chat for The Radio Times Writers' Room, the Williams brothers revealed that they "definitely haven't ruled out" returning to the world of The Missing and its spin-off Baptiste for another season.
"We have talked about it over the years, so it's not something that's far from our minds," Jack said. However, he did add that there are "no plans in the near future".
Harry and Jack Williams's interview for The Radio Times Writers' Room is available to watch in full on RadioTimes.com here and on YouTube here.
The Assassin is available to stream on Prime Video now – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
