Domino Day ditches witch tropes: "You can’t have a sexy scene and pull out a wand"
"I knew it definitely wasn't Harry Potter."
After True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, a new generation of supernatural TV is on the horizon with new series Domino Day.
The BBC Three show, created by Lauren Sequeira, follows modern-day witch Domino (Siena Kelly), who is haunted by her need to feed on humans.
Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about what it was like to ditch witch tropes of old for a new and fresh story, Sequeira explained: "I loved it. I knew exactly how I wanted the show to feel.
"I knew I wanted it to feel a bit more dark and dangerous and sexy, and cool, so I knew it definitely wasn't Harry Potter!
"You can't have a sexy scene and then someone pulls out a wand. It just wouldn't work. So yeah, I absolutely knew what I didn't want it to be.
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"I quite enjoy building rules of the world. I know the genre, I watch shows myself, you know, supernatural shows, and so I sort of know those conventions and I just worked within that, did a lot of research, spoke to some professors - one was actually a witch as well! Well, I don't know if she would identify as a witch. She was very witchy, let's put it that way.
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"She came in, all in purple and silver jewellery, just so cool. And she talked to me about cursed objects and things like that. So yeah, I based it on research, and also my love for the genre, but sort of created what I needed for the show."
One of the key parts of the show is that it utilises dating apps. For Sequeira, that idea was there from the very beginning.
"Right when I had the idea back in 2018 - it was a long time ago - I always had the first 10 minutes in my head," she explains.
"I knew how I wanted to come into the series, where you think you're just looking at a normal day, and there's something not right. And then you worry for this woman, you think she's going to be a victim, and then just flip it and sort of announce the supernatural element of the show.
"That sequence never really changed much over the years, because it was just so clear in my head. And then building around this premise of this witch that is a bit vampiric, that needs this energy, doesn't quite know why, and there's other witches that are worried about her.
"Yeah, I always wanted it to be a bit of a mystery, where you're sort of slowly piecing together what she is, and you go on that journey with her."
Domino Day will be coming to BBC Three and iPlayer on 31st January. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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