Major Project: Contacting Toby Whitehouse

Simon mentioned it would be a good idea to contact some writers that have influenced me or have a link to the kind of show i am writing. I decided to begin by contacting Toby Whitehouse - the writer of one of my favourite shows - No Angels. This show made me not only want ton be a nurse but also was my first taste of how writing can affect someone - i had never been emotionally involved in a show before - i was 14 when this show broadcast and although it might not have been appropriate for me i fell deeply in love with the stories of these characters and it devastated me when it ended. Which  led me to find out more about the writer and what i can learn from him about his methods and storytelling.

I began searching for his agent to contact him but it became clear this wasn't going to be easy so i dropped him a message on twitter to find an address i could write to. I found the same question had been asked my others and came across an address but i wanted to be as professional as possible and approach his agent to check it would be ok to ask a few questions to him and not just have it look like fan mail. So i signed up for IMDB pro's free 30 day trial and found out that his agent is a lady called Cathy King with an agency called independent talent group. I had a phone number and email address direct for her and decided to give her an email.

In my tutorial simon mentioned finding out who the assistant of the agent is, is the best way to get a  response and so that became my next target. Once i had discovered the Assistant i emailed her also and provided a short list of questions:

Why did you become a writer?
Where did the idea for No Angels come from?
You've said in an interview that you like to flesh out your characters before going into plot. How do you go about this?
Research can play an important role in developing storylines especially when your working with established environments - Hospitals/NHS or in my case sunday league football - how do you go about this research?
What would you recommend a young writer do as a starting point in the industry? Is it a good idea to start with running jobs, working your way up and writing on the side?

I hoped that my questions would help with some of the issues i had faced but also give an incite to a writer that has had a big influence on me and the way they work.