Jesse Armstrong, screenwriter

For this final episode of the sixth season of In Writing, I sat down with Jesse Armstrong, creator of Succession, and writer/co-writer of numerous other brilliant shows and movies including Peep Show, Fresh Meat, The Thick of It, In The Loop and Four Lions. At his London office he told me about some of his projects that didn't work out (and why); the importance of tone, and how you know when you've got it right; the Succession rewrites that drove Brian Cox mad; the experiences of working with Armando Iannucci, Sam Bain and Chris Morris, and lots more.

Discover more from my conversations with Jesse in my book, In Writing: Conversations on Inspiration, Perspiration and Creative Desperation.

Jesse's 2016 novel is called Love, Sex and Other Foreign Policy Goals, and you can find that plus the complete scripts of Succession in the In Writing bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/in-writing

Jesse on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1104036

A couple of episodes featuring other members of the Succession writers' room:

Lucy Prebble: https://audioboom.com/posts/7784642-lucy-prebble-playwright-and-screenwriter

Georgia Pritchett: https://audioboom.com/posts/7989980-georgia-pritchett-comedy-and-drama-writer

This season of In Writing is sponsored by Curtis Brown Creative – the renowned writing school run by the literary and talent agency. Use code INWRITING20 for £20 off your first online writing course – eligible courses can be found here. Visit https://curtisbrowncreative.co.uk to find out more.