Back to DNA

One of the joys of my work is that I get asked to learn about brave new fields of knowledge. I’m just starting to get on top of the astonishing advances being made right now in bio-chemistry - one of the few positives to come out of the misery of Covid. The story I’m working on features the making of the first vaccine for Covid-19, but what emerges is that this astonishing success is only the tip of the iceberg: we are on the verge of medical breakthroughs that could change our health prospects for ever. Over 30 years ago I wrote the script for ‘Life Story’, about the discovery of the structure of DNA, a TV film directed by Mick Jackson that won the BAFTA Best Drama award for its year. Now all these years later I’m getting stuck into the fruits of that discovery, sometimes called gene therapy, that is about to transform our lives.

‘Thirteen Lives’ is just past the halfway mark, shooting in Australia. ‘Hope Gap’ now on Netflix still brings me the occasional heart-warming responses.