Ryan J Brown on his new BBC horror-comedy Wreck

BBC Three horror-comedy Wreck starts on BBC Three this weekend. It revolves around 19-year-old Jamie Walsh boards mega cruise ship The MS Sacramentum as a new crew member to covertly investigate what happened to his sister, who disappeared aboard the same ship three months earlier. Here creator Ryan J Brown talks about the problems he encountered pitching a horror show to broadcasters, and the importance of having LGBTQ+ heroes who weren’t going through trauma about their identity...

When I first started out screenwriting and pitched horror to UK execs, I was told the genre was a no-go and it made broadcasters ‘nervy'. I started using any word but ‘horror’ to describe my work, like ’spooky drama’ or ‘elevated thriller’.

This was a genre I loved and TV wouldn’t touch it, and they certainly wouldn’t let a new writer have a stab. There had been attempts at horror but some of those shows fell short and I think that was because unease over horror preconceptions clouded the finished product.

I decided not to dull my bloody sparkle and go big. I don’t think anyone has tried to tackle a slasher series on UK TV. With Wreck, I wanted to create a loud, proud monster that didn’t compromise. A show that was inspired by the horror films I love, whilst also carving out its own identity.

When I pitched a horror-comedy set on an international cruise ship …oh, and a series that would open with a killer dressed as a duck… I never expected anyone to jump at the idea. But Euston Films, led by Noemi Spanos, jumped in head first

I can't say enough amazing things about our team and in particular Oscar Kennedy (Jamie) and Thaddea Graham (Vivian). Both of them are so comedically excellent but also emotionally resonant in such a thrilling way. Jamie and Vivian’s friendship is so special to watch - a male and female allegiance we rarely see. The bond they form is the heart of our show. Both characters have run away from home and found each other at a crucial coming-of-age time. They are found family.

Difficult enough as it was to get a horror show off the ground, I decided to make things even more impossible for myself by giving Wreck a thoroughly queer DNA.

The history of horror and history of queerness go hand-in-hand - from Homer’s Iliad’in 700 BC to A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge’ in 1985 - two things I didn’t think I’d reference in the same sentence. It’s all there, but often buried.

From very early on, queer people were adept at hiding their stories inside subversive horror. I wanted Wreck to take things a step further. The horror genre as we know it today wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the creative expressions of queer people, and as a gay writer this is something I want to acknowledge and further.

I think the time has come to start giving more of a face and identity to what has been coded or subtext for so long, which is why we have two gay lead characters and why several of our cast are LGBTQ+.

I think we’ve also achieved something quietly radical in that our characters’ sexualities are never a primary focus. There is an urgent and important need for stories that explore queer identity, but I think we are overdue stories like Wreck where there isn’t identity trauma to be trudged through.

This is the real world where stigma and prejudice exist but that just isn’t our main focus - these are leading heroes, not sidekicks, in a story where nobody ‘comes out’ (in fact the only character stuck in a closet is our token straight boy who ends up locked in a wardrobe in episode 3).

I want to see more stories like ours where queer identity equips rather than generates story peril. Growing up ‘other’ has made our characters survivors, readied them to rise to the challenges in a horror setting - our gang have long ago learnt how to hide, roll with the punches, bounce back and sniff out danger. They are fighters.

I want Wreck to be enjoyed in different ways; as a piece of genre entertainment, a love letter to horror and as a rallying cry. Wreck explores the displacement many young people feel regarding their place in life, sold down the river, especially post-pandemic, whilst also taking aim at the farcical nature of elitist industries and the partying rich exploiting the poor.

By the end of the series, our gang realise they’re part of something bigger than themselves, something adults always struggle to see, and in that moment, something beautiful happens.

Our central message is about the power of oppressed people uniting, and in particular young people being a force to be reckoned with.

• Wreck starts on BBC Three at 10pm on Sunday.

Published: 4 Oct 2022