1 | The Screenwriter Who Sparked a Hollywood Bidding War - Gabriel Bisset-Smith

In this exclusive interview, BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Gabriel Bisset-Smith, the writer behind Amazon’s Octopus! - narrated and produced by Emmy Award winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge, trades the writers’ room for the mic and pulls back the curtain on how screenwriting really works behind the scenes. With decades of experience writing, Gabriel reveals the unspoken rules of the writers’ room, why most scripts get shelved, and how he navigates failure, rewrites, paychecks and AI, with a level of humour only a true comedian could conjure. Together with host Lainey Richardson, we get real about the quiet chaos of trying to make it in the industry, unpacking the slippery, strangely glamorous, and often gutting world of screenwriting, and the life that happens between drafts.This isn’t about how to write. It’s about what it costs to keep writing. And why some people still do it, even when it stops being fun, or fair, or paid.Nothing’s off-limits in this conversation. So if you’re serious about storytelling, or simply nosy and want to know what it’s like to work in Hollywood and the UK film industry, then this episode is essential viewing! Catch Gabriel’s latest work, the two-part documentary Octopus! exclusively on Amazon Prime Video from 8th May 2025.Subscribe for new episodes released fortnightly on Wednesdays!Want to work with us? Email: [email protected] the Host: Lainey Richardson (IG & TikTok: @Lainey.tv)Subscribe to the newsletter: wethecreators.substack.comVisit the WTC website: wethecreators.tv