Birmingham-born writer Phil Ford – the co-creator, with Russell T Davies, of CBBC series Wizards vs Aliens – discussed his career in front of an audience of RTS Midlands and Writers’ Guild members in October.

Ford was quizzed by BBC One Midlands Today presenter Joanne Malin at the BBC Academy in Birmingham, with the conversation covering his TV work and valuable insights into the craft of writing.

A former journalist, Ford’s credits run from soaps, including Coronation Street, to long-running series Bad Girls, Waterloo Road and Footballers’ Wives.

On writing for established series, he argued that the “voices” of characters were paramount, explaining that viewers should know who is speaking by what they say.

Ford has written many top children’s and family dramas. He was the lead writer and co-producer of CBBC’s The Sarah Jane Adventures, and has also penned episodes of BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who and Torchwood.

According to Ford, the secret of writing supernatural drama for young people is that you are allowed to scare but not terrify them.

Ford, who is currently working on a new, six-part series about Dracula, advised would-be TV writers to “write, write, write”.