Interview: Far Out’s Faye Hughes

by Devil’s Food Cake and Florentine

The UK is finally getting its very own lesbian show. After the end of The L Word, most of us were hoping for some new lesbian content to appease our viewing appetites, and while the likes of Naomily on Skins and Callie and Arizona (Calizona?) on Grey’s Anatomy may do something to stifle our hunger pangs, nothing’s quite hit the spot.

So you can imagine my excitement at the prospect of a new lady-lovin’ show set in our very own London Town. Far Out is the UK’s first online drama series exclusively about lesbians, and Faye Hughes is the multi-talented writer and director at its helm. She is also the director of Inner Sanctum Productions Ltd. – which produces the show – and she stars in it, whew! The show was filmed on location in London in places most urban dykes know like the back of their hand, and is an exciting drama about the lives, loves and everyday nuances of a group of women.

Sadly, patience is a virtue and Far Out doesn’t start until September.  So we got the lovely Ms. Hughes to answer some of our questions, just to tide us over until then!

The Most Cake: So we know that Far Out is about a group of friends based in London – could you give us anymore details about the plot?

Faye Hughes: The pilot really sets up the show, the relationships and the plot for the rest of the series. The series touches on the everyday issues that everyone faces at some point; unrequited love, the struggles of single life, the quest to get laid, dealing with the consequences of previous wrong decisions, taking the steps into a new relationship and cementing an existing one. All this is played out around the more day to day aspects of life; tiling bathrooms, walking dogs, hating your job, trying to find time for family, worrying about your friends and spending too much money on hair products.

TMC: It must have been a lot of work – what inspired you to do it? Is this the first project of this nature you’ve tackled?

FH: I trained as an actress but spent some time directing and writing for theatre over the past few years. I have never written or directed for film or TV, so it was a new venture and has been a huge learning curve. But what I do know how to do is tell a story and write real, honest characters. That is what has been missing from TV in this country for so long; a decent, contemporary representation of gay women. The boys have really made advances in terms of representation - they have made strides in the mainstream and that is seriously fucking exciting to see. But we have sort of been left behind. I wanted to see an accurate, exciting, warm account of British lesbians that would counter balance the bad press.  When it became clear no one else was going to make it (when BBC’s Writer’s Room and various production companies turned my script down) I felt compelled to do something about that. It has been really hard work – there is no point lying about that. We have worked solidly for 2 years, whilst holding down day jobs. But I believe if you make something with passion, it shows far more than anything produced by a suit with a big budget.

TMC: A lot of The L Word was based on Ilene Chaiken’s own Sapphic experience. How did you come up with the plot of Far Out? Is any of it based on your own life?

FH: The storylines aren’t based directly on my own experience, but the feelings the characters have are pretty universal. Everyone has fallen in love with someone who doesn’t feel as strongly for them, we have all had to negotiate our way around a new relationship or had the ‘are we exclusive?’ conversation. The plot is fiction but there is nothing in Far Out we won’t all connect with in some way. I feel pretty confident that you will engage with something or see a character going through a situation you recognise, or one which your friend may have been through.

TMC: Speaking of The L Word, what did you think about the show? Are there any similarities between Far Out and The L Word?

FH: The similarity is that the majority of the characters are lesbians. That’s sort of it! I admire The L Word for having made such great waves in the mainstream, for having a voice and a presence. The L Word represented a community that is so rarely heard and so whilst our goals are perhaps similar, Far Out is a very British script. It is down to earth, gritty and very day to day. It is a tribute to Soho and to London, and it celebrates your everyday London Lesbian.

TMC: What would you say is the hardest thing about making a series about lesbians? Is it any harder or easier today than it was a couple of years ago? How so?

FH: Making a series about lesbians is no harder than making a series about anything else; a story is a story. A good script is a good script, no matter what gender or orientation the characters are. The hardest thing is getting backing, which we were unable to get. But what we did get was a huge amount of support from the gay community, and were also shown incredible generosity by industry professionals who believed that this script HAD to be made.

TMC: I understand Far Out is to be shown online starting September. Any particular reason for choosing the virtual route? Where do you hope to take Far Out further down the line?

FH: The virtual route gives you the chance to do what you want, how you want. The story hasn’t been amended to turn on the boys, or sensationalised to make the lesbian community appear ‘different’ from the rest of the world. Once you get the bigwigs involved they have an agenda beyond telling the truth of the script. We answer to nobody this way; we can tell it like it is. That is all we want to continue to do. Financially and practically we need to advance the project to get some backing but we have the whole first series ready to be made, so once we have the resources we would like to get filming.

TMC: I also understand that you first tried to pitch to major broadcasters. There’s such a lack of decent lezzy content out there at the moment – what do you think are the obstacles facing lesbian shows? What obstacles did you face?

FH: The hardest thing was getting the series made! Major broadcasters are in it for the money and we couldn’t prove this show or any of its genre would make any - they don’t care beyond that. Nobody wanted to take a chance on the script; we didn’t have a big production house sweep in with a huge budget and a slot on mainstream TV. We had to raise funds ourselves, find talented and generous individuals who would give their time for free and confront every challenge directly, with practically no resources and whilst working day jobs to try and pay the bills.

I think now with The L Word having finished, TV companies will be more likely to produce something themselves because they are in it for the money and now have a proven market, but when I wrote the script 3 years ago, nobody wanted to know. But despite the work, the stress and the sleepless nights, we have produced something truthful and for the right reasons, and I am really proud to offer that to the world.

TMC: I noticed when I was looking through your site that one or two of the actors have worked with you before or are working on the series as well! Do you get to work with a number of your friends?

FH: Producing anything is about risks, and hiring actors and crew you don’t know involves a risk. So when you know a talented, fabulous actress who you have worked well with before, you just have to bring them onboard if they fit a part. That was the case with Naomi Costantino and Ali Edmunds. Then there are actresses that you just want to have on set, like Andrea Newland, who we wrote a part for just to have her around. But we were so lucky to find ourselves some brand new gems through auditions and all in all we pulled together a brilliant company with a great dynamic on set. When you are working under so much pressure, it is a blessing to walk onto a set filled with strong, supportive, loving women who you know are really behind you and the script you are producing.

TMC: What’s the atmosphere like on set?

FH: Sets are strange places. Through the course of the day they fluctuate between being a stressful flurry of activity with a hundred people running around and talking loudly, and then feel like a graveyard with everyone sitting around for an hour whilst lighting is changed.

But we were a happy little crew, and genuinely excited about what we were doing so there was always a buzz, an under current. We were focused when we needed to be, and everyone was very sensitive to each others working needs. It was a good dynamic; cast, crew and everyone involved.

We knew each other so well by the end of filming that jokes on set were just filthy – the sarcasm levels soared and the language was dreadful. Then there would just be moments when someone would get the giggles and we were gone…

TMC: I notice you’re also acting in the series – which do you prefer? Being in front of/behind the camera? And how did you find the other actresses?

FH: Acting and directing are so very different, it is hard to say. I started as an actress and it has been nice to return to it for Far Out but directing is such a challenge, terrifying but thrilling at the same time. Doing both is a nightmare! You have to step in and block scenes and then check the monitor to see if it looks good. I have a fantastic Assistant Director and we have worked together before, so she knows just want I want and steps in when I need her.

Some of the actresses I had directed before: 3 were actually at the original read-through of the script nearly 4 years ago. We held auditions for the rest, which is always a gamble and we really struggled for a couple of the roles. We saw some terrific actresses but no one quite right. We held off to the last minute and were then blessed when the right people walked through the door.

TMC: Which is your favourite character on the show? Why?

FH: That for me is like choosing between children! I have a soft spot for all of them. They all have qualities I love and in equal measure they all annoy the hell out of me. But I can honestly say, I can see myself being friends with anyone of them. They are all so different, really something for everyone.

TMC: And finally, if you could be any kind of cake, what cake would you want to be?

FH: My Mum’s chocolate fudge cake, or anything equally chocolatey and sticky that can be eaten in bed with a cup of Earl Grey whilst redrafting scripts…

Excellent! If any one of you can’t handle the wait, scratch that itch by watching the teaser here.

…and for more information, explore the show’s website here.

Far Out will be released online after a screening in September.