Interview: Alison Carr

Doppelgänger is a new 13‑minute comedy‑drama landing on BBC iPlayer, written by award‑winning Gateshead-born/Newcastle-based playwright Alison Carr in her first move into screenwriting. The film follows Josie Johns as she finally confronts the doppelgänger who’s shadowed her since childhood, blending playful surrealism with a sharp look at identity and self‑worth. Shot entirely in the North East with a largely Geordie cast and crew, it stars Sarah Balfour in dual roles, alongside Kylie Ann Ford, Jack Robertson and twins Layla and Lola Todd. Made through the BBC’s Long Story Short initiative with director Zak Harney and Gateshead’s Candle & Bell, the project is a proud North East collaboration — and a bold step into film for Carr.

We caught up with Alison to find out more…

What first sparked the ideas behind Doppelgänger?
I am very drawn to weird and wonderful true stories. The algorithm knows what I want, and my friends and family are always sending me news articles of odd stuff happening! I’ve built up this kind of rolodex in my brain, and in there was the story of Laura Buxton, a girl who released a balloon with her details on it and it travelled over 100 miles where it ended up with a girl also called Laura Buxton. The two met, and by all accounts looked very similar. Along with a story from a couple of years ago of a woman in America who tried to kill her doppelganger with a poisoned cheesecake. So when this opportunity came up, these bubbled up as jumping off points and I went from there asking questions like ‘what would it be like to meet your double?’, and ‘how would it feel coming up short against them?’

The film balances comedy and darker emotional territory. How did you find the right tone for that mix?
All of my work tends to have humour and darkness. It’s just baked in to how I think and write. I always find an audience will come with you down a much darker path if they’re laughing along the way.

Maternal trauma and lifelong comparison sit at the heart of the film. Were those themes there from the start, or did they emerge as you wrote?
The lifelong comparison was there from the jump. Josie meeting her double at a young age and how that has impacted her growing up and the woman she has become. With Josie being ten when she meets Other Josie for the first time, I wanted parents there. Josie and her Mam’s relationship was always tense and fractious, and over the development process Mam became increasingly this monstrous, looming remembered figure in Josie’s life. And she’s key to the ‘why now’ question of why it all comes to a head between the Josies when it does.

This is your first screen project after a strong career in theatre. What surprised you most about writing for film?
The amount of plot you need! Screen really seems to eat up plot in a way that theatre doesn’t. When I read back the original draft that I submitted for the opportunity, it seems so small and slight compared to what we ended up with. I’m glad I went in a bit ignorant, though. It meant I didn’t limit myself. I loved developing it and really went for it. It got too big for a bit, but better to have too much to be able to trim away than too little.

Did your theatre background shape the way you approached a 13-minute screenplay?
There’s definitely so many transferrable skills. How to create characters, create and manage a plot, write dialogue. How to take notes, how to redraft, how to meet deadlines. All my theatre experience gave me the tools I needed to move into this new medium.

How did the collaboration with director Zak Harney and Candle & Bell influence the final film?
Candle and Bell supported me through the script’s development process. It was around 3-4 months. The best thing for me is they never made it feel overwhelming. It’s a big deal having your first writing for the screen be going out on the BBC, and I did have a wobble a couple of months in. But they kept me pushing, and made me feel so supported. Zak came in a bit later down the line, and from our first meeting where he talked me through his ideas and ‘vision’ for it, I knew we were on the same page. That he ‘got’ it and was going to elevate it.

You’ve said you’re proud to be flying the flag for the North East. What did it mean to make the whole project here?
I am so passionate about supporting and championing creativity in this region. Filming here, especially in Heaton where I have lived for years, was such a joy. We’ve made a film that is bright and playful and odd and potentially pushing against what people might expect from up here. We got to work with so much local talent in the cast and crew – emerging, established, brand new. And I’m so proud to be celebrating and showcasing that. I hope it goes towards showing that the talent is here, what we need is support, engagement, and investment to keep it going and get bigger.

Sarah Balfour plays both Josies. What were you looking for in someone who could embody two versions of the same person?
I can’t take the credit for the casting of Sarah – the casting decisions weren’t mine, although I was consulted. The Josies needed to be distinct, but not cartoons. And it needed to be someone who could tread that comedy/darkness line mentioned earlier. It might be a short film, but she’s its lead x2, with some big emotions to play, and Sarah does a tremendous job.

The film also introduces twins Layla and Lola Todd as the Young Josies. What was it like seeing the characters reflected across two generations?
What a find Layla and Lola were (again, I can’t take credit for the casting)! They look so plausibly like young Sarah(s), and everyone was so impressed with them and their performances. The first time I saw them all together was the filming day at the Pride Media Centre Studios doing the scene in the toilet stall, but I didn’t truly appreciate how effectively it all worked until I saw the final film. The way it slides back and forth, Zak’s great transitions, the younger Josie bleeding into older Josie’s world. Magical.

Long Story Short is designed to spotlight emerging screen talent. What did being part of that initiative open up for you?
Screenwriting feels possible now, whereas before it felt like this unknowable ‘other’ with no discernible route in. The priceless thing for me about LSS is that it is practical. I wrote a film that was made and broadcast. I have a screenwriting credit now, and have proven it’s something I can do. I hope it’s an initiative they continue, because what an experience and opportunity this has been.

Did writing Doppelgänger teach you anything new about your own relationship with identity or self-perception?
That if I’ve got a double out there, I hope I’m not the shit one.

If you had the chance to expand the story into a longer format, where might it go?
Where indeed! I really do think that this story, these characters, have real potential. And since the film went out, we’ve had loads of people asking what happens next and that they want more. Are you hearing that, BBC?! I’d love to get the chance to explore and expand Josie’s world, what it’s like living in the shadow of her double, how she copes (or doesn’t), and what their relationship is and could be.

And finally, has this experience nudged you toward more screenwriting in the future?
I’d love to.

Doppelgänger is available now on BBC iPlayer