Wolfblood: creator Debbie Moon drops Series 2 hints

UPDATE 28/08/2013: @bbcwritersroom just confirmed via Twitter that Series 2 of Wolfblood will launch on Monday September 9th on CBBC. 

Last autumn CBBC launched Wolfblood, a new adventure series created by Debbie Moon. She was kind enough to answer six questions from Vicious Imagery about the show just before it launched - read them here. Wolfblood was a big hit with viewers and last week won Best Children's Drama at the RTS Awards. With filming now underway on 13 new episodes, Vicious Imagery tempted Debbie away from writing the series two finale long enough to answer six more questions...

Maddy (Aimee Kelly) and Rhydian (Bobby Lockwood) - both are Wolfblood

Congratulations on Wolfblood winning a Royal Television Society award. Why do you think viewers have connected with the show so strongly?

For me, it was important that Wolfblood had something to say about the experience of being a teenager, and I think that's what viewers are reacting to. That sense of being unsure about who you really are, who you're growing up into, of trying to balance different elements of yourself, your society, your family and your friends… The Wolfblood element gives us a way to look at all those questions without being preachy and heavy-handed.

I've been surprised by how many adult, and older teen, viewers Wolfblood has. But then, I think we all remember what being a teenager was like, and how those experiences shaped our adult self. 

And of course, we try to deliver a lot of fun, adventure, and wish fulfilment in the show as well!

What did you learn about the world of Wolfblood from seeing the first series made and broadcast, and how is that influencing the second series?

Certainly I've learned a lot of practical stuff. Never put eight people in a corridor scene (you can't get the camera angles), the things that you think will be expensive are cheap and vice versa, and most of all, the weather doesn't read the shooting schedule!

On a more creative level, we're looking to give more screen time to the minor characters, whom the audience have responded really well to. And to play to the performers' strengths: a couple of the cast have turned out to have talents that we exploit in season two...

If you could go back and change anything about series one, what would it be [and any chance of a DVD release]?

More money, so we could do more wolf shots?  There are odd moments I might have written differently, but on the whole I'm really happy with the way the first series turned out.  

There will be a DVD release at some point, but it's taking a little longer to set up than we expected. Hopefully some time later this year...

Maddy's friends Tom (Kedar Williams-Stirling) and Shannon (Louisa Connolly-Burnham)

You don’t write every episode, so could you share the process of how the storylines for series two were devised and developed?

We basically got all the writers into a room for several days and broke down the entire series - what we wanted to do with the characters, where we wanted them to end up physically and emotionally, and what story lines and events would achieve that for us. So initially, it's very much a team effort, everyone throwing in ideas and suggestions. Then the writers take away the germ of their episodes and work on them from there. That allows them to put their individual voice into each episode, while honouring the overall feel and story arc of the series.

Can you offer any spoiler-free hints about what we can look forward to in the new series?

In no particular order: a scary new enemy, a surprising new arrival in Stoneybridge, a strange discovery from the distant past, and romantic developments for a couple of characters (and maybe not the ones you'd think!)

Beyond the world of Wolfblood, what else are you working on?

I've just finished a pilot episode for a supernatural drama that's being shopped around to producers at the moment, and I'm working on a couple of feature scripts, plus a hopefully final rewrite on a feature that may shoot next year, if we can get the funding...

Thanks again to Debbie to taking time to answer these questions. Bring on series two!