Interview with Jack Thorne for The Commuter

26 September 2017

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How did you become involved in this series? Why did you want to do it?

I became involved because I am a massive fan of Philip K Dick - he is extraordinary and this project felt like an extraordinary way of tackling the way he saw the world. I love the fact that each episode is going to be written by a different writer, and all of us will bring a different shade to it. Because he was a writer of many colours, who managed to create and destroy worlds seemingly at will, and all our different voices will hopefully add up to doing some sort of justice to the man. 

How did you go about deciding which story to adapt?

I read everything and thought deeply and started sketching out ideas for a few of them - and there was something about The Commuter that just wouldn't let me go. 

What’s your story about?

A woman tries to buy a ticket from a train station employee. The trouble is she wants it for a station that doesn't exist. His life is a mess, is Macon Heights a solution to his problems?

Have you strayed far from the original source material?

My Grandad worked on the railways and his son (my Uncle) struggled a lot with his mental health and from the very beginning this felt like an opportunity - as so much fantasy is - of telling his story. It is still pure PKD though. 

What are the pitfalls of adapting an existing story? Is it easier or harder than writing an original script?

I do a fair amount of adapting and my rule is always it has to have one scene that I can't wait to write - this had 400 scenes. I don't know if easier is the word I would use, it's a massive privilege to get to play in other people's worlds. 

What do you think are the themes of your story, and are those themes typical of Philip K. Dick’s work?

I think it's about choice and about the idea of perfect - and no-one wrote about these themes better than he did. 

Why do you think so many of Dick’s stories have been adapted to the screen?

He's a genius. 

Has working on the series given you a new appreciation of Dick’s work?

No, I always knew he was a genius.