Stephen | Interview with Madonna Baptiste – Producer

Q: When did you become involved with the production?

“I had my first meeting with executive producer Mark Redhead in January 2020. We were meant to shoot in the summer of 2020 but, obviously, the lockdown happened so we were delayed. But what it did allow us to do was reflect on the script and have lots of conversations. Looking back now that time was invaluable to really go into even greater detail.

“We had Zoom calls with Neville Lawrence and Clive Driscoll and what they said was incorporated into the script. Mark also spoke to Doreen Lawrence, Imran Khan and Shaun Keep. It was a brilliant opportunity to really hone the story and the script and make it even more rich and textured and to get to the truth of what happened.”

Q: What is your prime job as the producer?

“My job as a producer begins when a production gets the green light. You are there to realise it, to bring it to screen. That includes working on the scripts and putting a team together. With the director we choose the heads of department and the producer oversees the whole production from beginning to end.”

Q: What were the main challenges you faced?

“The main issue filming in a pandemic was ensuring not everyone was in the same space. Usually when you have a production office, everyone is there and you will have lots of impromptu meetings. It was challenging to keep sharing information while being unable to gather together.

“The location manager, for example, will normally come back from seeing a location and go straight to the production office where everyone will be so we can talk about it. Due to the pandemic that was more difficult, but we managed to do it via Zoom calls with the main production team.

“The initial script readthrough would usually see everyone in the same room, but we also did that remotely online.

“The restrictions meant we couldn’t film inside homes, so we had to build the domestic interiors in a studio. Everyone was tested twice a week and so on. The logistics of that was quite tricky. Plus we had to make sure all of the crew and cast felt safe. In the end we had no Covid cases and no delays.”

Q: Where did you film?

“We were able to film scenes of the 15th anniversary service at St Martin-in-the-Fields where it actually took place. We would usually have something like 200 extras for that. But the director and the director of photography came up with a way of shooting it with a reduced number of extras placed so it didn’t look empty.

“It was very moving to film at the Stephen Lawrence Centre and the Old Bailey scenes which were filmed at a former court in Kingston, Surrey. Obviously some of the lines in the script were taken from the real evidence given in court, so it was very moving. Lots of moments that were actually quite heartbreaking, we all had tears in our eyes.”

Q: Did it help that executive producers Mark Redhead and Paul Greengrass respectively produced, wrote and directed The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, screened in 1999 and that Hugh Quarshie was reprising his role as Neville in this production?

“Having those links to the 1999 film was absolutely crucial including Mark Redhead’s in-depth knowledge of the story and 20 year research. His relationship with Doreen, Neville and Clive also goes back a long way and that was invaluable. We had the advantage of a strong relationship with them. They trusted that Mark would do justice to their story so we could talk to them to ensure even the smallest details were accurate and it was the same with Clive Driscoll.”

Q: What does Steve Coogan bring to the role of DCI Clive Driscoll?

“Steve Coogan brings a huge amount of experience to the role. Clive Driscoll is unique, he’s a very caring person with a deep sense of responsibility plus a fantastic sense of humour. We thought Steve embodied all of that. He is also such a versatile actor. I didn’t see Steve Coogan, I could just hear Clive and his enormous responsibility to do the right thing.

“There’s a line where Neville asks Clive why he volunteered to take on the case. Clive replies, ‘I think a young lad should be able to catch the bus home without being killed. If we can’t solve a murder like Stephen’s then what’s the point of us?’ Steve’s performance is both brilliant and moving.”

Q: You reconstructed Clive’s own filmed police reconstruction of the attack on Stephen Lawrence. That must have been a hard thing to do?

“That was difficult for the cast and crew to film. Even watching the rushes was heartbreaking, because you realised you were watching a reconstruction of Stephen’s last moments.”

Q: Sadly, this story is still very relevant today. Did everyone working on the production know the story before filming began?

“Even while we were making this drama quite a few of the crew would say, ‘I didn’t realise this had happened.’ I think it’s important to know about this story and understand what happened. This tragedy affects everyone, it’s not just an issue for the black community. It’s important to talk about these things and not to forget. We have to know where we came from in order for things to progress.

“During lockdown it felt like we all had a moment where the world stopped and we could just reflect on our lives. It seemed like people wanted to right some wrongs and set us on a new path and not to just go back to the old ways.

“Neville and Doreen Lawrence have both used their grief in positive ways, including changing the law, which enabled convictions to be secured. Along with endless campaigning by Doreen and the Stephen Lawrence Centre which she helped found. They do extraordinary work there.”

Q: How do you reflect back on working on this drama?

“I’m just proud to have been involved with ‘Stephen’. When Mark Redhead called me it was an instant ‘yes’. It didn’t take much thought. I feel honoured to be involved in helping this story to the screen and to work with phenomenal people like Doreen, Neville, Clive and many others. I think it’s really important that this story is told and brought to the attention of the public.”