HOW WAS CITY HOMICIDE BORN AND WHAT DID YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE?
John Hugginson - Five or six years ago I wrote a Police show bible for Channel 7 which was put on hold. A few years later, the network were ready for it. John Banas and I were both working on All Saints and we rewrote the bible, resurrected and changed the characters, and City Homicide was reborn. It's not unusual for a show to be put on hold. Water Rats sat in my drawer for seven years before it saw the light of day.
John Banas - We aimed to make a believable show, which focussed on strong crime stories but remained character based and felt really Australian.
John Hugginson - We wanted to return to good old-fashioned police work. How they use their heads to break the crime down - knock on doors, slog down streets.

WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE WRITING THE SECOND SERIES? WHAT NEW DIRECTION OR CHANGES DID YOU MAKE AND WHY?
John Hugginson - Series 1 was initially a show about murder and in Series 2 we had to consider how the characters had taken on a life of their own. Although we don't explore much of their personal lives we still need to understand what's going on there. A big challenge has been to come up with interesting murders and their motives. Now we're making more episodes, we don't want to repeat the same stories.
John Banas - The high level of production values along with the casting has been amazing. Our work dynamic hasn't changed much. We still plot the crime in detail and the rest of it flows on from that. We often go to producers' meetings wanting and needing feedback and the story just gets better from there.

HOW DO YOU COPE WITH THE WORKLOAD? WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF WRITING SO MUCH OF THE SHOW?
John Hugginson - We always knew that if the show was a success the script department would grow but there was never a disadvantage to us doing most of the writing. We know each other well and we both work really quickly, so it's fantastic.
John Banas - We recognise each others' strengths. I write fast and I find dialogue easy. John is better at story than I am so it's a great combination.

WHERE DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM FOR YOUR DARKEST STORIES?
John Banas - We usually begin with a backstory for the central character, the murderer. Then we work out why they've done it. This throws up a lot of story ideas.
There was a story on the news the other night about a couple who had their father killed because they thought he was frittering away their money.
John Hugginson - In reality, there are some very sick people out there.

HOW IS CITY HOMICIDE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CRIME SHOWS?
John Hugginson - It's strongly character driven, and our stories are taken from Australian society so they are hopefully more real for our audience.

WHAT IS THE SHOW ABOUT? WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT OUR SOCIETY?
John Banas - Sometimes we tell stories that we feel are important and make a real statement. We try to be socially responsible and present positive results. We don't want to draw a negative social picture that turns people away.
John Hugginson - A good, intriguing story where the audience thinks ?he's the killer, no, she's the killer, or maybe not' is great but ultimately our job is to entertain people.

YOU HAVE DEALT WITH SOME SERIOUS SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE PAST. WHAT ISSUES CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE?
John Banas - Sometimes we find that a good murder story fits best into a socially interesting situation and this adds another interesting dimension. But it's not something we consciously set out to do. The crime story and characters come first.
John Hugginson - Sometimes a story just evolves into something topical. One episode is about war and how nothing good comes from it. Another episode focuses around a football team and the sort of headline-forming issues that can arise within such sporting groups. Other episodes just go with the flow of the murder.

CITY HOMICIDE'S FIRST SCENE USUALLY SHOWS A GRUESOME MURDER. TELL US WHY YOU HIT THE AUDIENCE HARD, RIGHT FROM THE START.
John Banas - It's a hook. You grab them in the first few moments, set up the intrigue, then they'll want to hang around to see who did it, why and if they get away with it.

THERE'S A LOT OF BLACK HUMOUR IN THE SHOW? WHERE DOES IT COME FROM AND HOW DOES IT SERVE THE DARK STORIES YOU TELL?
John Banas - Have you ever been down to the morgue? We have a new pathologist and her sense of humour is based on the same principle we use for our coppers. Humour gets these people through their day. They're supremely respectful of the people they're dealing with but their humour enables them to offer that respect.

WHAT DO YOU THINK KEEPS THE AUDIENCE COMING BACK FOR MORE?
John Hugginson - The story and cast and not necessarily in that order. Our Producer, MaryAnne Carroll, and Network Executive, John Holmes, cemented the main cast. Our focus is story and they are the two essential ingredients.

HOW DOES HAVING A FEMALE BOSS LIKE WAVERLEY AND ONLY ONE FEMALE DETECTIVE IN A MALE-DOMINATED WORKPLACE ADD TO THE DRAMA?
John Hugginson - It's still a male dominated world and often difficult for women. We were fascinated by Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon. Imagine all the crap she'd have gone through, ten times more than any man, but she got there. Waverley's top boss at homicide and has to have massive strength of character to have got there.
John Banas - We write Jennifer like we write the guys and she handles it great. She brings femininity to it.

THERE IS A STRONG CAMARADERIE AMONG THE HOMICIDE TEAM. CAN THE AUDIENCE EXPECT IT TO STAY HARMONIOUS?
John Banas - They're not always harmonious. Like everyone, they have their moments and ultimately they are there for each other. They have to be.
John Hugginson - They often have a difference of opinion and they argue but at the end of the day the only person that understands what they're doing is their colleagues.
John Banas - It's a world where someone's got to have your back at some point so you've got to trust each other. Take Jarvis and Duncan. They don't like each other but they're part of a brotherhood. If anything goes wrong they would support each other.

STANLEY SEEMS TO CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THIS DARK WORLD ON HIS SHOULDERS. CAN LOVE EVER WORK FOR SUCH A PERSON?
John Banas - Stanley's got a great line: ?if you've got a room full of body parts you tend to keep the door shut.' It's hard for coppers to go home to family and lock it all away.
John Hugginson - Stanley and his wife have had a massive bust up. Where will they go from here? Hopefully the audience will be waiting to see.