No wonder she’s such a PSYCHO
Chilled to the bone by The Replacement? Well, its creator was inspired by the Master of Suspense himself...
WITH its nerve-tingling plot twists – and a shocking conclusion to the first episode – The Replacement has gripped the nation, particularly the female half.
The BBC1 drama, tipped to be one of the stand-out series of the year, tackles one of the taboos of the workplace – the professional fear that stalks so many expectant mothers.
Last week’s opening episode saw high-flying architect Ellen Rooney, played by Morven Christie, become pregnant while on the verge of a breakthrough promotion as a partner at her firm.
Paula Reece (Vicky McClure), the woman Ellen helps to recruit to cover her maternity leave, takes over her job and more besides, with horrific consequences.
The Replacement has been described as reminiscent of suspense-filled classics from the past, and with good reason. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the show’s thrills were inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, the great British director behind masterpieces including Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo and North By Northwest.
Cinematic tricks employed by Hitchcock, known as The Master of Suspense, have been used to devastating effect in the new three-part drama.
‘He is my favourite director,’ says The Replacement scriptwriter Joe Ahearne, who reveals that the comparisons are everywhere. Ahearne has borrowed a number of hallmark Hitchcock motifs, notably the terror of falling, glamorous yet difficult or treacherous women, and even an oddball interest in staircases.
‘You see people putting things together in their minds,’ says Ahearne. ‘ Hitchcock put the audience right into the centre of the action. So, if Ellen is in the architect’s office in The Replacement, she can see a lot of what’s going on but she doesn’t hear what they’re saying.’
More inspiration came from The Replacement producer Nicole Cauverien, who told Ahearne about her own experience of maternity leave.
‘A lot of women have their babies in their 30s, which often coincides with getting into the swing of a career,’ she explains. ‘Getting pregnant is a time of physical and emotional transformation.’
Nicole, who is now in her early 50s and has daughters aged 20 and 16, says: ‘I was determined to keep working.
‘The private me was becoming a mother and the professional me was in the middle of a challenging career, and those worlds were about to collide.’