He spoke to Christian Today about why he particularly wanted to write The Passion and the unexpected journey of discovery that penning the series has been for him.
CT: Were you sceptical at all or concerned that you wouldn’t have the freedom to remain faithful to the cross and resurrection of Jesus as the Bible tells it?
FD: It actually happened the other way around. I read in the newspaper that Peter Fincham, the controller of BBC One, wanted to do The Passion as a series across Easter week and I felt very drawn to the project and contacted the BBC, for whom I have written many dramas previously, and asked to be considered.
It is hard to say in those early meetings. It becomes very much a journey, and it is one that is a collaboration as well and one that has to be taken with a measure of good faith and trust and also requires that one is open to being surprised. But what I felt was that the BBC were taking a very responsible position in wanting to do a faithful adaptation but one that worked as a drama for a prime time audience, which is a big ambition, but one that I certainly found exciting,
CT: Knowing that your audience was going to be a mix of Christians and non-Christians what did you feel you wanted to convey - or indeed get away from - in your telling of The Passion?
FD: One of the things I wanted to get away from was a telling of the story of The Passion in which the majesty of Jesus is assumed and one in which a great deal of knowledge of the story and Christianity is assumed.
What I personally was fascinated by was the duality of Jesus in his divinity and his humanity. The more I read about it the more it became clear to me that this is essentially a mystery but his humanity has to be total otherwise he is somewhat of a tourist in his own Passion.
