Tony Schumacher: The policeman who became a screenwriter on TV cop shows
His work as a police officer gave him the insights that helped make The Responder a TV hit. But Tony Schumacher had always dreamed of being a writer – and as he attempted to rebuild his life following burnout and a breakdown, he says it was writing that saved him.
Three published novels and a hit TV show later, Schumacher will be a guest at this year’s Catalyst International Film Festival in Limerick. The Liverpudlian’s goal? To encourage others struggling for visibility to follow their dreams.
“If the only thing that I manage to get out of this career is that I encourage people like me to have a go, I’m happy — obviously, that and pay my mortgage,” he says. “If I go and do this event, and only one person comes away and goes: ‘Do you know what? If he’s done that, I could do that, too’. Because the world needs voices that aren’t getting heard, an authenticity.”
The value of diversity is something that Schumacher has lived. Growing up in the outskirts of Liverpool, he always adored writing but didn’t think it was something he could pursue as a career.
Leaving school at 16 with no qualifications, he worked his way around the world as a roofer, a binman, a bouncer, and even sold underpants on cruise ships.
As a boy, Schumacher watched the iconic TV series Boys From The Blackstuff — about a group of men in Liverpool who lost their jobs — with his dad. He was flabbergasted when his father later pointed out the home near theirs where the show’s creator, Alan Bleasdale, grew up.
“I never thought that people like me could do this job. As a kid, I was fascinated by television and film. The thoughts of someone growing up on the same council estate as me had gone and had something on TV, it just totally blew my mind.”
But he struggled at school and with the education system, and put writing on the back burner, taking on a series of other jobs to pay his way. “I just filed it away for years, put it in a box and thought ‘that dream has gone’,” he recalls.
He took up a job in Liverpool as a response policeman and while he loved what he did, over time the stresses that come with such work took their toll.
“It was the best thing and the worst thing that ever happened to me,” he says now. “It was the best thing because it led to me doing this for a living. The worst thing that ever happened to me because it took me a decade to get over the mental breakdown.
“It was exciting, it was challenging, it was fun. There was one thing that was always guaranteed and that was to have a laugh, but then cumulatively over the thirteen years that I was doing the job, I didn’t realise I was getting more and more damaged by doing the job.
“That led to a nervous breakdown which led to me ending up being homeless, but which also led to me writing The Responder. So it’s been a good thing and a bad thing being a cop. I’m sorry it happened. But at the same time, I wouldn’t be this guy that I am now. It led to this new life which is great and I love it.”
As he rebuilt his life following those difficult years, Schumacher felt he had nothing to lose and decided to return to writing. After having success with a local magazine, his first three novels were published by Harper Collins and he was on his way. “Then next thing you know, I’m writing The Responder, it’s crazy. There was 30 years when I could have been writing and I don’t want other people to lose that time because it’s good for the soul.”
A second series of the hit show will come to BBC in the coming weeks. The first series, starring Martin Freeman as a crisis-stricken first responder working nights on the streets of Liverpool, was widely hailed by critics and audiences.
“Everything just seemed touched with magic,” he says of the show. “The casting was perfect, I think we got some of the best actors in the country, they seemed to just embrace these characters.
“When I started writing The Responder I think I was being honest with myself, which enabled me to be honest in the writing. I think that touched people, people could empathise with it — people who were struggling or people who knew people who were struggling. I think if you’re honest in your writing, you’ve got a good chance.
“Now the one thing that I hope is that people start having a go on the back of listening to me.”
- Tony Schumacher is in conversation with screenwriter Ursula Rani Sarma at Catalyst International Film Festival (18-20 April) in Limerick. Visit www.catalystinternationalfilmfestival.com. Series 2 of The Responder will be coming soon to BBC One
Highlights of Catalyst in Limerick
Now in its fifth year, Catalyst International Film Festival in Limerick prioritises stories and storytellers who are under-represented on screen and behind the camera. This year, the festival (April 18-20) will screen two Irish features.
Baltimore, based on the true story of how British heiress Rose Dugdale became involved with the IRA and carried out a notorious art heist at Russborough House, will be followed by a Q+A with directors Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor.
The Festival will present a slate of documentary shorts, international shorts, Irish shorts and a family-friendly programme at the Belltable curated by French-Tunisian live-action programmer, Celine Roustan, and documentary programmer, filmmaker Vanessa Gildea.
Festival founder and director Dr Susan Liddy has announced two new award additions to this year’s festival. The inaugural Short Documentary Bursary Award is open to emerging filmmakers. The successful applicant will be awarded €10,000 to support the making of a short documentary.
Patricia Kelly’s Verdigris tells the story of two very different women, Marian and Jewel, who become unlikely friends as they realise that their similarities far outweigh their differences.
The National Student Award (€1000) seeks to locate and spotlight upcoming student talent. Third-level student filmmakers from across the country have submitted work sensitive to the festival ethos.
Catalyst will present a full programme for students on Thursday, April 18 which centres on instilling an awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of filmmaking. It includes an interactive masterclass with screenwriter and director Laura O’Shea, editor and educator Phil Shanahan, and actor Johanna Thea.