Jesse Armstrong says writers' rooms can feel 'like walking on the moon' but he has impostor syndrome

Jesse Armstrong, the award-winning screenwriter behind Succession, said a writers' room can feel 'like you're walking on the moon' when it is working well, but admitted he has experienced impostor syndrome. He made the remarks, aged 55, on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs to Lauren Laverne.

Armstrong created the HBO drama Succession, starring Brian Cox as media tycoon and family patriarch Logan Roy, whose actions set off a power struggle among his four children. He is an Oscar nominee for co-writing the film In The Loop with Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche, and has won TV Baftas for his work on Peep Show.

Succession won 19 Emmys and nine Golden Globes and concluded in 2023 with its fourth series. Describing a successful writers' room, Armstrong said: 'You're suddenly released from the thing that could take you a week to figure out at your desk on your own... you can have these golden moments of the ideas coming from everyone and you're all on the same wavelength and it can feel quite magical.' He added that many good writers are 'riddled with self-doubt', saying he often feels a '70%' sense that something will be a disaster and only a '10 to 20% – if you're lucky, 30%' confidence that it could be great.

He also warned that the consoling thought that 'you've done it before' can become 'another rod for your back' because people do not see all the bad drafts.

Key Topics

Culture, Jesse Armstrong, Succession, Desert Island Discs, Hbo, Brian Cox