Head-writer of The Queen' remembers how the show startedPhathu Makwarela says the Fergusons poured their blood, sweat and tears into making The Queen' the success it was. This is how it started
by Thandeka Mthethwa
16-01-2023 16:21
in Soapies
The Queen came to an end after 6 seasons on air. Image via Instagram/@makwarelaphathu / @connie_ferguson
The head writer of the now defunct The Queen has taken to Twitter to share how the show started and how much effort went into making the show a success.
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Phathu Makwarela and his business partner Gwydion Beynon of Tshedza Pictures were head writers on the show when it started but later left to pursue other interests.
ALSO READ: Connie remembers Shona after The Queen' comes to an end
THE FERGUSONS POURED EVERYTHING ON THE QUEEN' In his tribute, Phathu said Connie and Shona Ferguson did everything to make The Queen a success.
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Mr Sho and @connie_ferguson poured their blood, sweat and tears to make the production a hit and a hit it indeed became. We were all part of creating magic with the likes of @ndakes_gp as our disciplinarian father figure, @reneilwesema with his amazing story mind always pushing and @lufuno_nett slave driving us: he made us sweat for it . It will always be a magical beginning. The Queen lives on , he said.
When the show started, Phathu said they [Gwydion] pitched for a show that was to replace Zabalaza. They took the brief to Shona and insisted that they develop something for him.
Your time will come Indeed it did come when @reneilwesema informed us about a brief that's been issued to replace Zabalaza. We took it to Mr Sho and insisted that we can develop something for him and @connie_ferguson to lead we settled on a simple premise What if Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather's Vito Corleone was a woman? That was a hook we pitched, he added.
ALSO READ: The king's back': The Queen' fans react to Shaka Khoza's return
The Queen' was the Ferguson's first big break Image via Instagram/@makwarelaphathu Spent my December in Witbank watching The Godfather movies, they are awful by the way . Gwyd and I had a meeting at MNET offices and @reneilwesema was like channel liked the show you guys and Ferguson Films pitched. will you be ready to TX in August? We lied and said yes.
Then quickly ran to Mr Sho and told him what we had done: with his big laugh he looked at us like we were crazy, but quickly pulled out his calendar to see what's possible. The rest is history. But what endures is the amazing platform @ferguson_films gave Gwydion and myself to tell stories the way we thought stories in TV needed to be told, he recalled.
ALSO READ: The Queen' Finale Spoiler: Will Harriet kill Londiwe?
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View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Phathu Makwarela (@makwarelaphathu)
TSHEDZA PICTURES AND FERGUSON FILMS COLLABORATE Phathu added that with The Queen, they introduced a different style of storytelling a hybrid of American prime-time soap operas infused with classical Disney story elements from Star Wars and The Lion King, sprinkled with pop culture dialogue influenced by the sassiness of Will & Grace .
As the curtain comes down on #TheQueenMzansi tonight, one cant help but reflect on the impact the show and @ferguson_films has had in propelling my professional and personal ambitions. I recall vividly those beginnings, he explained.
ALSO READ: Connie, Rami Chuene, SK Khoza bid farewell to The Queen'
Gwyd and I had already head-wrote two shows with @ferguson_films #Igazi and #Rockville but we still felt we could do more and were becoming frustrated. @lufuno_nett would always encourage us, mostly me : Phathu, be patient. Your time will come, he said.
ALSO READ: Three telenovelas that got canned in 2022
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Head-writer of The Queen' remembers how the show startedPhathu Makwarela says the Fergusons poured their blood, sweat and tears into making The Queen' the success it was. This is how it started 
