You can teach an old director new tricks

Ajay’s Casebook. September 2026

Sep 02, 2026

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I’ve been directing plays for more than forty years, but writing crime thrillers for only six. I still can’t quite believe that, in that time, I’ve published seven books. Someone pinch me. Gently, please - I have deadlines.

The last play I directed was more than a decade ago. It was a South Asian version of The Merchant of Venice called The Merchant of Vembley. Yes, with a V.

After that, I more or less decided to concentrate on writing. My theatrical days were behind me.

Been there. Loved it. Done it.

So it was extremely annoying to read a new play called Dog Mom, by Tate Hanyok, and fall completely in love with it.

I already had two books coming out this year - Eden Falls and The Patriot - and I was finishing the next Kamil book, The Outsider, due in 2027. Where on earth was I supposed to find the time to direct a play?

But the script kept nagging at me.

Dog Mom is about a recently divorced woman in her fifties who is absolutely not a dog person - and what happens when a golden retriever decides to adopt her. It is laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving and, I think, exactly what people need in these febrile times.

So I took the bone between my teeth and went for it.

I’ve spent the past several months casting the play, securing a venue (the wonderful Southwark Playhouse in London), assembling a production team and doing all the things I’d almost forgotten how to do. Some came back immediately. Some I had to dig for.

At the same time, I’ve had to keep working on the new Kamil book because, well, deadlines are deadlines. This has brought something fascinating into sharp focus: the differences, and unexpected similarities, between directing and writing.

Some differences are obvious. Writing is largely a solitary activity, at least until the manuscript is handed to an editor. Directing is intensely collaborative. Everyone is responsible for a crucial part of the production, and if any one of us fluffs it, the whole thing can wobble. No pressure, then.

But the similarities are more interesting.

Whether I’m creating something for the page or the stage, what ultimately matters is its effect on the reader or audience. And that effect is something we create together.

I can put words on a page or direct actors on a stage, but the real power of the piece comes from the imagination of the person experiencing it. They have to participate. They have to fill in the gaps.

The best plays achieve this through what is left unsaid. The subtext. And while writing my new book, I realised that the best novels do exactly the same thing.

One challenge of writing a series is deciding how much to tell readers about what has gone before. It is important to me that every Kamil book works as a standalone, but new readers can understandably be flummoxed about who everyone is and how they are connected.

I keep explanations to a minimum and trust readers to pick up what they need from the subtext. Nobody wants to feel as though they’ve arrived late to a party and must sit through a presentation on everyone else’s family history before being offered a drink.

Creating for both page and stage brings me enormous joy. An idea begins in one person’s imagination and is transformed into something that can reach thousands of others, making them laugh, moving them and, with any luck, making them think.

That’s why I do what I do.

And apparently, despite my best intentions, why I’m directing plays again.

Dog Mom production image featuring a woman and a golden retriever

DOG MOM AT SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE
Book tickets and find out more

Book news

Eden Falls has launched to lovely reviews, and it was wonderful to be picked as Read of the Month by the Crime Writer’s Association.

Eden Falls: learn more and order

My new Kamil Rahman book, The Patriot, is out in November, and the early reviews are already looking good. It is always a nail-biting moment when they arrive because now the book is finally in the hands of real readers.

“An absolute roller-coaster of a read. A must-read book. I loved Detective Kamil and PI Anjoli Chatterjee. The characterisation in this story is second to none.” - Liz Nugent

The Patriot: read an exclusive extract

The Patriot: pre-order your copy

I’ve also added a new section to my website: Anjoli Chatterjee’s history of Brick Lane. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Explore Anjoli Chatterjee’s Brick Lane

Events

The big event this month was Bute Noir, one of my favourite festivals. I joined Gavin Bell, Ilona Bannister and Colin Sinclair for a panel, Thrillers and Killers, and took part in a fun and totally barmy quiz. Our team came second (out of two).