Playwright David Eldridge: ‘What’s important to me is to move people’

David Eldridge: ‘One byproduct of getting older is a sense of perspective.’ Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer

David Eldridge is an acclaimed dramatist and screenwriter. Born in Romford, where his father was a shoemaker, his plays include Market Boy, In Basildon and an adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg’s film Festen. His new play, Middle, is at the National Theatre, the second in a trilogy of dramas about couples that began in 2017 with the West End hit Beginning. He has three sons, lives in north London, and attends every West Ham home game.

Was Beginning always going to be the first part of a trilogy?
No. But on the night of its third preview, it suddenly occurred to me I could write a sequel, catching a couple who were 10 years older than the pair in Beginning, and who might be at a crossroads in their relationship. I’ve learned over the years that if I have an idea that won’t go away, I should listen to it, but I was also sensible enough to not even think about going down that road unless I had an idea for a third play [to be called, inevitably, End]. I brooded and brooded, and when I finally did [have an idea], I remember thinking: thank God.