The Control Room writer Nick Leather inspired by terrifying experience with his daughter

'The Control Room' writer Nick Leather was inspired by the terrifying moment he couldn't wake his daughter up.

The 'Murdered For Being Different' scribe has opened up on his upcoming thriller - which was shot in Glasgow last year and stars Iain De Caestecker as emergency call handler Gabe - and the scary experience that sparked the story.

He said: "One morning, I went in to wake my daughter up and I couldn’t; she was just floppy. We called 999 and in that desperate few minutes, I realised sort of how profoundly the person on the other end of the line can help you and affect you.

"Their manner is so important and its quite an intense relationship for a few minutes. Everything was okay in the end but then the next time I sat down and tried to come up with a story, I wrote two things at the top; one was call room handler and caller.

"I then put a circle around it and tried to think of the way the relationship between those two people would be and a scene that involved them both."

The show has been described by those involved as a mix of genres including thriller, coming-of-age and even a "love story".

Iain added: "I would say it’s one of the most exciting scripts I’ve ever read and it was a page turner from start to finish. I just had to know how it ended.

"Nick [Leather] has a way of using very relatable and universal themes and emotions. The characters are not two dimensional."

And he heaped praise on the writer for creating something exciting with "a more sensitive side" too.

He explained: "Nick is a master writer of suspense and it leaves you on the edge of your seat. It’s nail biting but it has a more sensitive side as well."