it was "unconventional" to choose to have the main protagonists, stalker and his team, not to appear at all for the first hour and three-quarters; but eaton felt this added to the audience suspense, knowing what there was for the inquiry to find, but not knowing which paths the inquiry would take, and whether it would be uncovered. the script ultimately went to ten drafts, with yorkshire television's lawyers demanding the justification for every line. stalker himself kept a distance from the project, although eaton and kosminsky talked to him "at some length"; but after a pre-transmission screening stalker described it as "a faithful reproduction of northern ireland events". he was also said to have told his wife that he considered it "well acted and fairly accurate".