Broadcast 7th February 2014

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

7 February 2014

ANALYSIS

INTERVIEW

BEHIND THE SCENES

Page 24

Page 20

Page 28

Scheduling: why the David Mortimer: taking last-minute changes? NBCU beyond Downton

Jesse Armstrong on C4’s Babylon

awards for Sky to overhaul ‘rules of Two Gogglebox and engagement’ with indies Broadchurch

BY LISA CAMPBELL

BY ROBIN PARKER

Sky is to overhaul its ‘rules of engagement’ with the indie community after receiving feedback from more than 100 production companies.

The broadcaster will respond to ideas more quickly and introduce its first major indie briefing day after admitting it had been “lax” in its communication with producers.

Sky director of entertainment channels Stuart Murphy revealed the results of its supplier survey to Broadcast this week, which was prompted by the work done by this magazine and the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival last year into industrywide commissioning relationships.

Sky’s survey of 139 companies, including 19 talent agencies, was produced by independent research firm Otherlines.tv. It asked what Sky was like to work with pre-, during and post-production, and found it had the biggest improvements to make in the earlier stages.

Indies scored Sky highly on ‘being made to feel welcome in meetings’; ‘creative input in meetings’; and ‘overall communication’, but marked it down compared with other broadcasters on ‘information on the type of show Sky needs’; ‘speed of communicating commissioning decisions’; and ‘acknowledgement of pitches within 24 hours’.

As a result, Sky has pledged to acknowledge any idea within 48 hours (excluding weekends), with a fuller response promised within two weeks for non-scripted ideas, and within six weeks for scripted.

ITV drama Broadchurch and Channel 4’s Gogglebox took home two awards apiece at the Broadcast Awards 2014.

Kudos’s whodunit beat the likes of BBC2’s The Fall and BBC1’s Last Tango In Halifax to be named Best Drama Series, and also landed Best International Sales. Production has begun on a US remake for Fox. Its success also contributed to ITV’s victory as Channel of the Year. ITV performed well across all genres, gained share and demonstrated strong indie relations.

Studio Lambert’s Gogglebox picked up Best Original Programme and Best Popular Factual Programme for taking fixed-rig cameras into the nation’s living rooms.

Broadcast named Twofour Independent Producer of the Year for a diverse slate including Splash! and Educating Yorkshire. The latter, which was a ratings smash, also won Best Documentary Series. ➤ For a full list of winners, see broadcastnow.co.uk.

It makes the industry better if we are all open about our performance Stuart Murphy, Sky

The broadcaster will host an indie briefing day in April at Sky Studios for up to 200 producers specialising in non-scripted content, with smaller briefings earmarked for scripted.

Producers will receive business as well as creative insight including audience research and strategy. “We have been lax in communication, which I take overall responsibility for; we’re

focused on getting shows on air,” said Murphy.

He added: “This is the year for Sky – if we don’t land it this year, we’re never going to. That’s why we’re asking what a good creative conversation looks like. We’re not publicly accountable, but [getting indie feedback] is important. It makes the industry better if we are all open about our performance.”

Murphy added that 2014 would be Sky’s biggest year in terms of content, with a £600m spend, including some of its biggest dramas to date, such as Fleming, The Smoke, Penny Dreadful and Fortitude. ➤ Visit broadcastnow.co.uk for a link to the survey in full, and analysis of Sky’s performance compared with other broadcasters.

Broadchurch: winner for ITV

£4.99

Fleming: £600m spend will include some of Sky’s biggest dramas to date

Editor’s Choice

Broadcast, 101 Finsbury Pavement, London EC2A 1RS or email lisa.campbell@broadcastnow.co.uk

Online this week www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Lisa Campbell, Editor

Top News

Decade of change at the ‘TV bible’ In an ever-changing landscape, Broadcast has been at the forefront

I

didn’t get the warmest of welcomes from one early contact when I joined Broadcast more than a decade ago.

“But you’ve never made a programme in your life!” he said, incredulous. “Does an ad agency showreel count?” I asked, immediately wishing I hadn’t.

But he was right. I had a lot to learn, despite what was, back then, a simpler world, without the likes of SVoD, ‘trending’ and tapeless workflows. The Com-

‘I remember the shock of my first Mip. Not the drinking... but the lack of TV glamour in the sweaty pit of the Palais’ munications Act 2003 was my baptism of fire and, asked to analyse its impact, I called the great and the good, eventually getting to terms with the Terms of Trade thanks to a certain plain-speaking Scot.

I remember the shock of my first Mip. Not the drinking and debauchery – I could handle that – but the lack of TV glamour in the sweaty pit of the Palais, where shows were flogged like fridges. Where was the pedestal to unveil your ‘baby’?

Business realities under my belt, I could get on with the fun bit: the programmes.

Indeed, I had a job many friends couldn’t believe existed, where you could talk about telly non-stop, and where you got to meet the people in (see right) the shows and those making them. Sometimes in Monte Carlo (though more often in Shepherds Bush).

Of course, there have been good times and bad at the helm of the ‘TV bible’. A decision to relaunch and ditch the unwieldy broadsheet size for a tabloid would 2 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

“finally see it off ”, I was told in 2007. Still going strong, the mag became A4 in 2008.

Sadly, like many media businesses during the economic downturn, the team shrunk with it. Yet we’ve always strived to give our readers more: digital newsletters, glossy photoshoots, awards, conferences, business breakfasts, a podcast and our upcoming tablet app – all testament to the talented writers, art editors, ad, event and production staff who give their all for a title they’re proud of.

Our 50th anniversary book in 2009 was a particular moment of pride, a chance to celebrate Broadcast’s place at the heart of the industry – where it continues to be, despite arguably more seismic changes in the past decade than any other (see page 22).

Broadcast has reported, supported and, when warranted, criticised. It’s always a fine balance for any editor of a trade title to be a critical friend. This was put to the test recently with the Expert Women campaign – initially dismissed, now viewed as a model for wider diversity monitoring – and last year, when we highlighted widespread concerns about indie relations with C4.

It’s never personal: we went on to spearhead an important debate on the previously unmentionable tension of the buyer/supplier relationship with major controllers at Edinburgh.

Sky’s announcement this week – a bid to address concerns – is a rewarding result of those efforts. I look forward to continuing this dialogue with Broadcast in my role as Edinburgh director.

There are scars as well as trophies during a decade I’ll never forget.

è Factual producer Wild Pictures has beefed up its senior team after securing several commissions from the BBC and ITV. The indie, responsible for ITV prison docs Wormwood Scrubs (below) and Strangeways, has hired Susanne Curran and Lucie Kon to broaden its slate.

è Tinopolis has beaten off competition from rivals including ITV to acquire Magical Elves, the US producer of food format Top Chef Chef.

è The high-end drama tax breaks have helped attract £150m of foreign investment into the UK industry, according to the latest figures from the British Film Institute.

Ratings Top Five 1 Jim Davidson (below) won Celebrity Big Brother on Wednesday in front of 3.8m, the show’s highest peak audience since it moved to Channel 5.

2 Channel 4’s celebrity winter sport competition The Jump bowed out with a series average of 2m on Monday.

3 The Voice UK turned up the volume with 8.5m, its best performance of the series, on Saturday.

4 Top Gear drove off with 5.3m on Sunday, its biggest series debut audience in three years.

5 Channel 4’s topical comedy The Last Leg returned with 1.2m for its fourth series.

Team Tweets è Just filed last ever column as Broadcast editor. Early, for the first time. Finally got the hang of it after 7 years... @MsLisaCampbell

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

News & Analysis

FM/All3 merger in spotlight Watchdog could take action if potential Fremantle Media and All3Media tie-up goes ahead One rival indie boss suggested a merger would warrant an OFT investigation

BY JAKE KANTER

A potential merger between Fremantle Media and All3Media would attract the attention of UK competition authorities, according to calculations by Broadcast.

Reports surfaced last week that Fremantle was poised to buy the Permira-backed super-indie for in excess of £500m, and Broadcast understands that talks between the companies have taken place.

Both declined to comment on the “market speculation”.

A merger could come with complications and one rival indie boss suggested it would warrant an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). It has the authority to examine a merger if the combined UK turnover of the companies involved is more than £70m, or if a deal increases their share of the market to more than 25%.

If the trading watchdog believed a Fremantle takeover of All3M would result in a “substantial lessening of competition” then it would refer it to the Competition Commission for a further in-depth review.

Broadcast’s 2013 Indie Survey showed that Fremantle and All3M’s combined UK revenues were in the

The Cube: show producer Objective is one of 18 All3Media companies

region of £425m, well in excess of the £70m OFT threshold.

Excluding revenue streams such as distribution and ancillary rights, All3M and Fremantle’s UK-based indies’ presence generated combined turnover of £335m from UK commissions and sales.

This represents 24.8% of the total £1.35bn that the survey shows indie producers generated within the UK – perilously close to the 25% threshold that would alert the OFT. The ramifications would be felt beyond the UK too, with a deal

between the two creating a global production powerhouse with a turnover exceeding £1.7bn (see box).

News of the potential tie-up, which was first reported by C21 Media on 29 January, took many industry insiders by surprise, including some of the leaders at All3M’s 18 production companies, who appeared to have limited knowledge of Fremantle’s interest.

All3M’s private-equity backer Permira bought the company from Bridgepoint for £320m in 2006. It tried to sell the super-indie in 2011,

but pulled the plug when bidders failed to meet its asking price of £750m. However, All3M chief executive Farah Ramzan Golant has been clear that Permira could resurrect a sale process at any time.

Fremantle chief executive Cecile Frot-Coutaz has been similarly open about her desire to increase the scale of the business. She hired Julian Tomkins in September 2013 as director of strategy and mergers & acquisitions.

Last year, Fremantle owner Bertelsmann reduced its stake in European broadcaster RTL from 92.3% to 75.1%, making around £1.7bn, which chief executive Thomas Rabe said would be used for international acquisitions.

It is unclear how a merger would affect the two companies’ UK operating models, but mergers on this scale usually entail simplification and some job losses.

Fremantle to boost international strength with All3Media buyout

BY PETER WHITE

A merger between Fremantle Media and All3Media would have significant international implications, including the creation of the second-largest distributor in the world.

Excluding the Hollywood studios, only BBC Worldwide would be bigger than the new company, which would have an annual distribution turnover of more than £250m and a library of nearly 27,000 hours.

Fremantle Media International’s turnover of £209.4m for the year to April 2013 would be boosted by All3Media International’s annual revenue of £47m. In comparison, BBC Worldwide had a turnover of £312.3m and sells 50,000 hours.

Fremantle Media International recently announced Red Arrow International chief Jens

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Richter as its new boss, and he is expected to join by the end of the year. All3M International is run by managing director Louise Pedersen.

There are some genre overlaps between the two companies, as well as areas where their operations are more distinct.

All3Media does not produce much children’s content, meaning Fremantle Media’s kids and family entertainment division would be little affected.

Fremantle is stronger than All3Media in entertainment, but the latter would provide a massive boost to its slate of factual entertainment and reality shows, and a significant boost to its Midsomer drama ambitions.

Murders: A merger would also create All3M a significant US production drama

business that would bring together Fremantle’s North American division – run

by Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch creator Thom Beers – with All3Media America, which has been aggressively growing under the leadership of Eli Holzman and Stephen Lambert.

The combined company would also have serious scale in Germany, where it would own two of the country’s largest independent producers.

All3Media-backed MME Moviement produces series including Day & Night, while FreNight mantle’s UFA makes Soko 5113.

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 3

News & Analysis

ITV orders Chocolate Media daytime quiz

BY PeTer WhiTe

An ITV gameshow from Chocolate Media is one of the first projects to come out of NBC Universal’s newly formed central development unit.

The broadcaster has ordered a 10 x 60-minute run of The 21st Question to launch in a daytime slot later this year.

The show, which was commissioned by ITV head of daytime Helen Warner, will be fronted by former Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones.

In the show, one contestant will face 10 challengers through a series of winner-stays-on quiz rounds. Only one player is left standing at the end, with the chance to win a cash prize if they can answer the 21st question.

There is an introductory round prior to the main gameplay that determines which contestant begins the show “in control” of the game, and in what order the challengers appear.

The series is exec produced by Chocolate Media creative director Alan Brown and NBCU International Television Production senior

Gethin Jones: former Blue Peter presenter will host The 21st Question

vice-president of factual and entertainment David Mortimer.

Mortimer told Broadcast he believed Chocolate won the commission because of the development resources NBC Universal was able to put behind the pitch.

“We hired a studio for a number of days and developed a graphics package and booked a primetime host to do a run-through with a

proper lighting rig. It looked much more like the final version of the show. That was possible because we have the resource to do that,” he said.

NBCU will hold the international format rights to the show.

ITV has had major success with daytime gameshows in recent years, notably ITV Studios’ The Chase. ➤ See Interview, page 20.

Hammond exits GroupM for role at Spun Gold TV GroupM Entertainment commercial director Tim Hammond is leaving to join The Alan Titchmarsh Show producer Spun Gold TV. Hammond will become Spun Gold’s first commercial director and will be tasked with strategic thinking and finding new areas of growth.

It marks a reunion with Spun Gold managing director Nick Bullen, who worked with Hammond at ITV Carlton more than a decade ago, and was keen to link up again with his former colleague.

Bullen said: “We’ve had a good couple of years, but what we weren’t looking at was the broader strategy of the business, in terms of hiring people, doing umbrella deals and acquisitions, and expanding into other genres. Tim will bring that.”

Hammond has worked at GME for less than a year, but Bullen said that experience would offer a “unique insight” into the direction in which the industry is moving, in terms of financing production.

Prior to his spell at GME, Hammond spent just short of a year at DCD Media as managing director of UK production. He was also previously managing director of Ant and Dec’s former indie, Gallowgate.

River Cottage joins Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube network BY alex FarBer

Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is to launch a YouTube channel that will join Jamie Oliver’s emerging Food Tube network.

Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new channel, River Cottage Food Tube, will be produced by Keo Films’ digital division from locations that have been used throughout the long-running Channel 4 TV series.

They include a 65-acre ‘production studio’, a working farm and cookery school, the River Cottage Canteens, and a London studio.

The channel, due to launch on 8 January, will run throughout the year and feature a variety of 4 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

This is a significant moment for us as we evolve from a single channel Zoe Collins, Fresh One

Fearnley-Whittingstall: new channel

archive content, new shows and live events focused on alternative meals and sustainable living.

It aims to tap into the River Cottage website’s 1.5 million registered users and 5 million-strong presence across social media.

Head of Keo digital Nick Underhill said the channel was a valuable addition to the show’s brand.

“Audience behaviour is changing,” he said. “The River Cottage audience is passionate, loyal and hungry for more River Cottage content.”

Zoe Collins, director of food for Fresh One Productions, said the launch marked an important mile-

stone in the development of Food Tube as a multichannel network.

“This is a really significant moment for us as we grow and evolve from a single channel to a collection of like-minded, foodpassionate individuals all collaborating together under the Food Tube banner,” she said.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube launched in January 2013 and has gone on to reach almost 650,000 subscribers. It was named Best Original Web Channel at the Broadcast Digital Awards in 2013.

Food Tube forms part of a network of food-related YouTube channels including MyVirginKitchen, The Chiappas and Cupcake Jemma. www.broadcastnow.co.uk

News & Analysis

Salford boss gets DMI role

BY Jake kaNter

Alice Webb, the BBC exec who helped oversee its move to Salford, has been drafted in to pick up the pieces of the £100m Digital Media Initiative (DMI) fiasco.

It has emerged that Webb, the chief operating officer of BBC North, is also acting as the director of the End to End Digital project, which will aim to deliver the digital video archiving and editing technology that DMI could not.

Webb will aim to apply some of the lessons of the BBC’s move to MediaCityUK, where she was responsible for the team that created all aspects of the BBC North operation, including fulfill­ ing its technology requirements.

She is working with End to End Digital project sponsor and BBC director of operations Dominic Coles, who told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday that it will be broken down into more manageable “chunks” to ensure production teams receive the tech­ nology they require.

“We have to digitise our produc­ tion processes,” said Coles. “We’re going to be looking to market to

MediaCityUk: Webb helped oversee the BBC’s successful move to Salford

deliver those cheaper and with more certainty; we’re not going to be delivering it through our own software engineering.”

Although the BBC is not ready to provide details of its plans, the broadcaster could face a bill of many more millions of pounds for purchasing off­the­shelf tech­ nology, with some industry experts pointing to solutions such as Adobe Anywhere.

Webb already has experience in this area, helping to oversee the

purchase of an £800,000 off­the­ shelf digital storage system for BBC Sport in 2011 because of the problems with DMI. Her appointment to the new project is indicative of director­ general Tony Hall’s plan to clearly make named individuals respon­ sible for major projects.

This week’s three­hour PAC evi­ dence session proved to be another grim afternoon for the BBC, with committee chair Margaret Hodge claiming the corporation’s

handling of DMI was “almost beyond parody”. She added: “I hope to goodness this is the last hearing we have on this saga, or anything similar to do with the BBC.” Her scathing conclusion fol­ lowed an apology from former director general Mark Thompson, who accepted some responsibility for the fiasco, which wasted £98.4m of licence fee cash.

Elsewhere, the BBC Trust’s former finance boss Anthony Fry admitted that the governing body failed to hold the BBC to account properly over DMI. He told MPs that “with the benefit of hind­ sight” there is “no question mis­ takes were made by the Trust”.

Fry added: “As chair of the [BBC Trust] finance committee, this end result is hugely embarrassing. The total project, right the way through the BBC, was an embarrassment.”

However, he refused to admit that it was a failure of the BBC’s governance structures because the Trust could only act on the infor­ mation it was given. “I see no evi­ dence that this would have been any better had governance been different,” he said.

Greenbird backs Nell Butler’s fledgling indie I know there won’t be a dull moment.

I can’t wait to get cracking

BY Jake kaNter

Greenbird has invested in an indie being established by Come Dine With Me creator Nell Butler and her former ITV Studios colleague Tim Miller.

The fledgling indie will focus on documentaries and factual formats, and will become part of the Green­ bird production network, which will provide commercial support.

The new indie, Riverdog Pro­ ductions, is Butler’s first project since the end of 2013, when she left ITVS, where she was credited with developing Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me – the production arm’s most successful inter­ national format. Her long career at ITV began in 1990 with a Granada regional news role. www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Tim Miller, Riverdog Productions

Come Dine With Me: Nell Butler is credited with developing the C4 show

Miller also left ITVS in 2013, after eight years. He was the crea­ tive director of its London factual arm until March, overseeing shows including Hell’s Kitchen and Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.

“This is a great time for factual television. Commissioning editors are starting to experiment again and new opportunities are springing up all over the place,” said Butler.

Miller added: “We’ve worked so well together in the past and I know there won’t be a dull moment. I can’t wait to get cracking.”

Riverdog is Greenbird’s fifth investment since it was created in October 2012. It typically takes a 30% stake and its current holdings include Crackit Productions and Karen Smith’s Tuesday’s Child.

Greenbird is run by ex­Shine TV boss Jamie Munro and ex­Argonon finance chief Stuart Mullin.

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 5

News & Analysis in Brief Hancock to leave BBC BBC entertainment commissioner Sean Hancock is to join Fremantle Media North America to help lead its unscripted programming. Hancock will move to LA in late April to become Fremantle Media’s vice-president of alternative programming. He will report into executive vice-president of alternative programming Toby Gorman.

twitter issues guidance on using Vine effectively

BBC adapts Gaiman novel The BBC is developing an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys with Red Production Company.

The broadcaster is turning the fantasy novel, which follows the lives of the two sons of a West African god, into a miniseries with the Studiocanalowned producer. “Red is just going to have to make an absolutely brilliant faithful version of Anansi Boys,” the author wrote on his blog this week.

BBC to open up on costs The BBC has committed to being more transparent about the cost of transmitting its TV, radio and online services after its distribution bill hit £233m last year, up from £190m in 2012. The BBC Trust has published a report by consultant Mediatique, which recommends that the broadcaster benchmarks its distribution costs against rivals and publishes its spend annually.

YouView funding review YouView’s broadcaster shareholders, including the BBC, are considering reducing their investment in the IPTV service.

Negotiations are underway to agree the next stage of funding, which has cost a total of £105m in its first three years. A YouView spokesperson said: “All seven shareholders remain committed to YouView and are confident of finalising the renewed shareholders agreement by the end of March.”

For the latest breaking news www.broadcastnow.co.uk 6 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

Vine: early adopters include Banshee and The Jump, while General Electric has created 6 Second Science series

BY ALEX FARBER

Twitter has compiled best practice guidelines for Vine following a four-fold increase in interest from TV broadcasters and producers.

Head of broadcast partnerships Dan Biddle said the likes of the BBC were keen to learn how to take advantage of the emerging short-form video service.

Bought by Twitter in October 2012, Vine enables users to create six-second, looping videos and share them via Twitter.

Biddle said Vine helps to generate retweets and interaction with followers, and can be used to promote channels, shows and talent.

“It’s creativity within constraints,” he said. “The ability to create stop/ start-style videos has allowed people to discover their inner Aardman. As Twitter created a new brevity of language, Vine brings time to the forefront of video.”

Biddle said broadcasters must consider the context in which consumers watch video, “sometimes via their mobile on a bus”, and warned that four-minute short-form films were not always appropriate.

Entertainment shows including Channel 4’s The Jump and ITV’s The X Factor have been among Vine’s earliest TV adopters, offering behind-the-scenes clips.

A joke can be distilled into six seconds rather than an entire scene Dan Biddle, Twitter

But Biddle said it could be used across a variety of genres. He highlighted how-to videos from US DIY brand Lowe’s, dubbed Fix In Six, which could be a model for use in makeover shows.

TV companies should also consider tapping into the service when they have access to talent, he added. Clips of talent responding to questions sent in via Twitter provide “for a more personal touch” and have also proved popular, he said.

In drama, Cineflix has used the service to support its thriller Banshee by recording short extra scenes from characters both ahead of transmission and for the “hammocks” in between episodes.

Comedy is also a natural fit for Vine, according to Biddle. “A joke can often be distilled into six seconds rather than an entire scene,” he said. “And the loop brings in the comedy of repetition.”

Vine can also be used to stoke interest in factual programming. It

How to Vine n Use a tripod. A steady shot

results in a higher-quality Vine.

n To encourage repeat views, get

your video to loop perfectly. Take a screengrab of your first frame or use the ghost feature to help.

n A lighter brush against the screen

can increase the number of frames to up to 200 (almost 24 per second). A screen protector can help.

n Don’t forget sound. Connect an

external mic for better audio. For a silent Vine, plug in cheap headphones and cut off the earpieces.

n Perfect 360-degree spins. Use a

dry white marker to create a centre point on the phone screen.

can create “curiosity and wonder”, such as 6 Second Science, General Electric’s series of factual videos.

He singled out BBC2 as an active Vine user, led by social media specialist Ben Tattersall Smith, with an experimental approach. As well as creating Vines for shows including Stargazing Live, the channel has created popular Vines around its channel ident.

“We are in the very early stages of the platform,” he said. “My advice is for broadcasters to use it episodically and build up a story and a voice.” www.broadcastnow.co.uk

CREATIVE THE

AGENCY Dunlop Goodrich is a London based creative agency founded

by Bruce Dunlop and Daryl Goodrich.

Bruce, affectionately known as the ‘godfather of promos,’ was the founder of BDA Creative and BSkyB Creative Director from 1992-98.

Daryl is an award-winning sports filmmaker and a master storyteller, whose films for the London 2012 Olympics netted more than 30 awards. Ken Livingstone said they “won us the Games.”

Dunlop Goodrich makes high-end content including branding, graphic design, promos, sizzle reels and commercials for the biggest names in broadcasting.

Since launching in 2013 our clients have included BT Sport, The Olympic Museum, The Premier League, Fremantle and The Clare Balding Show.

Contact our Team: Director of New Business: Natasha Axenova Producer: Kim Allison Creative Director: Dan Merry 020 7148 4777 dunlopgoodrich.com

00008_D&G A4 Ad FINAL.indd 1

23/01/2014 13:26

Expert Women

EXPERT WOMEN

CAMPAIGN TAX BREAK

CAMPAIGN

Time to stop paying lip service As well as boosting female experts, broadcasters must give them time to speak, says Lis Howell

B

BC News At Ten showed real improvement in December, with 2.5 males to every female expert interviewed. In the week beginning 9 December, its big stories were the trial of Lee Rigby’s killers; Nelson Mandela’s memorial and funeral service; the dementia summit; Lloyds Bank being fined; controversy over Syrian refugees; MP pay rises; Nigella Lawson’s aides on trial; and the closure of the first flagship free school. Women experts talked about such gender-neutral issues as pensions, financial conduct and the air ambulance service.

Channel 4 News had a slightly different news agenda, leaning more towards overseas stories in the African Central Republic, North Korea and Ukraine. The show has more studio discussions, so it’s probably easier to cast women guests, but it still trails at 3.3:1. On Monday 9 December, there were 10 male experts but no women.

The stories were the Rigby killers’ trial; the war in the African Central Republic; Mandela; Thailand; the Ukraine; the Glasgow helicopter crash aftermath; student protests; and dementia.

Improving ratio ITV News At Ten, true to policy, had a sprinkling of more humaninterest stories. It covered the death of a baby in Halifax, which did not feature elsewhere; plus Edward and Wallace Simpson’s jewellery collection; Tulisa Contostavlos and drugs; and the news that a woman, Mary Barra, had been appointed chief executive of General Motors. The ratio of male to female experts was just under 3:1 – a huge improvement on the previous average of 5:1.

Sky News was better too, with 3.3 men to every woman, although there were no women experts at all at 10pm on Friday 13 December.

The stories covered were Nigella Lawson’s aides; the North Korean 8 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

BBC News At Ten: ratio of male to female experts improved to 2.5:1 as women were used on gender-neutral issues

On the whole, female experts speak for less time than men execution; the Colorado school shooting; an explosion in Belfast; the Rigby killers’ trial; Prince Harry’s trip to the North Pole; and ‘affluenza’. Again, not even one female authority figure was used on these stories. Sky News on Friday and Channel 4 News on Monday were the only two news programmes that week that did not include any women experts.

The Today programme wasn’t great, sliding backwards to 3.8 males to every female expert, from 2.5:1 in December. Because Today is a morning show, its news agenda is slightly different. Its lead items were internet surveillance and Nobel prize winner Randy Schekman criticising science journals.

On Wednesday 11 December, the 6am-7am hour achieved parity

between male and female experts at 3:3. This included two female business guests and an item on midwifery. Looking closer, however, it was disappointing that the men spoke for eight minutes and the women for less than three.

Two issues arise from the latest figures, both difficult to address.

First, as news items change between programmes, it’s impossible to argue that there are absolute news values. News editors could ensure more female experts by changing, even slightly, their news agenda and dropping stories that only have male guests (did Today need to do that item on breast cancer with an all-male panel back in 2012? How big a story was it?).

Thinking along these lines is enough to get you forcibly evicted from most newsrooms, where huge emphasis is put on getting the ‘best’ or the ‘top’ people and fighting to the death for the superiority of your own programmes’ running order.

Many argue that representing women isn’t nearly as important as getting the top speakers on the

Male/feMale raTio BBC News At Ten 2.5:1 Sky News At Ten 3.3:1 ITV News At Ten 3:1 Today 3.8:1 Channel 4 News 3.3:1 Week beginning 9 December 2013

most important stories of the day, without realising how subjective these top stories often are.

A little easier to discuss is the length of time for which women speak on air. On the whole, women experts speak for less time than men. ITV News’ did have women experts speaking for longer than the men on one day of the week we monitored, but that was only because it included a five-minute interview with Winnie Mandela.

So, broadcast journalists, if you’re booking more women, that’s not really enough – you should let them speak as much as the men. Otherwise, it’s lip service. www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Presented by:

SAVE THE DATE

2-6 JUNe | LoNDoN A truly unique week of ideas, debate and digital innovations.

More than 1,000 people will come together across five days to attend forums, seminars and networking events that will inspire, engage and entertain.

A week of INSPIRATIoN foR A yeAR of INNoVATIoN For sponsorship enquiries contact charlotte.wheeler@mb-insight.com

Commissioning News

C5 back in the dating game It’s witty and entertaining and I hope C5 viewers will love playing along at home

BY Peter White

Channel 5 has ordered its highestprofile dating format since cancelling The Bachelor after its second series last year.

The Northern & Shell-owned broadcaster has commissioned ITV Studios and GroupM Entertainment (GME) to make The Dating Show (w/t), which is known internally at ITV Studios as Stand By Your Man. It is a studio-based format in which a group of men compete to win the affections of the women who make up the studio audience.

During the show, which will have a nightclub feel, the women collectively decide which one of the men is their favourite, then at the end that man gets to choose one woman from the audience to go on a date with.

The series is set to film in Manchester in March and April and a casting call has gone out for single people to apply.

The show was commissioned

by C5 commissioning editor for entertainment, daytime and soaps Greg Barnett. It will be pro-

BBC1 delves into shopping addiction in one-off doc BBC1 is to explore the world of shopping addiction in a one-off documentary produced by Twofour. The broadcaster has commissioned Britain’s Compulsive Shoppers (w/t) on the back of its recent three-part series Britain’s Biggest Hoarders, which recorded an average overnight audience of 3.2 million (14.5%) last year. Fronted

by Jasmine Harman (left in pic) the doc will meet people who suffer from shopping addiction and work with a team of experts to help them overcome it. It was commissioned by head of commissioning for documentaries Emma Willis and BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore.

It will be exec produced by Two10 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

Greg Barnett, Channel 5

the Bachelor: high-profile C5 dating show was cancelled last year

duced by ITV Studios’ creative director Sumi Connock, exec produced by Simon Marsh, GME’s Tony Moulsdale and Melanie Darlaston, and series produced by Barry Hart.

“I’m very excited about this new format,” said Barnett. “It highlights precisely how your opinion of a person can change with every new piece of information you learn about them. It’s witty and enter-

four’s Dan Adamson and Bridget Sneyd, and Tom McDonald for the BBC. The doc is expected to air later this year.

Touch’s Malcolm Brinkworth will exec produce.

Channel 5 calls in Touch for bailiffs documentary

BBC4 has commissioned four new comedies from established talent: Mackenzie Crook (pictured),

The bailiffs and repo workers responsible for reclaiming the nation’s bad debt are to be the subject of a Touch Productions doc series for Channel 5. The 4 x 60-minute Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away! will look into some of the issues that have arisen in the UK as a result of the recession. The show, due to air this spring, will follow some of the most experienced ‘nononsense’ bailiffs in the country as they visit mansions, shops, businesses and flats repossessing cash, cars, houses and even pets.

BBC4 turns to comedy talent for new series

taining and I hope viewers C5 will love playing along at home.”

ITV Studio’s Connock added: “This commission builds on our relationship with GME and Channel 5 and gives a fun visual twist to the search for love. We look forward to seeing which of our contestants will be able to draw a crowd.”

ITV Studios and GME have previously worked together for C5 to make six-part spa-themed entertainment format Celebrity Super Spa, which aired last year.

For details of all commissions, see

http://greenlight.broadcastnow.co.uk

sitcom not filmed in front of a studio audience. BBC4 has also given Jupp a 3 x 60-minute show based on his Radio 4 comedy In And Out Of The Kitchen, which centres on perfectionist food writer Damien Trench. Finally, The Fast Show comic Day’s spoof rock doc The Life Of Rock With Brian Pern is to air later this month.

London Live to explore the capital’s drag scene

Graham Linehan, Miles Jupp and Simon Day. Crook is to make his TV writing and directing debut with Detectorists, a 6 x 30-minute comedy drama produced by Channel X and Lola Entertainment.

Linehan is directing The Walshes, which is a 3 x 30-minute co-pro for the BBC and RTÉ, and his first

Local TV operator London Live has ordered an eight-part series about the capital’s drag scene from multiplatform producer The Connected Set. The 8 x 60-minute Drag Queens Of London was commissioned by Jonathan Boseley.

The ob doc will follow the on- and off-stage lives of a selection of performers from London’s drag scene.

Drag Queens Of London, which is exec produced by Becky Maynard, will air in April, shortly after the channel’s 31 March launch. www.broadcastnow.co.uk

International News

Sky and HBO in co-pro deal UK broadcaster to spend millions on Game Of Thrones-style dramas with US cable network

BY PEtEr WhitE

Sky has entered the next phase of its arrangement with HBO and is set to spend millions on epic Game Of Thrones-rivalling dramas that it will co-produce with the US pay-TV network.

Sky revealed the plans to work with the Time Warner-owned broadcaster on dramas last week, as well as unveiling a five-year extension to its output deal that ensures Sky Atlantic will remain the UK home of first-run HBO series until 2020.

Sky is thought to have been in talks with HBO for nearly two years, with president of programming Michael Lombardo first hinting at co-production talks in July 2012.

The two companies have not unveiled any projects so far, but it is clear that they share a similar outlook: both are subscriberfocused businesses that approach TV with an outsider’s view.

Sky Atlantic and HBO also share a similar ambivalence towards ratings, preferring critically acclaimed shows with a buzz that help build the channel brand and improve perception, particularly among an ABC1 demographic.

Mad Men and Girls, for instance, have received nearly as many magazine articles as they have live viewers, but they attract a highend audience that is less interested in sport and has more options than ever for watching movies.

Sky Atlantic’s live ratings are often low for HBO series, with its latest import, Looking, a comedy drama following a group of gay men in San Francisco, debuting to fewer than 8,000 (0.1%) live viewers on its launch last month.

Sky AtlAntic OptiOnS tHe HBO pipeline Sky Atlantic has the option to take all of HBO’s primetime programming. These are the shows (both commissioned and in development) that are likely to air on the channel.

The Leftovers Apocalyptic drama based on the novel by Tom Perrotta. The Leftovers is written by Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof and looks at the world three years after ‘the Rapture’. Stars Justin Theroux, Christopher Eccleston and Liv Tyler.

Boardwalk Empire: the gangster drama has performed well for Sky Atlantic

We’re looking for a drama with humour, emotion and A-list talent Stuart Murphy, Sky Entertainment

These series perform better on consolidated ratings – Looking’s first episode ended on 68,000 (0.5%), a rise of 950%. They also have long-term value akin to a DVD box-set, particularly as Sky puts greater emphasis on ondemand viewing.

There are exceptions, though.

HBO-produced fantasy drama Game Of Thrones is comfortably Sky Atlantic’s biggest show, regularly recording more than 1 million viewers. The Steve Buscemi period gangster drama Boardwalk Empire has performed consistently and Banshee, a dark crime drama from

SKY ATLAnTic conSoLidATed rATingS for HBo SHoWS Title

Date

Viewers

Share (%)

Game Of Thrones Boardwalk Empire

18 Apr 11 26 Feb 11

1,500,000 777,000

5.5 3.1

Banshee

13 May 11

637,000

3.9

Luck

18 Feb 12

462,000

1.9

Hello Ladies

18 Feb 12

355,000

1.7

Source: BARB/Attentional

12 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

HBO sister channel Cinemax, has also rated well.

True Detective, the forthcoming Southern cop drama starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, is also expected to do solid numbers when it launches later this month.

Sky Entertainment boss Stuart Murphy has often stated his desire to commission drama of scale and ambition, and the extended HBO arrangement will give him that opportunity.

“We are now actively looking for a drama with humour and emotion, big budgets, huge sets and A-list talent,” he said at the end of last year. “This will be our Game Of Thrones, our Band Of Brothers.”

Sky teamed up with HBO’s sister network Cinemax to co-produce Left Bank Pictures’ action drama Strike Back. Sky Living’s forthcoming comedy Doll & Em, starring Emily Mortimer, has also been acquired by HBO. Mortimer, star of HBO’s Aaron Sorkin-penned The Newsroom, told Broadcast that while her involvement in the cable news drama may have meant that HBO felt obligated to read the script, the broadcaster wouldn’t have come on board if it hadn’t been of the same quality as its other shows.

Silicon Valley High-tech dark comedy set in Silicon Valley and created by Beavis And Butthead and King Of The Hill creator Mike Judge.

It stars Thomas Middleditch (The Campaign) and TJ Miller (She’s Out Of My League) as a pair of hackers.

Ballers Drama following the lives of pro and retired athletes. Produced and starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and exec produced by Mark Wahlberg.

Togetherness A relationship comedy drama starring Amanda Peet that was created by The League’s Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass.

Higher Dance music comedy in development, written by Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh and executive produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z. Loosely based on the life of UK DJ Calvin Harris.

The Money Edgy drama written by Deadwood and Luck creator David Milch that focuses on wealth and corruption in an influential New York family.

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

For all the latest breaking news, updated daily, visit www.broadcastnow.co.uk

cOMMent

British indies must up their US ambitions Producers need to go ‘bigger and better’ than their Realscreen offerings, says Peter White

T

he 300-strong contingent of British producers in Washington, DC, for the Realscreen Summit braved Arctic conditions and a lack of teabags to get their factual projects and formats in front of US commissioners last week.

Many have already had the first signs of interest from the cable channels they met at The Washington Hilton, the hotel where Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr in 1981 (in an attempt to impress Jodie Foster).

Now it’s time to turn this interest into genuine success. Rather than a few pilot orders, one-off commissions, or series on channels that no one watches outside of Idaho or Alabama, it’s time for UK indies to deliver the next Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? or Dancing With The Stars.

The unscripted business in the US is in a “creative crisis”, according to Lifetime boss Rob Sharenow, highlighted by the conveyor belt of formats about storage units and container cubes, as well as the desperate search

nat Geo signs up UktV magic acts in passion deal Nat Geo has snapped up the rights to UKTV series Dynamo: Magician Impossible and The Happenings for the US after agreeing a deal with Passion Distribution. The US factual broadcaster has picked up the magic-themed entertainment series to air alongside its pop science format Brain Games. It will launch the shows, which aired on UKTV’s pay-TV channel Watch, later this year. The deal was struck by David Lyle, chief executive of National Geographic Channels in the US, and Passion chief executive Sally Miles.

Sky Arts lands Danish drama the legacy Sky Arts has snapped up The Legacy (Arvingerne), the latest www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Wife Swap: indies need to replicate success

for yet more hicks from the swamps and bayous of Louisiana. That route feels so welltrodden that it’s only a matter of time before a branch of Soho House opens in Baton Rouge.

To distinguish themselves from the hordes of US producers flogging their taster tapes of colourful characters, British indies need to step up and rediscover truly ambitious ideas.

Where’s the next generation of formats that can replicate the success of Survivor or Wife Swap, or the Idol franchise, in the US? British producers need to show the major US

drama from the makers of The Killing and Borgen. The deal was struck between Sky and distributor Arrow Films, which acquired the UK rights to the DR Fiktionproduced, Danish-language series in February 2013. The Legacy is a 10 x 60-minute series that looks back at the upbringing of four adults following the death of their mother, progressive artist Veronika Grønnegaard. It is the latest high-profile Scandinavia drama to reach the UK after the Danish public broadcaster’s previous series, The Killing and Borgen, aired on BBC4. The Legacy, which will be broadcast with English subtitles, will air in autumn 2014 after it was picked up by Sky acquisition manager Sophie Judge. “We’re extremely excited to bring this brilliant and gripping Danish

networks that they have much more to offer than the ‘adorable’ way they pronounce the word kettle, or their resemblance to the aristocrats from Downton Abbey.

Million Second Quiz was an ambitious attempt, but was too complicated to connect with a common audience, even with Ryan Seacrest (the American Ant & Dec) attached.

Arrow Media’s plan to film live from space for Nat Geo and Channel 4 shows the right attitude, but I’m not sure shows like Sexbox and The Jump will cut it; the former is a niche-butnoisy column filler for the likes of MTV or E!, while the latter seems too similar to Skating With Celebrities, which aired on Fox in 2006.

Many of the shows being pitched at the market – both by small indies in the Pact delegation and larger players such as ITV Studios and Shine – were perfectly good projects. But few felt like they had the potential to wow tens of millions of viewers, or had the scale to be produced all around the world.

When UK producers head back to the US, whether it’s New York, Washington or LA, they should take their very biggest and best ideas – as well as some PG Tips.

drama to the UK exclusively for the first time,” said Sky Arts director James Hunt.

tinopolis boosts indie roster with Magical elves Tinopolis has beaten off competition from rivals including ITV to acquire Magical Elves, the US producer of food format Top Chef. The deal adds a third indie to Tinopolis’ roster of US companies following the group’s purchase of A Smith & Co and Base Productions in 2011.

Tinopolis did not disclose the financials of the deal, which was overseen by About Corporate Finance. In addition to Top Chef, which airs on Bravo in the US, Magical Elves produces Fashion Star and The Real

L Word. It will sit alongside UKbased Tinopolis-owned businesses that include Pioneer Productions, Mentorn Media, Firecracker Films and Passion Distribution.

tax break brings in £150m The high-end drama tax breaks have helped attract £150m of foreign investment into the UK industry, according to the latest figures from the British Film Institute. A total of £233m was invested by both British and overseas companies in drama productions in the first nine months of 2013, following the launch of the government’s tax relief scheme. CBS’s Elementary and HBO’s Game Of Thrones (pictured) and Veep were among the 31 qualifying shows, with the £150m foreign investment accounting for 64% of the total spend.

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 13

Multiplatform News IN BRIEF Vice bolsters production Multiplatform content producer Vice has appointed Max Gogarty and Lina Prestwood to bolster its growing production team.

The former developed Fried Chicken Shop, while the latter was previously a C4 docs commissioning editor. Both will report to Vice head of video Al Brown and will help to develop its factual programming slate.

ChannelFlip founders exit MCN for ‘new challenge’ GROWTH OF AN MCN

2012 ■ 5 million subscribers ■ 30 million monthly video views ■ 500 million views

Payne heads to Sky Former Broadcast Hot Shot Rich Payne (left) has been hired by Sky as a senior digital producer to work across factual and entertainment content, including Got To Dance and The South Bank Show. Payne joins from Maverick Television, where he had worked as a multiplatform producer since 2007 on shows including Live From The Clinic.

Ad duo for Somethin’ Else Production company Somethin’ Else has handed equity stakes to two advertising agency execs as it increases its focus on branded content. Ben Kerr and Mark Rivers, the lead creative and strategic team from Omnicom’s Drum, have joined the producer.

Chief exec Jez Nelson said: “We will be giving advertisers the opportunity to work with more than 50 multiplatform producers whose work is engaged with and loved by more than 7 million people each week.”

C4 signs up 10m viewers Channel 4 has signed up 10 million people to its online viewer database, including half of the UK’s 16 to 24 year-olds, as it prepares to use the data to inform its commissioning process. “We’ve been able to use the scale of the database to have a new and more direct relationship with our viewers, and to offer our advertisers new and innovative ways of better targeting the audiences they want to reach,” said chief executive David Abraham.

For the latest breaking news www.broadcastnow.co.uk 14 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

2014 ■ 21 million subscribers ■ 90 million monthly video views ■ 2.1 billion views

ChannelFlip: short-form comedy content has proved successful for the MCN

BY ALEX FARBER

ChannelFlip founders Justin Gayner and Wil Harris are leaving the multichannel network (MCN) two years after selling it to Shine Group.

The pair, who are creative director and managing director respectively, will leave the business in the spring. They established ChannelFlip in 2007 and it has gone on to generate more than 2.1 billion video views across 200 YouTube channels.

Claire Tavernier, the former head of Fremantle Media’s digital division FMX, will take over as interim managing director. She is currently consulting for Shine.

It is time to let the new generation take ChannelFlip through its next chapter Justin Gayner

ChannelFlip content director Jamie Lennox, who has been with the firm since 2008, will step up to become creative director, while sales director Matt Rook assumes the newly created commercial director position.

Gayner and Harris have not disclosed what their next move will be but said they were exiting to “scratch our entrepreneurial itch”.

CHANNELFLIP CREATIVE HIGHLIGHTS ■ YouTube Comedy Week

Exec produced by Gayner, ChannelFlip oversaw the seven-day event, which ran in May 2013 and featured heavily promoted performances from guests including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Silverman.

■ The Ricky Gervais Channel

Relaunched in March, the comedian’s channel is the MCN’s most popular,

with almost 360,000 subscribers. The most popular video, spoof reggae number Equality Street, has been viewed nearly 4 million times.

■ David Mitchell’s Soapbox

The series of short monologues from the Peep Show star about the unique challenges facing men in today’s world launched in 2009 and has climbed to more than 150,000 subscribers.

Shine acquired the business in January 2012 after it had produced a variety of sponsored channels on YouTube, fronted by celebrities including Harry Hill, David Mitchell and Richard Hammond.

Following the acquisition, ChannelFlip went on to secure funding from YouTube to produce two original channels: the Multiverse was dedicated to scripted ‘geek entertainment’; while HuHa hosted adult animation. The company also worked with emerging YouTube talent including Dan Howell and Alex Day.

Moving on Along with the editorial content it has produced, ChannelFlip has developed brand campaigns for advertisers including Dell, Kellogg’s and Panasonic.

A third strand of the company involves managing the online rights for programmes including Rastamouse.

Gayner said the time was right to move on: “Having taken ChannelFlip from zero to more than 2 billion video views, and established the company within Shine over the past two years, we have decided it is time to let the new generation take it through its next chapter.”

Shine Group chief operating officer Tim Robinson said: “They leave a thriving company, proven in linking talent and brands with global audiences via engaging digital content.” www.broadcastnow.co.uk

In association with:

THE UK’S BIGGEST REGIONAL EVENT FOR AUDIO & VIDEO PROFESSIONALS Paul Austin Head of postproduction and content, Dock10

Taig McNab Technical manager, ITV Studios

Speakers

More speakers to be announced

Glasgow Science Centre Pamela Nelson Simon Cull Jonathan Warne Gillian Pauling Kahl Henderson

Head of production and facilities, Matchlight Managing director, Serious Facilities Director of production, IWC Media Production executive, Objective Scotland Managing director, Savalas

Waterloo Road Production Case Study featuring Alan McSheehy DoP Margaret Scott Production executive, Shed Media Martin Coyle Post-production supervisor, Shed Media

Manchester Open Centre, Media City Dave Cadle Managing director, Envy Post

Carol McKenzie Paul Austin Leo Casserly Taig McNab

Coronation Street Production Case Study Andie Clare Karen Meehan Lisa Walters Gabriel Wetz

Director Head of Head of Head of

Dyfrig Davies

Dave Cadle Joe McLusky Mady Allen

20 March

Managing director, Gorilla Post Production and Facilities Director of operations, Telesgop

London Wimbledon Studios John Rogerson David Klafkowski

18 March

of production, Icon Films production, Off the Fence production, Humble Bee Films post-production, Evolutions

Cardiff Millennium Stadium Richard Moss

David Klafkowski Managing director and technical director, The Farm

13 March

Head of production and facilities, True North Head of post-production and content, Dock10 Managing director, Flix Facilities Technical manager, ITV Studios

Bristol Ashton Gate Stadium John Rogerson CEO, Halo Post

11 March

CEO, Halo Post Managing director and technical director, The Farm Managing director, Envy Post Head of production, Lime Pictures Head of production, Keo Films

Sponsors:

®

25 March

Technology & Facilities CrEATiVE rEViEW

Mr Selfridge

The MidnighT BeaST

houSe of foolS

Post Encore Client ITV Studios Brief Complete picture post for the second series of the drama about the iconic Oxford Street store.

How it was done Colourist Paul Staples used Nucoda Film Master to grade the 10 x 60-minute series, pushing the colour and richness to show a sumptuous store interior. The shop floor was given a light look, mixing practical and daylight sources to hint at the spectacular experience the shoppers would have enjoyed. Editors Nick Timms and Simon Brook completed the online. As with most period dramas, the majority of their time was spent removing modern buildings, fittings and the odd member of crew from shots. An array of tools, including After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha and Avid DS, were used to complete all the tasks in the series.

Watch it Sundays, 9pm, on ITV

Post Splice TV Client Warp Films Brief Provide picture and audio post services for the returning comedy show.

How it was done Chris Rodgers used Baselight to grade DoP Ben Wheeler’s Alexa Log C photography. The series was generally given a rich and colourful feel, using shapes to add depth and isolate faces. The promos were each given a unique visual style – for example, a print-emulation LUT was used to create a vibrant 1950s musical look, and a series of filters were created for a multi-layered green-screen video about Instagram. The audio mix was completed by Nag Kirinde using Pro Tools 11. Tris Lancey onlined using Avid DS in 4:4:4 Avid DnX365 resolution. A variety of plug-ins were used as many episodes featured green screen and required compositing and VFX work.

Watch it Thursdays, 10pm, E4

Post Suite Client Pett Productions and BBC Brief Picture and audio post of the Vic and Bob sitcom.

How it was done While many sitcoms require special effects to sit invisibly in the source material, House Of Fools required more of an overt, anarchic approach.

This gave compositor and animator Adam Graves the opportunity to use After Effects, Photoshop and Mocha to create a variety of dramatic and unusual special effects. Colourist Joe Stabb used Nucoda Film Master to keep the focus on the action, for example using tracking shapes to lift Matt Berry’s character, who was almost always dressed in black, from dark areas. The sitcom was filmed in front of an audience and most of the sound in the final mix was captured live. Dubbing mixer Matt Baird preserved that energy, only ironing out loose sync such as punches. He used Pro Tools 10.

Watch it Tuesdays, 10pm, BBC2

You can view clips at broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/creative-review To include your work email george.bevir @broadcastnow.co.uk

Prime Focus hires Envy’s Waller as senior colourist Prime Focus has appointed Tim Waller to the role of senior colourist. Waller (pictured) joins the company from Envy, where he worked for just over a year.

Prior to his time at Envy, he worked at Molinare for seven years.

Waller is replacing Tom Russell, who has joined Preditors.

Waller’s credits include The Route Masters: Running London’s Roads, Silent Witness and Silk.

The Works appoints Dawson as head of 3D Leeds-based design agency The Works has recruited a head of 3D. Andy Dawson, who specialises in character creation, motion 16 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

graphics and VFX, joins the company from design and animation company Fall off the Wall.

Dawson will help The Works grow its presence in the broadcast sector alongside motion director James Brunger and former Sumners general manager Paul Peppiate, who joined the agency last year in a business development role.

The Works’ credits include titles, graphics and VFX for True North’s Bloody Tales Of Europe.

Vine FX wins visual effects contract for BBC’s Atlantis Vine FX has won the contract to provide exclusive VFX for the second series of BBC drama Atlantis. VFX supervisor Michael Illingworth said: “We are over the moon

to be the sole visual effects studio on the second series. We built up a great relationship with creators Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy during the first series and are looking forward to working with them again.”

AJA’s capture playback device goes on the market AJA is now shipping its Io 4K capture and playback device.

Io 4K (above right) connects to any Thunderbolt 2-enabled device, such as the new Apple Mac Pro, and offers 4K/UHD and 2K/HD/SD video and audio capture and playback. AJA Video Systems president Nick Rashby said: “[Io 4K] is the first product to market that showcases AJA’s new product design aesthetic while still embracing our commitment

to performance, reliability and support.” Io 4K costs $1,995 (£1,220).

Quantum boosts StorNext with additional appliances Quantum has expanded its StorNext platform with the addition of two metadata appliances. Quantum said StorNext M445 SSD offers a seven-fold boost in metadata operations, while a second app, StorNext M660XL, provides support for up to 5 billion files and is compatible with Apple Xsan.

Quantum vice-president for media and entertainment Alex Grossman said: “The StorNext 5 appliances truly unleash the potential of StorNext 5 for broadcasters and post-production professionals, and www.broadcastnow.co.uk

For the latest technology and facilities news, updated daily, visit www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils

Bait Studio expands into animation and interactive BY george Bevir

Cardiff-based VFX firm Bait Studio has launched two new divisions, including an animation unit that is working on projects rescued from animation studio Dinamo Productions.

Bait started working on Boj for CBeebies, S4C and RTÉ, and Wildernuts, also for RTÉ, after they were abandoned by South Walesbased Dinamo when it went into administration in July last year.

Bait Studio managing director Jon Rennie said it was always the company’s intention to expand into animation and that picking up the two projects provided the impetus to create Cloth Cat Animation.

Bait has also launched Thud Media, an interactive and publishing arm that is working on apps for Boj, and Llan-ar-goll-en, another S4C show being animated

by Cloth Cat. Rennie said: “Animation is a natural progression from our work in VFX and motion graphics, and we already have many talented

are ready to meet their toughest workflow challenges.”

BVE lines up Discovery and C4 executives for seminars Discovery Communications chief operating officer John Honeycutt and Channel 4 chief information officer Kevin Gallagher are among the seminar speakers at BVE’s Connected Theatre. Themes to be discussed by broadcasters and content owners include capitalising on the value of content and delivering an immersive viewer experience. BVE takes place on 25-27 February at London’s Excel conference centre.

London & Partners sets up Thames-side HD studio London & Partners has opened an HD studio on the banks of the River Thames (above right). Tower Bridge TV Studios is being touted as “an ideal location for broadcast, www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Boj: Bait is working on the CBeebies show after rescuing it from Dinamo

character animators in house who work on our commercial projects.

“We take great pride in offering high-quality 2D and CG animation, and have a highly developed infrastructure for delivering to broadcast. Most animation projects now require an interactive element, so it has been a natural fit to also expand into that area.”

As part of the expansion, Bait has taken on 14 staff to work on

the animation projects. Among those joining are former Dinamo director of animation and interactive Ben Cawthorne, head of animation development Adam Bailey and head of interactive development Shane Skuse.

Cardiff post firm Gorilla, a Boom Pictures company, launched Bait Studio in 2011 to tap into local demand for high-end visual effects work.

corporate or commercial productions in need of a London-centric backdrop”. The 400 sq ft facility has been equipped with HD multicamera capability, a fully saturated lighting grid, a production gallery

will serve as an extension of the company’s Burbank operations and act as a hub for business development, project management and technology innovation across Europe and the Middle East. European managing director Mike Ward and producer David Peacock will oversee projects in the region.

Reality Check Systems’ clients include CBS Sports, ESPN and Sky Germany.

Audinate adopts AES67 for Dante media networking control room and a chroma key blue-screen wall. Equipment at the facility is supplied by Trickbox TV.

reality Check Systems opens West London hub US-based graphics and broadcast production tools provider Reality Check Systems is opening its first satellite office, in West London. It

Audinate will incorporate the Audio Engineering Society’s AES67 standard for audioover-IP interoperability in its Dante media networking solution. Audinate chief technology officer Aidan Williams said: “AES67 will provide another option for interoperable layer-3 and IP-based audio networks in the future.”

JVC set to unveil its first 50Mbps camcorders at BVE JVC has launched its first camcorders capable of shooting at a broadcaster-friendly data rate of 50Mbps.

The GY-HM850 and GY-HM890 shoulder-mount camcorders contain three 1/3-inch, 12-bit CMOS sensors that capture a full 1920 x 1080 image.

JVC Professional Products European product manager Gustav Emrich described the cameras as “the most feature-rich pro HD products we’ve ever produced”.

He said: “You can go live to a studio or the web via a GSM modem that you plug directly into the camera, or using a mobile hotspot that you keep in your pocket.

“We believe the future is with live video streaming and FTP service fully integrated into the camera.”

The cameras, which will launch at BVE, allow for simultaneous recording of an HD file on one memory card and ‘web friendly’ H.264 files on another. They are also capable of on-location FTP file transfer and live monitoring, and camera and lens control, over wi-fi on a variety of devices.

Editshare launches latest Lightworks software Editshare has released version 11.5 of editing software Lightworks. A new pricing structure, which includes monthly and annual subscriptions, has been introduced and the release includes updates to the user interface, a right-click menu populated with pre-sets, and greater control of playback. AJA hardware support also allows Lightworks to recognise AJA Io XT or Kona cards on Windows and Mac OS X.

Endor turns to The Sharp Project for BBC drama Endor Productions will use The Sharp Project as its base for the production of upcoming BBC musical drama Tubby And Enid.

Filming will take place at the Sharp Project, at Dock10 at MediaCityUK and on location in Manchester and Liverpool.

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 17

Comment

The advantage of our size is that we can put significant resource behind development NBCU’s David Mortimer, Interview, page 20

101 Finsbury Pavement, London EC2A 1RS Editor Lisa Campbell 020 3033 2813 Deputy Editor & News Editor Chris Curtis 020 3033 2718 Features Editor Robin Parker 020 3033 4202 Web Editor Alex Farber 020 3033 4204 Senior Reporter Jake Kanter 020 3033 4205 Senior Reporter Andreas Wiseman 020 3638 5066 Senior Reporter, International Peter White 020 3033 4271 Technology and Facilities Editor George Bevir 020 3033 4207 Production Editor Dominic Needham 020 3033 4201 Group Art Director, MBI Peter Gingell 020 3033 4203 Head of Production and Art, MBI Mark Mowbray 020 3033 2817 Contributors Kate Bulkley, Stephen Price Group Commercial Director, MBI Alison Pitchford 020 3033 2949 Conference Director, MBI Charlotte Wheeler 07702 381809 Events Manager, MBI Mai Le 020 3033 2950 Deputy Sales Manager Sonya Jacobs 020 3638 5057 Business Development Director Patricia Arescy 020 3638 5063 Recruitment & Classified Manager Jonathan Thornley 020 3638 5065 Sales Administrator Justyna Zieba 020 3033 2694 Marketing Executive Sheryl Rood 020 3033 2872 Production Manager, MBI Jon Cooke 020 3033 4296 Chief Executive, MBI Conor Dignam 020 3033 2717 Advertising Fax 020 3033 2604 Subscription Enquiries 01604 828706 Customer Services Email help@subscribe.broadcastnow.co.uk 0203 033 2620 The formula to email individual members of staff is: firstname.surname@broadcastnow.co.uk The formula to email individual members of staff with MBI after their job title: firstname.surname@mb-insight.com

To subscribe to Broadcast simply follow one of these steps VISIT www.subscription.co.uk/ broadcast/bmla Or Call 01604 828705 (UK) or +44 (0)1604 828705 (international) and quote BMLA Broadcast is part of Media Business Insight Ltd (MBI), publisher of Screen International & shots www.mb-insight.com

18 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

The BBC has a PR problem Communication must improve to ensure survival, says Richard Peel

W

ill the public, now faced with a plethora of choice, and the government want to retain the licence fee when it seems like an anachronism to the BBC’s critics? The odds against its survival are stacking up, encouraged by the self­mutilation of BBC executives.

In 2013, the corporation was rocked by scandal after scandal, and in many cases looked complacent, some­ times arrogant and always disorganised. None of these traits will find favour with those set on dismantling the BBC – and it can ill afford to lose its few friends with self­ interested media opponents circling, charter renewal approaching and a general election on the horizon.

The BBC needs a strong narrative that draws on its incomparable history, its range and depth of program­ ming, its creative and journalistic skills, its cultural significance, value for money, and its relationship with viewers and listeners. Its rebuttals need to be confident, swift and evidence­based, and apologies forthcoming when mistakes are made.

Before Tony Hall, there was little sense of a long­term strategy; even now, the vision is not comprehensive.

The BBC’s record of reacting quickly to news stories was hardly exemplary. Greg Dyke was not across Andrew Gilligan’s Today programme report until after the event.

George Entwistle (pictured) was unaware of the Newsnight scandal, and chairman Chris Patten claimed not to have been told about executive pay­offs. This is hardly a sign of joined­up management or governance. PR advisers were being ignored, were not persistent, did not have enough authority, or were simply inept.

PRs have to anticipate what former BBC director of news Ron Neil called “flying omelettes” – stories that will embarrass and humiliate their organisation. For

the BBC, the risk register should be massive. Each of those risks can impact on the organisation’s repu­ tation. A director of communications or corporate affairs manages the fall­out from crises and should have a position on the board. The BBC abandoned this policy more than a decade ago; at one point, there was no communications or corporate affairs representa­ tion even in the management tier below the board.

This person also needs a special relationship with the director general, with mutual honesty and respect, and no secrets. They’re not there necessarily to air views on policy but to make plain the consequences of actions, speeches and initiatives so the outcomes can be managed sensi­ tively and positively.

For select committee appearances and media interviews, the man­ agement need to be briefed and put through a rigorous grilling to make sure they are equipped to respond to difficult questions and can get their message across.

The BBC needs to be transparent, confident but not arrogant, clear on its goals and to listen more assidu­ ously to licence fee payers. It cannot afford any more major crises in the run­up to 2016. It must justify its existence with a convincing argument explaining why we can’t live without it. Unless it can recapture the public’s imagination and rebuild its image, at the very least, it will be wounded and weakened. ➤ Richard Peel was head of BBC News public relations from 1987 to 1998. This is an edited extract from Is The BBC In Crisis?, edited by John Mair, Richard Tait and Richard Lance Keeble, published on 1 March. Broadcast readers can get a discounted copy from richard@arimapublishing.co.uk

‘The BBC must justify its existence with a convincing argument’

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Post your comments online at www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Comment

Broadcast, 101 Finsbury Pavement, London, EC2A 1RS or email bcletters@emap.com

In My VIeW

We must serve the viewer TV needs to make the case when and how they want for premium content Changing viewing habits are a challenge, but the BBC is rising to it, says Diane Coyle

T

ablets outpaced computers for the first time after Christmas as the device of choice for people to catch up with their favourite programmes on the BBC iPlayer. The affordability and portability of these devices is only likely to increase.

So as our consumption of media changes, how well equipped is the BBC to deliver its content and services to audiences as they choose to access them in the future?

The BBC Trust this week published its latest Value for Money study on the corporation’s distribution arrangements. Mediatique, which conducted the review, found that the BBC’s current distribution arrangements meet the aims of universality and convenience, and said the BBC’s spend on distribution compares favourably with spending by other broadcasters.

So far, so good.

The report also looked at how the BBC should deliver its content in the future. Mediatique forecasts that TV’s non-linear share will double from its current 12% to almost 25% of all viewing by 2017.

BBC iPlayer is also set to represent a much larger share of non-linear viewing as people choose to view on demand rather than record programmes on their PVR. Linear viewing isn’t going to diminish quickly, though, and is expected to remain integral in the future – especially for live events. Only around 2% of people solely use catch-up to watch the BBC’s output.

As audience habits shift, the BBC will face a challenge to maintain its record for efficiency and good value in distribution. We shouldn’t forget that the BBC was a pioneer of catch-up TV and is well placed to continue innovating. Since the iPlayer’s launch in 2007, the BBC has regularly adapted its technology to the changing viewing and listening habits of audiences. www.broadcastnow.co.uk

In 2007, the Trust approved a syndication policy, subsequently updated in 2012, allowing the BBC to work with commercial partners to give audiences easy access to BBC content through apps on mobile phones and tablets, or on catch-up TV platforms provided by other broadcasters and providers.

In October 2013, BBC director general Tony Hall announced his ambition for a new generation of iPlayer and greater personalisation of on-demand services, with iPlayer

‘Non-linear share will double from 12% to almost 25% of all TV viewing by 2017’ having its own online channels.

Viewers would become schedulers, planning their own viewing. iPlayer would become much more than just a catch-up platform. These plans are still subject to Trust approval, but we are encouraged that the BBC is continuing to evolve its thinking.

Rising demand for non-linear viewing pushes up costs. The Mediatique report suggests that even with inflation and the expected rise in demand for online services, the BBC will still be spending less than 10% of licence fee income on distribution up to 2017.

To ensure that the BBC continues to meet its distribution obligations, we will be working with BBC Distribution to work out how to monitor its performance in the future, to ensure it remains effective and good value as technology changes. Later this year, we’ll be publishing a framework document for distribution that will set out future objectives.

The record so far is encouraging, but the BBC must continue to provide audiences with the content they love, how they want it. That’s quite a challenge. ➤ Diane Coyle is vice-chair of the BBC Trust

What does ITV Encore launch say about what viewers will pay for? asks Stella Medlicott

T

he ‘free’ mindset has permeated every element of modern society.

Great for the consumer, but a fundamental problem for the long-term viability of any industry associated with it, and charged with delivering services and products to the public.

Last week, ITV announced its first major return to the pay-TV market since 2002 with the launch of ITV Encore on Sky. The new channel, ITV’s first in eight years, is slated to launch this summer and will be home to some of the broadcaster’s top drama series and original commissions, to complement its existing portfolio. ITV aims to reduce its reliance on free-to-air TV advertising as it looks to grow further revenue from non-advertising sources such as content.

It’s no longer a debate that huge advances in technology have fundamentally altered how content is delivered and consumed by the public. Content delivery speeds are faster than ever and picture and streaming quality is better too.

How content is managed and distributed is also changing rapidly, with huge archives of material available at the touch of a button; catch-up services bringing disruption to the rule of linear programming; and on-demand services sating even the most demanding appetite. Add in new commissioning models, such as Netflix, and you have the beginnings of a change in the ruling classes of content development.

The public has never had it so good: a rich variety of programming available right here, right now, and in HD. However, none of this has been developed for free. The key players in the media and content industries have spent hundreds of millions of pounds bringing such dynamic, fluid and successful

services to market. Unlike the cable/ pay-TV industry, though, many of these services haven’t launched with a premium price tag. The consumer has come to expect high-quality content and services at a low cost, or even for free. This juxtaposition surely can’t last.

When the internet was in its infancy, its role was, more or less, to simply deliver small html web pages, and the copper-based infrastructure it was built on was able to service this need. Internet

‘We need to shift consumers’ perception of what is free and what is premium’ service providers (ISPs) could afford to undercut each other and bring about a low-cost, price-based delivery model. However, as demands for richer, bigger forms of content emerged, these models became unmanageable. It’s simply not possible to stream, say, hundreds of thousands of episodes of Desperate Housewives for the small fee the end user pays the ISP. Yet the consumer has enjoyed years of price wars and attaches little or no value to internet content delivery.

The challenge now lies in making these services accessible while recouping some of the millions invested in making them a reality. We need to shift consumer perception of what is available under the banner of ‘free’, and what should be categorised as ‘premium’, and thus worthy of paying extra.

ITV has made its move. But the whole industry must pull in the same direction and shift perception if the problems the ISPs face in making themselves profitable are not to be replicated across the broadcast industry. We need to start looking at moving this value perception now before it’s too late. ➤ Stella Medlicott is chief marketing officer of Red Bee Media 7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 19

The Broadcast Interview DAVID MORTIMER NBC UNIVERSAL

Hunt for the next big thing NBCU’s senior vice-president of factual and entertainment talks to Peter White about his new development unit and searching for the Downton Abbey of unscripted formats

“T

Mortimer thinks it is becoming harder here hasn’t been a big hit owned Carnival Films. Now it hopes for commissioners to take these risks. television format in the past to replicate that success in the Now, he says, it is time for the larger few years,” says David Morunscripted world. groups to put their money where their timer, senior vice-president of factual Mortimer’s plan is twofold: one May 2013-present Senior and entertainment at NBC Universal part of the unit will concentrate on vice-president, factual and mouth is and share development costs. “Anything we as a big producInternational Television Production. shiny-floor formats and quiz shows. entertainment, NBC tion entity can do to help with some “Those ideas are few and far between “We want to be the home of the next Universal International of the heavy lifting will put us in a and they only come along every three, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? or Television Production good place. The advantage of our four or five years.”

The Voice,” he says.

2006-2013 Managing size is that we can put significant The Hollywood studio, however, The other part will be focused director, Fever Media has tasked Mortimer with finding the on factual entertainment formats.

2003-2006 Creative head, resource behind development that next non-scripted phenomenon, and “We also want to be the home of the factual entertainment, BBC A.N. Other can’t.” has given the Fever Media founder next Dragons’ Den or The Apprentice,” 2001-2003 Deputy “significant” resources to do so. He is, he admits.

Investing in ideas controller and head of in turn, putting together a central However, the new team will not “If you really believe in an idea, you development, general development unit – one that will be a production entity in its own should be willing to put resources factual, BBC employ a slew of experienced industry right. It will be a purely research and behind it,” says Mortimer. “If you 2000-2001 Deputy executives and fresh young faces development resource that will sit come up with shows that have intercontroller and head (see box, below) to help him. alongside NBCU’s existing nonnational value, the financial model of development, NBC Universal is hoping that this scripted production companies, such for that show shouldn’t just be about documentaries and new division will discover the next as Made In Chelsea producer Monkey how much ITV or BBC or Channel 4 investigations, BBC The Voice, which has considerably Kingdom; Baggage indie Chocolate will pay, but about the value of that 1994-2006 Series helped its US network sibling but is Media, set up by former Apprentice IP going forward.” producer/executive ultimately owned by John de Mol’s producer Alan Brown; Canadian Of course, this is not some altruistic producer, Michael Moore Talpa Media; or Dragons’ Den, shepoperation Lark; and Australian outfit endeavour. Mortimer knows that and Louis Theroux herded through the BBC – it was then Matchbox Pictures. international broadcasters are conknown as Tigers Of Money – by MorThe UK has always been accomstantly looking at the formats that timer in his former role as creative modating to risky format ideas, but are on air in the UK, and this will help chief of BBC factual entertainment.

“If anyone has the resource and wherewithal to take development seriDEVELOPING TALENT ously, it’s NBC Universal,” says Mortimer, who was on series includNBC Universal’s central develophired by NBCU Intering ITV’s 71 ment unit will be staffed with national Television Degrees North, between 12 and 14 executives, Production president will lead the making it one of the largest Michael Edelstein factual entertainstandalone development nine months ago. ment team. teams in the independent “I’m surprised by the size He will be production world. of the business: the fact joined by another, The company has that three years ago, already brought in three as yet unconL-R: Daniel Nettleton, Matt Tiffin, Jack Burgess it was making 12 firmed, executive senior development hours of television on the fact executives to and is now making “What these guys have in coment side. spearhead more than 150 and mon is they have all worked on Meanwhile, on the shiny-floor the division has a turnover big shows that require day-to-day side, NBC has taken across two as it aims of $250m.” development and have needed to development execs currently at to create The company’s Chocolate Media: Matt Tiffin, who reinvent shows on a nightly basis. the next genergrowth can largely We want to tap into that kind of was head of entertainment and ation of interbe attributed to expertise,”says Mortimer. won commissions including national formats. the continued The studio is now in the proNBC’s Great American Road Trip; Jack Burgess, who success of period cess of hiring other executives, and head of development Daniel was Mortimer’s head Dragons’ Den: NBCU drama Downton including young researchers and Nettleton, who has also worked of development at Fever is seeking the next Abbey, produced mid-level development staff. on Big Brother.

Media, where he worked big unscripted show

by NBCU20 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

CAREER

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

For all the latest breaking news, updated daily, visit www.broadcastnow.co.uk

FEVER MEDIA END OF AN ERA Following the death of co-founder Richard Hopkins in 2012, Mortimer carried on running Fever Media for more than a year. However, he says that when he was approached by former Desperate Housewives exec producer Michael Edelstein to join NBC Universal, the opportunity was just too great to miss.

“The thing about Fever was that it was this extraordinary adventure that Richard and I went on together and absolutely nobody could have predicted Richard’s illness. So when it came to it, after Richard died, I threw my heart and soul into it for a year wanting to continue to grow the business and continue to get commissions.

But in the end, as far as Fever is concerned, it was end of road.”

Mortimer is now tying up the loose ends and negotiating the rights to Fever’s back-catalogue.

71 Degrees North: Fever show

we hired a studio for a number of days the studio’s own international distriand developed a graphics package bution efforts. and booked a primetime host to do In fact, NBCU has already a run-through with a proper received a gameshow commislighting rig. It looked much sion from one of the major more like the final version terrestrial broadcasters, of the show.” which Mortimer says If the likes of NBCU would not have been NBC Universal are throwing extra cash possible if it hadn’t International at this process, will it splashed the cash in Television Production’s hurt smaller indies who development to impress turnover will struggle to spend as the commissioner. much on their taster tapes “It’s a show that even in and sizzle reels? Possibly. the same form that we pitched Mortimer, who set up Fever with it, I wouldn’t have been able to get Richard Hopkins in 2006, thinks commissioned at Fever,” he says. that being an independent producer “That’s no reflection on Fever, but is tougher than it has been for because we were a street-fighting some time. indie, we did not have the same devel“If you want a lifestyle business opment resource. We would have stumbled through in a faceless confer- with a small number of commissions per year and, to all intents ence room and tried to give the and purposes, to be self-employed essence, but it’s difficult. This time,

$250m

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

‘If we can come up with an unscripted equivalent to Downton Abbey... everybody wins’

and not looking to turn it into something that you can then get a return on, that’s doable, but to launch an indie to deliver big shows is really challenging.”

Nor do smaller indies get the same access to NBC’s global portfolio of channels. Mortimer is keen to reinforce ties with the main NBC network in the US – whose unscripted division is run by fellow Brit Paul Telegdy – plus US cable networks Bravo, E! and Syfy.

“We’d be mad if we weren’t taking advantage of those connections,” he admits. “NBC would love that the next big unscripted hit is an NBC Universal series rather than a series that we’re producing with a third party.

“If we can come up with an unscripted equivalent to Downton Abbey, that would be phenomenal.

At that point, everybody wins.”

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 21

Comment TEN YEARS IN TV LISA CAMPBELL

An unforgettable decade As she hands over the editorship of Broadcast, Lisa Campbell looks back at the people, the events and the programmes that shaped, challenged and inspired the industry

S

umming up more than 10 years in TV in 1,000 words is something only a fool would embark upon, so here goes.

I joined Broadcast at the end of 2003, when all the talk was of the uninspiringly named Codes of Practice in the 2003 Communications Act. I wondered what sort of dry and dusty rag I’d joined and when I’d get to talk proper telly: Brookside’s last ep, after 21 years, perhaps? The live version of The Bill, marking its 20th anniversary? (RIP both of you). The Games?

(The Jump, in only slightly warmer climes). At Home With The Eubanks (as it sounds, and sadly none of the youth hostelling element that Alan Partridge once pitched)? Okay, maybe not.

But the reaction from thousands of Broadcast readers on 1 January 2004 made clear the Act’s enormous impact on the sector. This was the official point at which the “lifestyle choice” of independent television producer turned into a viable financial decision.

Cue a period of rapid consolidation, the growth of the super-indie and the birth of the producer millionaire.

From 2003 to 2012, the sector grew by a massive £1.4bn, now totalling more than £2bn, according to our annual Indie Survey. Expansion into

‘I became editor in 2007, TV’s annus horribilis, characterised by tempests over trust, chaos over compliance, ire over impartiality’

international markets, notably the US, has shaped this growth. With Fremantle Media rumoured to be buying All3Media, Endemol soon up for grabs and ITV Studios positioning itself as a global production powerhouse, we can forget the ‘super’ indie: the next wave is gonna be ‘mega’.

Bad stuff No sooner had the corks stopped popping than disaster struck. Muchloved BBC director general Greg Dyke was forced to resign as the fallout from the Hutton crisis reached a head

at the end of January 2004. As staff blinked through their tears, Dyke was characteristically frank: “I don’t want to go. But if in the end you screw up, you have to go.” Greg was one of a handful of refreshingly open, colourful characters who enlivened the pages of Broadcast. We were as sad as everyone else to see him go.

Meanwhile, a major ‘scandal’ that blew up on the other side of the Atlantic, involving the Federal Communications Commission and an unprecedented fine levied at CBS, says much about today’s media

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

22 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

2 April 2010 £4.95

ITV’s Claire Zolkwer on Dawn Airey calls for the thrill of reality TV TV to reinvent itself

THE COMMISSIONER

IN MY VIEW

Monster ambition in a search for CBBC success

BEHIND THE SCENES

Page 10

Page 19

Page 20

BBC plans first royal doc since Queengate scandal

Pineapple’s Spence in chat pilot

BY KATHERINE RUSHTON

BY LISA CAMPBELL

The BBC is lining up its first major documentary series about the Queen since the Queengate scandal rocked the TV industry two-and-a-half years ago.

Andrew Marr will present a 3 x 60-minute series for BBC1, which will air in 2012 – the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – and examine the contribution she makes to the running of the country.

Marr has already started researching the project and expects it to be “properly serious and intelligent”.

“This will be about how she reigns, what it means, what we do and don’t get out of the royal banquets and visits – and her vast accumulated knowledge of the inside story of every government since Churchill was prime minister,” he said.

However, Buckingham Palace has been careful about granting access to BBC cameras following the 2007 Queengate row (see box), and Marr told Broadcast that progress has been moving at a “stately” pace.

“It’s early days. I haven’t got a single shot in the can yet. There is a delicate balance between securing access that will give us proper insight on the one hand, and being too intrusive on the other,” he said.

“There was quite a sense of being once bitten [by Queengate] – but good for them [the palace] that they haven’t slammed closed the shutters.”

Marr is a supporter of the Queen on a personal level and will also

His spontaneous arm-flapping and pony-like pirouettes have achieved cult status; now Pulse Films is hoping Louie Spence can make the leap from camp choreographer to chatshow host.

The Pineapple Dance Studios star has become an overnight sensation since the launch of the Sky 1 series in February, and has made a pilot for a chatshow with Pineapple producer Pulse Films.

The company has been in talks with interested parties thought to include Sky and Five.

Spence worked with Five’s Richard Woolfe when he was a judge on Sky 1’s Cirque de Celebrité, but the broadcaster said it had no plans to work with Spence.

Sky boss Stuart Murphy has outlined how he is keen for more star names to front the channel, and a spokeswoman said: “We love Louie Spence and Pineapple Dance Studios, and we are talking about the future.” Talks about a second run of the 14-part series are thought to be ongoing.

Pulse was not available for comment as Broadcast went to press.

A Year With The Queen: RDF taster tape resulted in scrutiny of TV industry

QUEENGATE THE FAKERY AND THE FURY The Queengate scandal erupted over a mis-edited promotional trailer for A Year With The Queen, which appeared to show the Queen storming out of a photoshoot when, in fact, she was entering the room.

The RDF Television-produced taster tape sparked intense

use his research for a forthcoming biography of the monarch.

The in-house series is being developed under the working title Diamond Queen and was originated

by Nick Vaughan-Barratt, who is also executive producer. BBC1 controller Jay Hunt and Martin

scrutiny of the TV industry and its working practices. An inquiry into events by former BBC deputy director general Will Wyatt was critical of the BBC’s handling.

Peter Fincham, BBC1 controller at the time, and RDF Media creative director Stephen Lambert resigned as a result.

Davidson ordered the series, and Sally Norris will series produce.

Both the BBC and Buckingham Palace declined to comment further.

Marr is also working on BBC1 series Metropolis, to air later this year, which will examine the workings of four conurbations.

Spence: plans to host chatshow

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

For all the latest breaking news, updated daily, visit www.broadcastnow.co.uk

liberalism/female denigration, depending on your view.

The crime? Nipplegate. A wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl involving Justin Timberlake tearing off part of Janet Jackson’s outfit, to reveal… a nippleguard. A new era of conservatism over partial nudity ensued, affecting programmes from daytime soaps to ER. But forget Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé, which self-respecting celeb doesn’t have ‘wardrobe malfunction’ as item number two on their PR plan these days?

More bad stuff It’s amazing how much your mind remembers the bad stuff, isn’t it? Or maybe that’s because I became editor in 2007, TV’s annus horribilis, characterised by tempests over trust, chaos over compliance, ire over impartiality.

The BBC had a direct bust-up with the palace over Queengate and heads rolled, including those of BBC1 controller Peter Fincham and RDF’s Stephen Lambert, the latter telling Broadcast he nearly quit TV forever as a result. With Undercover Boss and everyone’s recent favourite C4 hit Gogglebox – a Broadcast Award double-gonger – under his belt, there’s a lesson to us all in there somewhere. Especially George Entwistle.

Although there wasn’t a Savile-level scandal in 2007, there was more on top of Queengate: ITV phone-in scandals, fakery scandals at Five; even Blue Peter had its bottom smacked for ‘faking’ a competition winner. Then there was the Celebrity Big Brother racism row – when Jade Goody was accused of bullying Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty and C4 incurred the wrath of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. C4 chief exec Andy Duncan

1. Life On Mars 2. Sherlock 3. Big Brother

Thank goodness the year ended with one of the best Xmas gifts Auntie Beeb has ever given us. Not an Only Fools And Horses triple-bill, but something that would revolutionise our TV viewing: the iPlayer. It became a swift success – by January 2008, more than 3.5 million people had used it. Six years later, and that 3 million is now a whopping 3 billion.

It makes all those years struggling to remain conscious at the RTS Cambridge convention seem utterly pointless. There, the oft-repeated mantra “we’re doomed” made it feel like you were trapped in a Dad’s Army version of Groundhog Day. Okay, that’s harsh. It’s always a worthwhile chin-scratching affair, but what I’ve realised is that it’s pointless to try to predict the future. Flick through our archives and you’ll find scores of wide-of-the-mark scenarios, mostly from ‘experts’ like myself.

Meanwhile, ITV, for years lambasted as the terrestrial ‘dinosaur’, has bitten back, successfully adapting its business model to the changing media landscape, without, as once threatened by Michael Grade, handing back its PSB licence.

It helps that, for all the talk about the post-digital switchover shake-up (‘Digital Britain’ anyone?

Me neither) and the emergence of players such as Netflix, TV

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

4. The X Factor 5. The Olympics/ Paralympics 6. Peep Show 7. Twenty Twelve 8. Educating Yorkshire 9. 24 Hours In A&E 10. Lie Of The Land

LOST IN TRANSLATION ■ Talpa Media’s

I Love My Country

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

22 July 2011

viewing is booming. So too is production, helped in no small part by Sky, which we once loved for Sky+ and now love for its £600m content pot.

UKTV, too, has become a serious commissioner and, like Sky and the terrestrials, is investing heavily in drama – something else we were told was dying on its arse not that long ago. “Why can’t we make drama like the Americans?” said, er, everyone.

Now, we’re kicking their asses (okay, apart from the best two dramas ever: The Wire and Breaking Bad).

TOP TEN SHOWS

Not dead yet

REX FEATURES

HOT SHOTS 2012

stepped into the limelight to smooth things over, but his ‘wardrobe malfunction’ caused a mini-scandal all of its own – he wore a polo shirt.

16 November 2012

Jane Featherstone on a new era Page 18 ■ Behind the Scenes: How Dorset’s dramatic coast gave Broadchurch its edge Page 22

A scandal too far for incurious George

End of an empire?

Rupert Murdoch’s first words at the select committee hearing were greeted with an eruption of laughter from those watching in Portcullis House, setting the tone for much of the rest of his comments. “This is the most humble day of my life,” he told MPs – and the watching world.

If it was a test of his credibility as the head of a global media operation, he failed spectacularly.

Confused, bewildered and at times emotional in his responses, Murdoch gave no sign of the steely

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

There were big questions about corporate governance at News Corp and this did nothing to answer them man behind the News Corp empire, or of a man fighting to save it.

Time after time, he said he didn’t know what the MPs were referring to – the investigations or

Outside, protesters bayed for his blood, and for that of prime minister David Cameron. The pie in the face was a reflection of the anger on the streets outside, but Murdoch seems out of touch with that too. He does not intend to resign and still harbours a dream for his children to take over, as he did from his own father. As this sorry saga continues, that’s all it may prove to be. ➤ For more on News Corp, see Leader (page 2), Round-up (pages 4-5), and Comment (page 22)

■

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

■ Interview:

Downfall

the key individuals – suggesting that the average man in the street has a better grasp of News Corp’s affairs than its own chief executive.

Shareholders will no doubt have a number of questions for him – how could he know so little about the goings on at his companies, to the extent that seven-figure sums were paid out without his knowledge?

There were already big questions about corporate governance at News Corp and this shaky performance did nothing to answer them; if anything, it simply intensified the need for change at the top.

■ The first time I said “The director general” when the White City receptionist asked me who I was there to see ■ Interviewing the legendary Davids – Frost and Attenborough ■ Spending weeks in the British Library reading TV gossip across the decades in Broadcast (and Television Mail as was) for our 50th anniversary book ■ The Broadcast Awards (2004-present day) ■ Tea with Richard Desmond, served by his butler ■ Arriving early (for once) at a press conference, to discover there were only two of us in the room – and Idris Elba was the other ■ Running the Expert Women campaign and being invited to meet senior MPs ■ Witnessing up close Wendy Deng’s acrobatic intervention during the custard-pie assault on Rupert Murdoch ■ Clocking up seven years to become the second longest-serving editor in 56 years (with C4-induced wrinkles to prove it) ■ Discovering Jake Kanter had a voice for radio with our Talking TV podcast ■ Best of all: the entire Broadcast team past and present

Kudos: Life after Spooks ks

BBC IN CRISIS SPECIAL REPORT

BY LISA CAMPBELL

Best bits

Entwistle’s decline

■

Can Newsnight survive? ■ Producers urge care, not caution

1 March 2013

ALSO INSIDE ■ Roundtable: Storage – how to avoid ‘digital sludge’ Page 24 ■ Masterclass: How do you get your break in TV? Page 28

Charlie Parsons fires shot at C4 Producer airs ‘widespread concerns’ that the broadcaster’s indie relationships have gone sour

BY CHRIS CURTIS AND LISA CAMPBELL

Charlie Parsons, the creator of Channel 4’s The Word and The Big Breakfast, has held talks with Lord Burns and David Abraham about “very widespread concerns” that the broadcaster is failing the indie community.

Approached by Broadcast this week, Parsons confirmed he initiated the meetings by writing to the C4 chairman. He explained: “I was so angry at what I was hearing: the way C4 is dealing with the creative community means producers don’t want to work for them. C4’s outlook is not one of collaboration, but of dictation.”

His views resulted in separate meetings with Burns and chief executive Abraham last month about the programming team, led by chief creative officer Jay Hunt.

Parsons said: “It’s very simple. I told them they have to learn how to manage creatives and work in partnership with indies.” He said he warned the duo: “The sand will blow up in your faces at some stage, and you need to address it.”

The conversations are understood to have been amicable.

Abraham shared data and surveys with Parsons that countered some of his claims, and defended C4’s position, but he is understood to be happy to engage in a wider, grown-up discussion on the topic.

Parsons said common problems include a lack of clarity around programmes at the point of commission, and a “constant changing of minds” during and after produc-

Raising concerns: Big Breakfast creator Parsons (right) approached C4

tion, meaning finished programmes are “entirely different to what was commissioned”.

The Survivor creator also suggested commissioners lacked the freedom to make decisions. He said: “They demand something is re-edited because that’s what they hear from the top.”

One of the stumbling blocks is that indies feel they cannot air their concerns, and that C4 finds it impossible to respond without a clear sense of what they are, and examples of any perceived failings.

Parsons, who no longer produces shows for C4, said: “This is not my campaign. I owe a lot to C4, it gave me all my big breaks, but I am one of the few people who can speak out.

“I’m not fighting a corner for anyone but for the TV industry.

I was so angry at what I was hearing. I’m fighting a corner for the TV industry I’m voicing what people are too afraid to say.”

A C4 spokeswoman said “Channel 4 is always open to engaging in debate about how we can improve our working relationships with producers, and in this spirit both Lord Burns and David Abraham met with Charlie Parsons. As a publisher broadcaster, our relationship with the independent community is crucial to delivering our remit and getting the best possible content to

our viewers. Topping the Broadcast Indie Survey poll last year was a clear demonstration of the progress being made in this area.”

Parsons acknowledged that some of the problems existed prior to the current management, but said: “It’s sad because C4 is not getting the best out of people.” He said ITV was emerging as the favoured broadcaster to take ideas to. “How did that happen? Something has gone hideously wrong.”

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 23

Production SCHEDULING

Life at the sharp end of TV Predictions that on-demand viewing would kill off linear TV, and with it the scheduler’s role, have proved wide of the mark, but the job has had to move with the times. Steve Clarke reports

A

decade ago, media commentators predicted certain death for TV channels and the people who run and schedule them.

But it didn’t happen. In spite of an explosion of channels, catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer, and on-demand providers led by Netflix, plus the growth of YouTube, linear broadcast TV remains the biggest game in town – by a long margin.

“More than 85% of all viewing is live, broadcast TV,” says BBC1 scheduler Dan McGolpin. “Linear TV has turned out to be incredibly resilient.

And most viewing of catch-up TV takes place within 48 hours of the original transmission. From the broadcasters’ point of view, this is very good news.”

It is particularly reassuring for TV schedulers, a position once thought at risk. Even so, today’s schedulers face bigger challenges than ever before.

At an RTS event last autumn, The Dark Art of Scheduling, former BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey 24 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

‘More than 85% of all viewing is live, broadcast TV. Linear TV has turned out to be incredibly resilient’ Dan McGolpin, BBC

described the work of the contemporary TV scheduler as akin to playing 3D chess, such is the sheer scale of programme information – across hundreds of channels – schedulers have to handle today. McGolpin told the RTS there are more schedulers now than when he started in 2001.

Meanwhile, ITV director of programme strategy David Bergg says: “When I started as a scheduler, it was all about the overnights. Today, scheduling is also about windowing and assessing the life-time value of the programmes we own or have licensed.”

As we saw over Christmas, the difference between an overnight audience and consolidated viewing (once non-linear viewing is taken into account) can be considerable. Big shows such as Doctor Who – linked with a Saturday teatime slot for

most of its 50-year run – and Sherlock (below) can add around 3 million via catch-up and PVR, with another 2 million or so on iPlayer.

There is also a business dimension to the job of the contemporary scheduler that was missing 20 years ago.

“The financial dimension is increasingly important,” observes Bergg. “We have to think about the return on investment.”

But paradoxically, despite the exponential growth in viewing options and modes, much of the work involved in scheduling remains unchanged.

Peak-time battles between the big terrestrial networks are a constant as channels attempt to gain an advantage over the competition.

It might appear gentlemanly that the age-old ritual of exchanging advance scheduling information between channels lives on at 2.30pm every Wednesday afternoon, www.broadcastnow.co.uk

The police force wasn’t something we’d considered writing about. But Danny Boyle’s approach to filming got us excited Jesse Armstrong on Babylon, Behind the Scenes, page 26

mercial channels. “Too much tinkerbut scheduling remains a controvering can have a significant impact on sial world prone to myths and a revenue,” he says. “Money is tight and certain amount of skulduggery. Lastthe ad market is a lot less predictable minute decisions can determine a than it used to be.” programme’s fate.

There is a feeling within the TV In its recent submission to the community, however, that a lot of House of Commons Culture and Channel 4 features and factual enterMedia Select Committee, ITV comtainment shows are a moveable feast. plained of aggressive BBC scheduling “C4 is notorious for moving single strategies, which it said on one occadocs around the schedule,” says sion forced it to move a high-proone editor at a TV listings file show to “avoid serious magazine. “You lose conficommercial damage”. dence in wanting to write ITV declined to elaboabout the programme.” rate, but Bergg suggests Ratings share, up C4 controller of that the aggregate share from 33%, of X Factor scheduling Richard of viewing of all the when it was Brent claims this fails to small digital channels rescheduled in reflect the reality of what has flattened out. Today’s 2006 he agrees is a job that scheduler is at the sharp requires increasing vigilance. end of a battle for ratings, much “My job is to help a programme find like when Bergg began working as the right audience. It is not necessarone for the BBC in 1994. “It seems ily always the biggest audience. we are now back in an environment “For instance, Channel 4 has a high where the battle is focused on the number of light viewers who are larger terrestrials taking share from important to advertisers. We also one another,” he says.

“The launch of shows across the big want to do everything to maximise audiences for shows that exemplify main channels, and maintaining the our public-service values.” fire-power of existing ones, is very much the business we’re all in.”

Broadly (but not exclusively) the Finding the right slot fight for audiences is ITV v BBC1; One documentary in the True Stories Channel 4 v Channel 5 and BBC2; strand, Afghan Army Girls, was moved ITV2 v BBC3, BBC4 and E4 – where around the schedule so often that it competition is especially fierce – and was finally transmitted last summer More 4 v Dave.

by More 4 – despite the strand’s move Even in the age of series links, proto C4 – more than a year after the ducers and TV listings editors moan press launch in May 2012. about how a show was ‘buried’ in a “Nothing is confirmed until it is late-night slot or moved around the finally confirmed. We might have schedule so often it was impossible to moved Afghan Army Girls a couple of promote in advance. times,” says Brent. “We did not want it “A thick skin is essential for a TV to get washed away. It was foreign scheduler,” reckons Broadcast ratings current affairs. They are among the analyst Stephen Price, who was conmost difficult genres to schedule. It troller of ITV1 peak-time scheduling was a brilliant documentary. We don’t from 2006 to 2009. deliberately shift programmes.”

He believes, however, that lastDespite what director James Hawes minute scheduling changes might be has said, Brent denies that period less prevalent now and more carefully drama The Mill was planned as a postconsidered, especially for the comwatershed series but moved forward

CHANGING ROLE OF THE SCHEDULER “They are still called schedulers, but really they are curators of channels because nowadays there are far more ways of accessing content than the linear moment,” says Adam MacDonald, director of content at Sky 1 and a former BBC head of scheduling.

A modern scheduler takes a more collegiate approach to the job, he says, working with controllers, commissioners, marketing and PR, plus the tech teams who curate the on-demand space.

“There is less emphasis on where and when shows go in

41%

Celebrity Juice: slot winner www.broadcastnow.co.uk

‘My job is to help a programme find the right audience.

It is not necessarily always the biggest audience’ Richard Brent, Channel 4

The X Factor: benefited from move

linear terms,” he suggests.

“It’s much more of a multidisciplinary approach about how you curate a channel.”

A higher proportion of Sky’s shows are consumed ondemand – including some pre-TX premieres – than at terrestrial channels, says MacDonald.

He adds: “The majority of our viewing is not done on the first night of TX, but during the seven-day catch-up window or on-demand. People are choosing to watch our shows later in the week. In this respect, Sky is ahead of the curve.

to 8pm at the 11th hour, forcing reedits to tone down the swearing, sex and violence.

“The Mill was always commissioned for 8pm but we had an option to play it at 9pm,” says Brent. “We had that discussion but thought it should remain at 8pm. Southcliffe followed it at 9pm. C4 doesn’t do a lot of drama.

We thought that showing two dramas back to back was a unique opportunity. It proved to be very successful and we’d do it again.”

However, Brent acknowledges that there was a hiccup over the scheduling of US acquisition Masters Of Sex. Originally shown at 9pm, the show turned out to be too risqué for this slot. Low viewing figures arguably lent greater weight to the argument to shunt it back to 10pm. “When you buy an ➤

Afghan Army Girls: delayed TX 7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 25

The advances at play in media and entertainment have created unprecedented opportunity for you to deliver innovation to the connected consumer. The digital insight you need to accomplish your goals — and play to win — is here. Global to mobile, live to archive, sound and picture — from previs to post, big data or small market, NAB Show® is your channel. And this is your opportunity.

Conferences: April 5 –10, 2014 | Exhibits: April 7–10 | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA

Join Us! #nabshow | www.nabshow.com

FREE

Exhibits-only Pass code PA02.

Production SCHEDULING American series, you usually only get to see one episode,” he explains.

As schedulers will tell you, part of their job involves ‘protecting’ new, vulnerable shows. The idea, they claim, is to give the programme a chance to find and build an audience and, with luck, land a second series.

Comedy, as everybody knows, is especially hard to get right from a TV producer’s and commissioner’s perspective. Nor is it simple to schedule, especially when it is a brand new show that needs nurturing.

Some commentators have complained that C4 comedy Toast Of London, recommissioned despite averaging about 400,000 viewers, was “buried” in its 10.40pm Sunday slot.

Brent is unapologetic. He insists it was the right place for the show.

“Toast Of London was never going to win a mass audience at its first outing,” he says. “Had we put it out earlier, it might have got shot down. Hopefully, it can become a sleeper hit.”

While the schedules are relatively stable at BBC1 and ITV, the post-Big Brother C4 remains challenged by a significant decline in share.

This inevitably increases pressure on schedulers. Brent’s job carries with it a commercial imperative absent from his opposite number at the BBC. “There is a sales floor at your back if you’re not delivering the audience or the right profile with the shows,” he emphasised at the RTS event.

“You can’t just get 65-pluses who are C to D, for instance; you need to deliver 16-34s and ABC1s – they are the most important audiences.”

The booby traps of the digital world and how they can potentially derail C4 were demonstrated by the success of ITV2’s Celebrity Juice, which draws around 2 million viewers at 10pm.

“It’s taken us a while to work out what will work against that – it’s such a beast,” Brent admitted to the RTS. Channel 4’s eventual response was Bouncers and My Tattoo Addiction, both of which also settled on around 2 million.

Schedulers are, of course, obsessive about forward planning, with draft schedules mapped out 18 months in advance.

With so much at stake, they need a good intelligence network. www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Toast Of London: late-night slot

‘If you want lots of people to watch your series to the end, then having each episode separately scheduled and on the EPG is still the best way’ Dan McGolpin, BBC

Brent took remedial action in response to ITV’s decision to start the recent series of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! a week later than usual.

“We got wind of it before the run started,” he recalls. “Having a new show designed for younger audiences competing head on with I’m A Celebrity would not have worked.

“Our audiences skew younger than ITV. Celebrity is popular with younger audiences so we looked for something that had a more broad appeal and was a completely different genre.” C4 played out shows such as mental health doc Bedlam and 24 Hours In A&E in the 9pm slot during the reality show’s run.

Factoring in rivals Schedulers are always alert to rivals’ banker shows. What to play against ITV’s Downton Abbey (left) concentrates minds, especially at BBC1, which has tended to respond with more male-skewing fare.

Saturday evenings also require fancy footwork from terrestrial schedulers as heavy hitters such as Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor are shunted from slot to slot to maximise audience figures.

In 2006, Stephen Price moved The X Factor from its traditional slot, where it competed directly against Strictly Come Dancing. Within a week, ratings soared from 7.3 million (33% share) to 9.8 million (41% share).

Seven years later, it’s proved more difficult to reinvigorate The X Factor’s performance, in spite of shuffling the

scheduling. ITV says, however, that overall, The X Factor’s share increased year on year in 2013.

But with audiences increasingly watching on-demand or subscribing to the likes of Netflix (both of which allow “glut viewing”, to quote C4 chief creative director Jay Hunt), are schedulers ultimately heading for extinction?

Not at all, insists McGolpin. He is convinced that making a whole series available for viewers to binge-view is not the best way to persuade audiences to stay tuned for an entire run.

“It’s great for a small number of the most dedicated fans who want to stay up all night, but you miss the chance to make an event of each episode, which is important,” he says.

“Most people only want to watch one episode a night and to do so on an evening when other people are watching too. That episode becomes something to look forward to and then something to look back on – which social media has reinforced.

“For those who miss the broadcast, it encourages catch-up in the following days. I’d love to know what percentage of Netflix subscribers got to the end of House Of Cards, but Netflix won’t release figures. If you want lots of people to watch your series to the end, then having each episode separately scheduled and on the EPG is still the best way. This will endure for a long time to come.”

In other words, schedulers are not expected to go the way of coalminers any time soon.

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 27

Behind the Scenes BABYLON

Tackling the Met from PC to PR We wouldn’t have dreamed of doing a cop show before Danny Boyle approached us, says Jesse Armstrong. But his idea of examining how police and public interact struck a chord BABYLON

Production company Nightjack Films Broadcaster Channel 4 TX 9pm, Sunday 9 February, C4 Length 1 x 90 minutes; 6 x 60 minutes Commissioners Piers Wenger; Roberto Troni Executive producers Robert Jones; Jesse Armstrong; Sam Bain Producer Derrin Schlesinger Writers Jesse Armstrong; Sam Bain; Jon Brown Directors Danny Boyle; Jon Baird Post house MPC Summary A wry look at the people and politics in the command rooms and on the frontlines of a modern police force.

Jesse Armstrong Co-writer

I

t began with a meeting at Nightjack Films. Robert Jones and Danny Boyle invited Sam Bain and I in with no mention of what the project was going to be.

They talked about doing a drama that reflected how the way we interact with the police is changing. Three things that inspired them were: the many ways the police are now visually represented, through reality shows like Police, Camera, Action and Motorway Cops; the increasing amount of footage shot by citizens on mobile phones; and the world of police blogs.

The police force wasn’t something Sam and I had previously considered writing about; we probably wouldn’t have gone there, thinking there was enough crime drama already. It was Danny’s approach to filming that got us excited.

Areas we felt hadn’t been looked at much were the upper echelons of the police hierarchy and the communications department.

Obviously The Wire took a multi-layered approach to crime, and we both knew and loved that, but it wasn’t a conscious influence. I’ve written for The Thick Of It, which is more about powerlessness and communication. In a police-based show, it felt like our characters might tie themselves up in knots about more real, hereand-now stuff.

So we mapped out all the strands. We knew we wanted to see policing in action rather than crime detection – we weren’t going to do whodunit mysteries.

We wanted it to feature the armed cops, the public order

28 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

police, the communications office and the commanders.

We talked about different cities but the more research we did, the more we felt that London was the one. The sheer scale of the Met became a big part of the show. How do you control communications for such a large organisation with so many people interacting with the public in so many ways? It’s a PR nightmare.

As time went on, people would say we might get lucky and the show might air at a moment when there

‘Danny encouraged us to be bold, to push into areas that we had looked at tentatively, and keep the oddness’ Jesse Armstrong

was a particular focus on London policing, making it feel timely. But as we wrote, we discovered that there’s always a focus on London policing. I don’t think there’s been a month since we started work on the project when there hasn’t been a big police news story in the media.

It felt natural to imagine the police looking for a new way to communicate with the public – a more transparent and democratic way, not favouring any sources. The character Liz comes from a new-media background. She’s the personification of new ideas on how you communicate with and without a large organisation – her Americanness is part of that, and it’s a stick that her opponents can beat her with.

We’re also interested in the personalities of the people who are making docs about the police. We talked to the producers of some of those shows about the symbiotic relationship they develop with the police and Danny went out with a crew.

I think having Danny on board meant we were trusted and expected to deliver something of scale. It’s unusual to know who your director’s going to be, and how they’re setting

the visual style, from day one. Danny gave us notes the whole way through.

He was very involved in script development and encouraged us to be bold, to push into areas that we had initially looked at tentatively. He encouraged us to keep the oddness of the script.

Danny was good at protecting his rehearsal time, encouraging interplay between writing and performance and dialogue, but on the day he pretty much followed the script. He knows how he wants it to look but doesn’t let that stop the actors moving where they want, doing what feels natural.

He encouraged us to be on set as much as possible – one of us was there every day, as much out of interest and curiosity as wanting to alter things.

From the script stage, we knew Channel 4 wanted a series. So this was not a pilot in the normal sense, but we were keen to do it as a pilot to get to know the voices of the characters before they were cast.

Distinctive tone Sam and I have always talked together, plotted together, talked about character together, then written separately and cross-edited each other’s work. Here, we’re going to write two episodes each, with Jon Brown, who’s written for Fresh Meat, responsible for the remaining two.

Drama is slightly different to sitcom, where if you know the tone of the material you can try to beat each others’ jokes. In a dramatic scene, it can be slightly more personal in terms of what you’re trying to achieve.

Tonally, it feels quite distinct and when we were writing it, it always felt good to be following the truth – our own storylines based on research.

Sometimes you have a feel for how a film will be in the end, and while I felt I knew the tone of the script, in a curious way, I didn’t know what the finished show would feel like – that was very much about the collaboration between performance and directing style. I don’t think I could have described it until I saw it. But we’re very happy with it. www.broadcastnow.co.uk

For all the latest breaking news, updated daily, visit www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Main pic: Jim Howick (Gerry) and Martin Trenaman (Miles); below: actor Bertie Carvel, Danny Boyle, DoP Enrique Chediak; far left: James Nesbitt (Richard Miller)

BABYLON FEELING THE FORCE Robert Jones Executive producer

Top down: Stuart Martin (Officer Tony), Andrew Brooke (Officer Neil) and Nick Blood (Officer Warwick); Cavan Clerkin, Adam Deacon and Jill Halfpenny; Brit Marling (Liz Garvey); Paterson Joseph (Charles Inglis) www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Name a camera and the chances are we used it on this production: from the Alexa to a variety of news cameras, GoPros (below), Novos, iPhones, Samsung and other smartphones, bodymounts and Flir heat-seeking cameras mounted on radio-controlled drones.

We have all become experts in tech and can dazzle people at a thousand yards about the latest in mini-camera grip equipment.

Danny Boyle (above, centre) orchestrated an aesthetic for the series with an immediacy and energy that not only reflects the specific themes of the show but, in a wider sense, exposes the way we are all now viewing and processing visual information every day.

Another aspect of the show is its veracity. Apart from the tightrope of tone in a comedy drama, there is always the danger of being shot down if the screenplay feels too divorced from reality, the comedy

becomes too broad and unbelievable, or the actors don’t behave or talk credibly as police officers in particular situations.

We did a lot of reading, research and training, using experts with first-hand experience in various areas of policing – from firearms and public order to process and practice at the very highest levels of the organisation. The cast underwent their own riot training and we had several police on board as informal consultants.

Now, having finished the feature-length pilot, there’s no chance of kicking back – we move immediately on to production of the first six-part series.

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 29

Marketplace

To advertise here, contact Jon Thornley on 020 3638 5065 email jonathan.thornley@broadcastnow.co.uk

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

TRANSFERS & SALES

ELSTREE STUDIOS

TO LET AT ELSTREE STUDIOS Fully equipped audio post facility with two mixing areas, foley suite, voice over booth and avid edit system.

specialist camera equipment

Open to rental offers and possible profit sharing.

Most recently used for ITV’s Your Face Sounds Familiar.

Aerial Camera Systems

the world’s leading specialist camera company

ACS SMARThead™

Premiership Football

Please mention Broadcast when replying to adverts

Please call 020 8953 1600 info@elstreestudios.co.uk www.elstreestudios.co.uk

suites

auctions PRIMETIME EMMY AND BAFTA AWARD WINNER www.acsmedia.com

FCP & AVID EDIT SUITES WET OR DRY HIRE

10-11 Percy Street London W1T 1DN 020 7637 3322 support@tvset.com

Audio Production

30 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

Specialist online auctions

SELL YOUR SURPLUS KIT FAST To advertise in the Marketplace section please contact: support@techbid.co.uk

www.techbid.co.uk Jonathan Thornley 020 3638 5065 jonathan.thornley@broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Appointments

To advertise here, contact Jon Thornley on 020 3638 5065 email jonathan.thornley@broadcastnow.co.uk

ELSTREE STUDIOS Managing Director

“I want to let you know how delighted we have been with the response to the recruitment advertisements we have recently been running in Broadcast.

As you know we do not typically need to advertise, but we had to fill numerous roles pretty quickly. These roles were varied and outside our normal area of expertise and knowledge. The responses came in thick and fast and the vast majority were of a very high quality. We have now filled most of the roles with people who applied to the advertisements in Broadcast”.

Nicky Sargent; CEO

The UK indie radio production trade body seeks a Managing Director.

Candidates will have seniorlevel industry experience and demonstrate real vision for this emerging sector.

The role initially involves the equivalent of 2 days a week with regular London meetings.

Apply at www.radioindies.org

Please mention Broadcast when replying to adverts

Maternity cover required for PR & Marketing Manager at Elstree Studios Start April 2014 on a temporary 9 – 12 month basis.

“I have to say that working with you guys was a really good experience.

You made it easy from start to finish and delivered immediate, plentiful and quality results. I will not hesitate to use you again, should the need arise. Rest assured that I will recommend your services liberally.

To receive job specification, email: laura.paxman@elstreestudios.co.uk If you meet the requirements outlined in the job specification please apply in writing to Laura Paxman by 14th February 2014.

STRICTLY NO CALLS OR AGENCIES

Dominic Lobo; Head of Production

EMS

technical personnel are looking for:

TALENT

___________________ L I M I T E D ___________________

FILM & TV CREWS

Lighting: Gaffers Electricians

As a result of winning new contracts, Key Talent Ltd are looking for key studio and location talent to add to our portfolio of bookable individuals in the following categories; Scenic: Scenic Painters and Carpenters Supervisors and Operatives Construction Management

Also: Cameras Sound Studio Engineers

And many other crafts.

If you’re looking for work or for Key Talent to deliver your production needs, contact us today or drop us your CV. info@keylight.tv Tel: 020 8963 9931

Support Engineers West London Playout Solution Engineer Lead West London Production Tech. Operators London Call us, e-mail your CV or register online. +44(0)20 8948 9400 recruit@ems-tp.com. www.ems-tp.com

To advertise in the Appointments section please contact: Jonathan Thornley 020 3638 5065 jonathan.thornley@broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 31

Ratings Mon 27 Jan – Sun 2 Feb

BBC sword saga loses its edge Mr Selfridge closes in on The Musketeers as the BBC drama sheds 2 million viewers since launch

BY Stephen price

I once interrupted a big knobs’ meeting, holding the week’s schedule aloft. There had been some last-minute opposition shenanigans and I was in the cleft of a dilemma: should I do nothing or be seen to be doing something. I sought advice.

Nothing beat something. The dark art of scheduling was blown.

Similarly, in the declining Sunday night drama-off, and largely by doing nothing in particular, ITV’s posh store is catching BBC1’s buckle swashing. Meanwhile, BBC1’s Saturday night singing seems to have got ITV’s divers gripped firmly by the speedos, while Celebrity Big Brother’s finale gave Channel 5 mid-week joy.

On Monday at 9pm, BBC2’s World War 1 anniversary series Britain’s Great War launched with 4.2 million/17%, seeing off ITV’s The Bletchley Circle (3.7 million/15%; 240,000+1). But Channel 4’s Benefits Street won with the aid of +1: 4.1 million/17% at 9pm plus 717,000 +1 makes for 4.8 million.

Tuesday’s Holby City on BBC1 (4.7 million/21%) defeated ITV’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

(3.1 million/14%; 120,000 +1). At 9pm, BBC1’s domination continued with 6.6 million/28% for Death In Paradise, ahead of ITV’s Paul O’Grady’s Animal Orphans (2.9 million/12%; 236,000 +1).

On Wednesday, BBC1’s Outnumbered returned with 4.8 million/19% at 9pm, followed by a Mrs Brown’s Boys repeat at 9.30pm (3.6 million/15%). Opposite, ITV’s Midsomer Murders 32 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

BroadCast/BarB top 100 network programmes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 25 27 28 28 30 31 32 32 34 34 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 44 46 47 48 49 50

Title

Day

Start

Viewers (m) (all homes)

Share %

Broadcaster/ Producer*

Coronation Street Call The Midwife The Voice UK Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Emmerdale EastEnders Emmerdale EastEnders Emmerdale BBC News EastEnders Countryfile Emmerdale Emmerdale Emmerdale Death In Paradise Birds Of A Feather Six Nations Rugby: France V England The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins Dancing On Ice BBC London News The Musketeers Midsomer Murders BBC News At Six Top Gear BBC News At Six Casualty BBC News BBC News At Six BBC News At Six Silent Witness EastEnders BBC News At Six Benidorm Silent Witness The One Show Benefits Street Outnumbered BBC News At Ten Holby City Mr Selfridge BBC News At Ten BBC News At Ten BBC News The One Show Fake Or Fortune?

All Star Family Fortunes

Mon Sun Sat Mon Wed Fri Fri Mon Mon Wed Thu Tue Sat Fri Sun Thu Fri Thu Tue Thu Sat Sat Sun Wed Sun Wed Mon Sun Fri Sat Sun Tue Wed Fri Tue Thu Thu Thu Mon Mon Wed Thu Tue Sun Tue Mon Sat Tue Sun Sun

19.30 20.00 19.15 20.30 19.30 19.30 20.30 19.00 20.00 19.00 19.30 19.00 18.55 20.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 20.00 21.00 20.30 16.30 20.35 18.15 18.30 21.00 20.00 18.00 20.00 18.00 21.25 22.00 18.00 18.00 21.00 19.30 18.00 21.00 21.00 19.00 21.00 21.00 22.00 20.00 21.00 22.00 22.00 22.15 19.00 18.00 19.45

9.05 8.89 8.50 8.41 8.26 8.05 7.70 7.63 7.50 7.00 6.98 6.92 6.90 6.85 6.83 6.75 6.70 6.61 6.57 6.01 5.91 5.90 5.62 5.48 5.44 5.44 5.43 5.34 5.34 5.20 5.14 5.11 5.11 5.08 5.08 5.00 4.97 4.95 4.89 4.78 4.76 4.70 4.67 4.65 4.65 4.63 4.61 4.42 4.37 4.29

40.18 32.08 36.57 34.94 37.31 37.58 33.21 35.19 31.41 33.40 32.21 31.28 32.42 31.27 29.15 33.06 32.84 30.37 27.47 26.69 32.09 26.61 24.86 27.09 21.97 23.07 27.88 19.26 28.64 24.14 24.85 26.67 27.25 22.86 22.03 27.59 21.47 21.41 22.57 19.70 18.92 24.30 20.96 18.78 25.03 24.79 23.36 20.80 20.19 16.33

ITV BBC1/Neal Street Productions BBC1/Wall to Wall ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV BBC1 ITV BBC1 ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV ITV ITV BBC1/Red Planet Productions ITV/Retort/Quirky Media BBC1 BBC1/12 Yard ITV BBC1 BBC1 ITV/Bentley Productions BBC1 BBC2 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV/Tiger Aspect BBC1 BBC1 C4/Love Productions BBC1/Hat Trick Productions BBC1 BBC1 ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV/Thames

Figures include HD and +1 where applicable

Midsomer Murders

Outnumbered www.broadcastnow.co.uk

All BARB ratings supplied by: Attentional

Source: BARB

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 59 61 62 63 64 65 65 67 67 67 67 71 72 72 74 75 75 77 77 79 80 81 82 82 82 85 86 87 87 89 89 91 92 92 92 95 95 97 98 98 100

Title

Day

Start

Viewers (m) (all homes)

Share %

Broadcaster/ Producer*

BBC News At Ten Britain’s Great War Dancing On Ice: The Results The One Show The One Show Inside Out BBC News At Ten A Great Welsh Adventure With Griff Rhys…

The One Show ITV News & Weather The Bletchley Circle ITV News & Weather Match Of The Day Splash!

Pointless ITV News & Weather Pointless ITV News & Weather Pointless ITV News & Weather ITV News & Weather Pointless Pointless Mrs Brown’s Boys The Chase Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: Martin Kemp The Graham Norton Show BBC News Take Me Out The Chase Six Nations Rugby: Ireland V Scotland A Tribute To Roger Lloyd Pack Tonight: To Diet Or Not To Diet?

Six Nations Rugby: Wales V Italy The Chase Party Political Broadcast: Labour Party ITV News & Weather Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

BBC News At One The Chase The Chase Room 101 Waterloo Road Celebrity Big Brother: The Final The Martin Lewis Money Show A Question Of Sport Paul O’Grady’s Animal Orphans The Jonathan Ross Show BBC News At One BBC News At One

Wed Mon Sun Thu Wed Mon Fri Mon Fri Mon Mon Thu Sat Sat Mon Tue Fri Fri Tue Wed Sun Wed Thu Wed Mon Fri Fri Sun Sat Fri Sun Sun Thu Sat Tue Wed Sat Tue Fri Thu Wed Fri Wed Wed Fri Fri Tue Sat Mon Wed

22.00 21.00 20.30 19.00 19.00 19.30 22.00 20.00 19.00 18.30 21.00 18.30 22.35 18.50 17.15 18.30 17.15 18.30 17.15 18.30 18.00 17.15 17.15 21.30 17.00 21.00 22.35 17.35 20.20 17.00 14.30 22.25 19.30 14.00 17.00 18.25 18.35 20.00 13.00 17.00 17.00 20.30 20.00 21.00 20.00 19.30 21.00 21.35 13.00 13.00

4.26 4.23 4.22 4.10 4.08 4.02 4.01 3.98 3.96 3.96 3.89 3.85 3.83 3.75 3.74 3.74 3.73 3.73 3.73 3.73 3.69 3.62 3.62 3.58 3.54 3.54 3.51 3.51 3.44 3.38 3.34 3.33 3.33 3.33 3.32 3.24 3.23 3.23 3.22 3.22 3.17 3.16 3.16 3.16 3.15 3.15 3.12 3.08 3.08 3.07

21.68 17.43 14.98 20.07 18.94 17.87 21.29 16.66 19.41 19.01 16.04 19.56 26.75 16.54 23.28 18.20 23.23 18.82 22.73 18.43 18.38 23.12 23.32 15.00 23.13 15.91 25.08 18.50 15.29 21.76 24.90 20.12 15.39 27.21 21.21 16.76 15.05 14.47 40.33 21.65 21.11 13.64 13.94 14.90 14.39 14.70 13.03 14.81 41.49 40.26

BBC1 BBC1 ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV/Modern Television BBC1 ITV/ITN ITV/World Productions ITV/ITN BBC1 ITV/Twofour BBC1/Remarkable Television ITV/ITN BBC1/Remarkable Television ITV/ITN BBC1/Remarkable Television ITV/ITN ITV/ITN BBC1/Remarkable Television BBC1/Remarkable Television BBC1/Boc-Pix/RTÉ ITV ITV BBC1/So Television BBC1 ITV/Thames ITV BBC1 BBC1 ITV BBC1 ITV ITV ITV/ITN ITV BBC1 ITV ITV BBC1/Hat Trick Productions BBC1/Shed Productions C5/Initial ITV BBC1 ITV/Shiver ITV/Hot Sauce BBC1 BBC1

*To include producer credits email robin.parker@emap.com by noon on Tuesday. Tables exclude programmes timed under 5 minutes long and omnibus editions, eg soaps.

Britain’s Great War www.broadcastnow.co.uk

celebrity Big Brother: the Final

won overall with 5.1 million/21% (354,000 +1), hoovering up Waterloo Road’s 3.2 million/14% at 8pm along the way. At 9pm, C5’s Celebrity Big Brother: The Final delivered 3 million/14% (156,000 +1) to see Jim Davidson win. The people have spoken.

On Thursday at 8pm, ITV’s Emmerdale (6.5 million/31%; 116,000 +1) and 8.30pm’s Birds Of A Feather (5.9 million/26%; 138,000 +1 – its lowest yet) easily beat the final and least strong of BBC1’s Hidden Kingdoms (2.7 million/12%). With the help of +1, ITV’s Benidorm (4.6 million/ 20% at 9pm; 335,000 +1) matched

‘It was the Voice UK’s best of the series and best live Saturday since April 2012’ BBC1’s Silent Witness (5 million/21%).

Friday’s Silent Witness perked up to 5.1 million/23%, beating ITV’s Piers Morgan’s Life Stories (3.2 million/14%; 355,000 +1) at 9pm.

On Saturday, BBC1’s coverage of France V England’s Six Nations Rugby match from 4.30pm (5.9 million/32%) fed The Voice UK’s best of this series and best live Saturday rating since April 2012 with 8.5 million/37% from 7.10pm.

ITV’s Splash! plonked in with 3.6 million/16% (126,000 +1) from 6.50pm, the channel’s best show of the night. Take Me Out’s 3.3 million/15% (165,000 +1) was next from 8.20pm, behind BBC1’s The National Lottery Who Dares Wins at 8.35pm (5.9 million/27%).

On Sunday from 6.15pm, the fourth episode of ITV’s Dancing On Ice had its lowest live rating of this series (5.4 million/24%; 214,000 +1), nearly 1.5 million short of 2013’s fourth show. From 6pm, BBC1’s Fake Or Fortune? achieved 4.4 million/20%.

7pm’s Countryfile delivered 6.8 million/29%, and at 8pm, Call The Midwife reached 8.9 million/32%.

At 9pm, despite its lowest live audience yet and 600,000 behind its launch episode, ITV’s Mr Selfridge (4.3 million/17%; 374,000 +1) was closer than ever to BBC1’s The Musketeers (5.4 million/22%), which has lost 2 million since launch.

See over for digital focus, plus channel and genre overviews 7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 33

Ratings Mon 27 Jan – Sun 2 Feb Channel Overview

Top Gear races to the summit BY stephen price

This week, Top Gear returned to show Benefits Street who’s boss.

Elsewhere, and considerably more dangerous than Clarkson and co’s antics, The Jump skated on, while the biggest of Channel 4’s shouty 10pm docs proved that tattoos and regret are a potent combination.

The best-performing episode of Channel 4’s The Jump this week was Monday at 8pm (2.1 million/ 9%; 234,000 +1) opposite BBC2’s University Challenge (2.8 million/12%) and Food And Drink at 8.30pm (2.1 million/9%).

Two of the weakest three were at 9pm, the lowest of which was Sunday’s 1.6 million/7% (141,000+1).

BBC2’s Dragon’s Den beat that with 3 million/12%.

C4’s Bodyshockers returned with My Tattoo Hell at 10pm on Thursday to 2 million/12% (327,000 +1), while the channel’s Mormon documentary, Three Wives, One Husband, on Monday at 10pm netted 1.9 million/11% (300,000 +1).

BBC2’s Top Gear returned on Sunday at 8pm with 5.3 million/ 19%, its best live Sunday series rating since 2011 and ahead of ITV’s All Star Family Fortunes (4.2 million/16%; 166,000 +1) and Dancing On Ice results (4.1 million/15%; 183,000 +1), as well as C4’s Scandimania (1 million/ 4%; 125,000 +1).

Source: BARB

Week 5 Average hours per viewer Daytime share (%) Peaktime share (%) w/c 27.01.14 Peaktime share (%) w/c 28.01.13 yeAr TO DATe Average hours per viewer Audience share (%) Audience share (%) 2013

BBC1 6.32 23.23 23.93 23.77 BBC1 6.34 22.23 21.61

BBC2 1.57 4.53 7.57 7.66 BBC2 1.89 6.65 6.16

ITV1 4.22 13.38 20.51 20.78 ITV1 4.41 15.46 16.17

C4 1.69 5.99 6.66 6.19 C4 1.77 6.20 6.26

C5 1.20 4.36 4.48 3.30 C5 1.27 4.44 4.19

Others 12.09 48.50 36.85 38.30 Others 12.83 45.02 45.61

Total 27.08 100.00 100.00 100.00 Total 28.50 100.00 100.00

Day

Start

Viewers (m) (all homes)

Share %

Broadcaster BBC2

Daytime is 09.30-18.00. Peaktime is 18.00-22.30. Figures include HD and +1 where applicable

TOp 30 BBC2, CHAnnel 4 AnD CHAnnel 5 Title 1

Top Gear

Sun

20.00

5.34

19.26

2

Benefits Street

Mon

21.00

4.78

19.70

C4

3

Celebrity Big Brother: The Final

Wed

21.00

3.16

14.90

C5

4

Dragons’ Den

Sun

21.00

2.99

12.07

BBC2

5

Celebrity Big Brother

Tue

21.00

2.82

11.79

C5 BBC2

6

University Challenge

Mon

20.00

2.79

11.67

6

Celebrity Big Brother

Mon

21.00

2.79

11.49

C5

8

Horizon: Sugar V Fat

Wed

21.00

2.45

10.02

BBC2

9

Mastermind

10

The Jump

Fri

20.00

2.31

10.55

Mon

20.00

2.30

9.61

C4

10 12

Bodyshockers: My Tattoo Hell

Thu

22.00

2.30

13.37

C4

Three Wives, One Husband

Mon

22.00

2.23

13.42

C4

13

Restoration Home – One Year On

Thu

20.00

2.20

9.92

BBC2

14

The Jump

Wed

20.00

2.17

9.56

C4 C4

BBC2

15

24 Hours In A&E

Wed

21.00

2.14

8.73

15

Food & Drink

Mon

20.30

2.14

8.87

BBC2

17

The Undateables

Thu

21.00

2.13

9.21

C4

18

The Jump

Tue

20.00

2.12

9.52

C4

19

The Jump

Fri

21.00

2.04

9.17

C4

20

An Island Parish

Fri

20.30

1.99

8.57

BBC2

21

Dad’s Army

Sat

20.00

1.94

8.23

BBC2

22

Great British Railway Journeys

Wed

18.30

1.84

9.08

BBC2

23

The Jump

Thu

20.00

1.78

8.02

C4

24

Great British Railway Journeys

Mon

18.30

1.75

8.42

BBC2

25

The Great Interior Design Challenge

Thu

19.00

1.73

8.21

BBC2

26

The Jump

Sun

21.00

1.71

7.45

C4

27

Great British Railway Journeys

Fri

18.30

1.68

8.48

BBC2

27

Children’s Emergency Rescue

Tue

20.00

1.68

7.52

BBC2

29

Great British Railway Journeys

Tue

18.30

1.67

8.14

BBC2

30

The Simpsons

Tue

18.00

1.66

8.67

C4

Figures include HD and +1 where applicable

DAyTIMe SHAre (%) w/c 27.01.14

peAkTIMe SHAre (%) w/c 27.01.14

Multichannel 36.85

2.5m BBC2’s Horizon investigation Sugar V Fat held up well against Channel 5’s strong CBB final 34 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

BBC1 23.93

ITV 20.51

C5 4.48 BBC2 7.57 C4 6.66

Multichannel 48.50

1.2m

Channel 4’s The Last Leg delivered 350,000 more viewers than the last series opener in July 2013

BBC1 23.23

ITV 13.38

C5 4.36

BBC2 4.53

C4 5.99

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

All BARB ratings supplied by: Attentional

Genre Overview

Source: BARB

top 10 cHildren’s proGraMMes Title

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Grandpa In My Pocket Hank Zipzer Nina And The Neurons: Earth…

Tree Fu Tom Old Jack’s Boat Grandpa In My Pocket Just Kidding Mike The Knight My Life: Race For Rio Tree Fu Tom

top 10 factual proGraMMes

Day

Start

Viewers (Age 4-15)

Share (%)

Channel

Tue Tue Wed Sat Tue Wed Thu Wed Tue Sun

17.25 17.00 17.10 9.15 17.40 17.25 16.00 17.00 17.30 9.15

256,900 248,500 231,900 224,300 223,500 219,400 215,200 212,600 210,700 206,800

12.67 13.71 14.52 18.06 11.06 13.22 19.47 13.93 10.39 18.15

CBeebies CBBC CBeebies CBeebies CBeebies CBeebies CBBC CBeebies CBBC CBeebies

Title

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Countryfile Top Gear The One Show Benefits Street The One Show Fake Or Fortune?

Britain’s Great War The One Show The One Show A Great Welsh Adventure…

Day

Start

Viewers (millions)

Share (%)

Channel

Sun Sun Mon Mon Tue Sun Mon Thu Wed Mon

19.00 20.00 19.00 21.00 19.00 18.00 21.00 19.00 19.00 20.00

6.83 5.34 4.89 4.78 4.42 4.37 4.23 4.10 4.08 3.98

29.15 19.26 22.57 19.70 20.80 20.19 17.43 20.07 18.94 16.66

BBC1 BBC2 BBC1 C4 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV

➤ Henry Winkler’s new CBBC show Hank Zipzer went straight in at number two, but could not unseat a perennial favourite in the shape of Grandpa in My pocket. It completed a strong week for CBeebies, which snagged seven of the 10 places, including two for tree fu tom.

➤ top Gear returned with its best debut audience since January 2011, meaning it drove off with second place in the line-up. Meanwhile, Benefits street remained solid, while Jeremy Paxman’s Britain’s Great war featured in seventh.

top 10 draMa proGraMMes

top 10 entertainMent proGraMMes

Title

1 2 3 3 5 6 7 8 9 10

Call The Midwife Death In Paradise The Musketeers Midsomer Murders Casualty Silent Witness Silent Witness Holby City Mr Selfridge The Bletchley Circle

Day

Start

Viewers (millions)

Share (%)

Channel

Sun Tue Sun Wed Sat Fri Thu Tue Sun Mon

20.00 21.00 21.00 20.00 21.25 21.00 21.00 20.00 21.00 21.00

8.89 6.57 5.44 5.44 5.20 5.08 4.95 4.67 4.65 3.89

32.08 27.47 21.97 23.07 24.14 22.86 21.41 20.96 18.78 16.04

BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV ITV

➤ There were audience declines for the three top dramas, but all held on to their positions, not least call the Midwife, which looks immovable from top spot. ITV registered three entries, with Mr selfridge and the Bletchley circle both underperforming.

up The Voice adds 740,000

down Call The Midwife loses 370,000

up Top Gear debut best since January 2011

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Birds Of A Feather Benidorm Outnumbered Mrs Brown’s Boys Only Fools And Horses Dad’s Army The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons Birds Of A Feather

The Voice UK National Lottery: Who Dares Wins Dancing On Ice All Star Family Fortunes Dancing On Ice: The Results Splash!

Pointless Pointless Pointless Pointless

Day

Start

Viewers (millions)

Share (%)

Channel

Sat Sat Sun Sun Sun Sat Mon Fri Tue Wed

19.15 20.35 18.15 19.45 20.30 18.50 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15

8.50 5.90 5.62 4.29 4.22 3.75 3.74 3.73 3.73 3.62

36.57 26.61 24.86 16.33 14.98 16.54 23.28 23.23 22.73 23.12

BBC1 BBC1 ITV ITV ITV ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1

➤ the Voice uk drew its biggest audience of the series on Saturday, ensuring it topped the table by a margin of more than 2.5 million. splash! recovered marginally from last week’s record low, while pointless snatched four places for the second week on the trot.

up National Lottery adds 710,000

down The Musketeers loses 750,000

up Fake Or Fortune gains 6,000

top 10 Music & arts proGraMMes

Day

Start

Viewers (millions)

Share (%)

Channel

Thu Thu Wed Wed Sun Sat Tue Wed Mon Sun

20.30 21.00 21.00 21.30 22.35 20.00 18.00 18.00 18.00 22.15

6.01 4.97 4.76 3.58 2.91 1.94 1.66 1.62 1.53 1.52

26.69 21.47 18.92 15.00 20.86 8.23 8.67 8.62 7.86 8.93

ITV ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC2 C4 C4 C4 ITV

➤ Birds of a feather’s overnight audience appears to have evened out around the 6 million mark, which represents a very decent return for ITV. Elsewhere, outnumbered returned with nearly 4.8 million, but could only manage third. Otherwise, it was repeats and the simpsons. next week sport and current affairs www.broadcastnow.co.uk

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 10

down Dancing On Ice drops 350,000

top 10 coMedy proGraMMes Title

Title

Title

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 8

Blondie: One Way Or Another The Joy Of Abba Random Acts James Bond 50th Gala Concert Random Acts Top Of The Pops: 1979 The 2014 Annual Grammy Awards The Film Review Big Hits: TOTP 1964 To 1975 Random Acts

Day

Start

Viewers (millions)

Share (%)

Channel

Fri Sat Mon Fri Tue Thu Mon Fri Sun Wed

21.00 23.00 24.00 19.30 24.00 19.30 24.05 17.45 21.00 24.00

0.61 0.39 0.32 0.29 0.25 0.22 0.20 0.19 0.19 0.19

2.80 3.06 5.76 1.33 4.53 1.01 5.85 1.15 0.92 2.91

BBC4 BBC4 C4 BBC4 C4 BBC4 C4 BBC News Yesterday C4

➤ BBC4’s Blondie: one way or another was more than 200,000 viewers ahead of the competition in a quiet week for music and arts programming. The channel scooped up four entries in total, the same number as Channel 4, which registered three random acts.

See over for demographic and digital focus 7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 35

Ratings Mon 27 Jan – Sun 2 Feb Demographic focus Channels

Individuals Share (%)

Adults ABC1 Share (%)1

BBC1

23.48

28.35

ITV

15.66

13.94

C4

6.10

6.04

BBC2

5.76

Source: BARB

Adults ABC1 Profile (%)2

Adults 16-34 Share (%)1

Adults 16-34 Profile (%)2

Male Share (%)1

Male Profile (%)2

Female Share (%)1

Female Profile (%)2

49.52

14.47

10.84

23.97

36.52

11.30

12.69

12.14

46.48

23.07

53.52

35.29

18.60

40.62

8.77

25.27

64.71

5.71

42.58

6.43

7.46

53.13

3.60

57.43

10.98

6.01

47.51

5.55

52.49

C5

4.77

4.19

36.04

5.36

19.74

3.99

38.06

5.43

61.93

ITV2

2.56

2.31

37.00

4.33

29.74

2.14

38.04

2.91

61.99

ITV3

2.31

2.07

36.81

0.52

3.96

1.87

36.86

2.67

63.12

E4

1.92

1.87

39.98

5.15

47.12

1.93

45.75

1.91

54.23

BBC3

1.34

1.34

41.06

3.13

41.12

1.55

52.85

1.16

47.15

More4

1.30

1.36

42.96

1.35

18.27

1.25

43.81

1.34

56.19

Film 4

1.29

1.20

38.34

1.17

15.97

1.62

57.29

1.01

42.71

Dave

1.23

1.13

37.73

2.04

29.03

1.66

61.25

0.88

38.76 28.03

Sky Spts 1

1.16

1.30

45.83

1.59

24.07

1.84

71.97

0.60

Sky 1

0.90

0.83

37.49

1.76

34.23

1.03

52.07

0.80

47.93

BBC4

0.90

1.32

60.23

0.42

8.12

1.02

51.60

0.80

48.44

ITV4

0.84

0.68

32.91

0.54

11.20

1.21

65.62

0.53

34.41

5 USA

0.81

0.67

33.86

0.69

15.12

0.82

46.47

0.79

53.46

Yesterday

0.64

0.62

39.58

0.14

3.78

0.82

58.58

0.49

41.47

Drama

0.62

0.53

34.92

0.20

5.60

0.61

45.12

0.62

54.86

25%

Channel 4’s Bodyshockers: My Tattoo Hell more than doubled the channel’s average 10.5% of 25­34s in the Thursday 9pm slot.

It also attracted 21% of 16­24s (average: 11%)

Share covers all hours. Figures include HD and +1 where applicable 1: Each channel’s share of total demographic. 2: Demographic as a percentage of the channel’s total viewers.

Digital focus

Bridge closes on a high BY stephen price

In a slightly surreal moment at a Radio Times do last week, the Danish ambassador received his copy of the magazine’s cover with the star of Borgen on it. I turned to a BBC executive chum of mine who started this whole Scandi­ navian thing and said: “That is your fault.” How she laughed while trying to persuade me that in the upcoming Salamander, Flem is the new Scandi. Elsewhere, CBBC brought The Fonz back.

The best performer was ITV2’s film Despicable Me (1.5 million/ 7.5% on Sunday at 4.55pm, more than the previous Sunday (1.1 million/4%). BBC4’s The Bridge ended on Saturday with 1.1 million/ 5% at 9pm and 1 million/5% for the 10pm episode. The first was the drama’s best ever live rating, while 10pm’s was that slot’s best.

CBBC’s Hank Zipzer, starring Henry ‘The Fonz’ Winkler, gained 343,000/2% (248,000/14% chil­ dren aged 4­15) at 5pm on Tuesday.

Sunday’s repeat added 128,000/2% (89,000/8% children aged 4­15).

36 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

Source: BARB

DigiTal HoMes

Top 30 MulTicHannel prograMMes Title

1 2 3 3 5 6 7 7 9 10 10 12 13 13 15 16 17 18 19 19 21 22 23 24 24 24 27 28 28 30

Despicable Me Live Ford Super Sunday Live Ford Super Sunday The Bridge II Quantum Of Solace The Big Bang Theory The Bridge II The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Hollyoaks Live Liverpool V Everton Hollyoaks Hollyoaks Hollyoaks The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Doc Martin The Big Bang Theory Family Guy The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Tottenham V Man City Brooklyn Nine-Nine Family Guy Family Guy You’ve Been Framed! Kids The Big Bang Theory Family Guy Family Guy

Figures include HD and +1 where applicable

Day

Sun Sun Sun Sat Sat Mon Sat Tue Thu Tue Tue Wed Mon Fri Wed Thu Mon Sat Tue Sat Fri Thu Wed Thu Sat Sat Sat Thu Sat Sat

Start

16.55 15.30 12.30 21.00 21.00 18.30 22.00 18.30 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 18.30 18.30 18.00 20.00 18.00 24.00 18.30 20.00 19.00 21.00 22.55 23.20 17.45 20.30 24.25 23.40

Viewers (millions)

Share (%)

1.45 1.38 1.12 1.12 1.08 1.01 0.98 0.98 0.93 0.90 0.90 0.89 0.87 0.87 0.86 0.85 0.84 0.82 0.81 0.81 0.80 0.78 0.77 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.74 0.73 0.73 0.72

7.49 8.23 10.95 5.09 5.31 4.87 5.08 4.78 4.55 4.25 4.04 4.26 4.03 4.28 4.28 4.30 4.30 3.57 4.24 10.02 4.03 3.59 3.36 3.23 4.90 5.98 3.67 3.26 11.47 6.69

Channel

ITV2 Sky Spts 1 Sky Spts 1 BBC4 ITV2 E4 BBC4 E4 E4 E4 BT Sport 1 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4 ITV3 E4 BBC3 E4 E4 BT Sport 1 E4 BBC3 BBC3 ITV2 E4 BBC3 BBC3

Channels

Share (%)

BBC1 ITV C4 BBC2 C5 Total multichannel ITV2 ITV3 E4 CBeebies BBC3 More 4 Film 4 Dave Sky Sports 1 BBC News Sky Sports News Pick

23.48 15.66 6.10 5.76 4.77 44.22 2.56 2.31 1.92 1.41 1.34 1.30 1.29 1.23 1.16 1.09 1.04 0.94

Figures include HD and +1 where applicable

625k Audience for BBC4’s 90­minute doc Easter Island: Mysteries Of A Lost World

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

All BARB ratings supplied by: Attentional

NoN-PSB toP 50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Title

Day

Start

Viewers (000s) Share (all homes) %

Broadcaster/ Producer*

Live Ford Super Sunday Live Ford Super Sunday Live Liverpool V Everton Live Tottenham V Manchester City Hawaii Five-0 Storage Hunters Dynamo: Magician Impossible Storage Hunters The Simpsons Criminal Minds NCIS Storage Hunters The Simpsons The Simpsons Bones The Simpsons The Simpsons Gillette Soccer Saturday Live Championship The Simpsons The Simpsons Stella Live West Ham V Swansea The Simpsons Live Championship The Simpsons Gillette Soccer Saturday The Simpsons Mock The Week Deadline Day Live Dynamo: Magician Impossible The Simpsons The Simpsons Ross Kemp: Extreme World The Simpsons QI The Simpsons Storage Hunters QI XL The Simpsons Suits Sofia The First Storage Hunters Mock The Week Gillette Soccer Special The Simpsons NCIS: LA Men In Black Gillette Soccer Special Doc Mcstuffins

Sun Sun Tue Wed Sun Tue Fri Tue Tue Mon Fri Wed Fri Fri Wed Wed Mon Sat Sat Sun Thu Fri Sat Mon Thu Thu Sat Wed Fri Fri Sat Tue Sun Tue Thu Fri Sun Wed Thu Fri Thu Tue Mon Fri Tue Wed Sun Sat Tue Tue

15.30 12.30 19.00 19.00 21.00 20.30 21.00 20.00 18.30 21.00 21.00 20.30 19.00 19.30 21.00 18.30 19.00 12.00 12.00 19.30 18.30 21.00 12.00 18.30 19.30 19.30 14.30 19.00 22.00 18.00 18.00 19.00 19.00 21.00 19.00 23.20 20.00 20.00 20.00 18.30 21.00 17.25 20.30 22.40 19.30 19.30 22.00 21.00 19.30 17.10

1,378,700 1,124,700 895,600 770,200 543,500 521,300 505,800 502,400 483,500 470,400 456,300 421,500 421,500 417,100 415,400 412,300 405,800 400,800 398,900 393,900 387,100 383,300 381,700 381,200 378,900 375,600 367,900 366,000 363,800 362,800 358,400 357,300 348,300 333,300 333,100 329,800 329,500 328,800 327,500 326,800 324,800 310,400 309,300 306,800 305,000 303,500 302,000 297,100 296,100 293,600

Sky Sports 1 Sky Sports 1 BT Sport 1 BT Sport 1 Sky 1 Dave/T Group Dave/Inner Circle Films/Phil McIntyre Dave/T Group Sky 1 Sky Living Fox Dave/T Group Sky 1 Sky 1 Sky Living Sky 1 Sky 1 Sky Sports News Sky Sports 1 Sky 1 Sky 1 Sky 1/Tidy Productions BT Sport 1 Sky 1 Sky Sports 1 Sky 1 Sky Sports 1 Sky 1 Dave/Angst Productions Sky Sports News Dave/Inner Circle Films/Phil McIntyre Sky 1 Sky 1 Sky 1/Freshwater Films Sky 1 Dave/Talkback Sky 1 Dave/T Group Dave/Talkback Sky 1 Dave Disney Junior Dave/T Group Dave/Angst Productions Sky Sports 1 Sky 1 Sky 1 Watch Sky Sports News Disney Junior

Figures include HD and +1 where applicable

Deadline Day Live www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Looking

8.23 10.95 4.04 3.36 2.20 2.29 2.27 2.31 2.35 1.94 2.05 1.82 2.07 1.95 1.70 2.04 1.87 3.24 4.28 1.63 1.97 1.72 3.94 1.83 1.69 1.73 2.53 1.75 1.99 1.93 1.72 1.68 1.53 1.39 1.63 3.49 1.21 1.48 1.48 1.65 1.40 1.88 1.28 2.19 1.32 1.37 1.76 1.43 1.28 2.04

612k US show Suits returned to Dave and almost doubled its 324,000 overnight after three repeats

Few Looking at Sky Atlantic

BY Stephen price

Football is no stranger to hyperbole. Every manager’s utterance is poured over for significance, while all tackles, free kicks and hairdos are analysed ad infinitum.

And January’s transfer window is no different. As the deadline loomed, Arsenal sealed the deal to borrow a player who’s apparently already injured, and Sky Sports News had it all.

Sky Sports News’ Deadline Day Live averaged 363,000/1.9% from 6pm to 11pm on Friday, peaking at 653,000/4.5% at 10.55pm as the tension built. USA Network’s series Suits returned to Dave on 30 January at 9pm with 325,000/1.4% (Friday’s 8pm repeat achieved 130,000), slightly behind 2013’s series two launch (377,000/1.5%). Series one began in 2012 with 603,000/2.7%, still Suits’ highest live rating.

In the continued attempt to lure subscribers with exclusive content, and in the week Sky announced its co-pro deal with HBO, Sky Atlantic launched the US cable network’s gay-themed comedy drama Looking at 10.35pm on Monday.

It began with just 8,000/0.07%, less than a quarter of the slot’s already slight 0.31%. Preceding it at 10pm, Girls achieved 37,000/0.2%. At the time of writing, PVR and catch-up helped push Looking up to a consolidated 67,000, but it’s a slow start.

7 February 2014 | Broadcast | 37

Ratings Mon 20 Jan – Sun 26 Jan

All BARB ratings supplied by: Attentional

Consolidated Ratings

Antiques have value for BBC1

BY Stephen price

More than 111 million people watched the Super Bowl in the US. I’m not a great fan of knickknacks, but the idea of watching a big bowl seems preferable to me than sitting through the seemingly wilfully obtuse game that is American Football.

Essentially, men in crash helmets, who don’t hoof the ball with their foot that often, battle for hours to win something for their nana’s mantelpiece. Or maybe I am missing something.

Still, over here, knick-knacks prove that while not as ginormous as America’s biggest sporting event, they can still attract a decent audience to the UK’s more humble daytime schedules. Elsewhere, geeks rumble on, a pathologist tops the table again and

Source: BARB

those code-crackers find life a little less jolly.

BBC1: Silent Witness Not many programmes deserve the epithet ‘stalwart’ more than BBC1’s drama series Silent Witness.

Launched in 1996, it continues, to this day, to show its oomph.

This week’s two-parter, across Thursday and Friday, topped the table, each adding 2 million viewers to end on 7.2 million.

ITV: The Bletchley Circle ITV drama The Bletchley Circle registered its best-ever rating for the launch episode of its second series on 6 January (6.1 million/20%). On 20 January, the third episode (of four) reached 5.2 million/18% after 1.1 million recorded and watched.

The final episode on 27 January finished on 5.1 million/18% after 1.2 million recorded and watched; its lowest yet. A third series might be down to the toss of a coin.

E4: The Big Bang Theory Thursday 23 January’s episode

of E4’s The Big Bang Theory achieved a live audience of 2.1 million/9%. After more than 670,000 recorded and watched, the sitcom finished on 2.8 million/10%.

At the same time, Channel 4 (including +1) averaged 1.9 million/7% for the second half of Supersize vs Superskinny (1.8 million/7% for the hour). This is the best Big Bang Theory of 2014 so far and the second best of this series, which began in October 2013.

BBC1: Antiques Road Trip BBC1 Daytime’s Antiques Road Trip continues to prove, perhaps inconveniently, the enduring appeal of tat from a bygone era.

The latest daytime series ended on 24 January with a best-ever audience of 2.9 million/22% at 4.30pm, enhanced by 40,000 via PVR. The 15 episodes of 2014 averaged 2.5 million/20%, some four share points ahead of the slot in the same period in 2013.

TOP 30 CONSOlIDATED RATINgS: RANkED By gAIN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 10 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 22 23 23 25 26 26 28 29 30

1.9m Channel 5’s sci-fi import Helix added 740,000 after PVR and catch-up

UP Birds Of A Feather up 300,000 DOWN Hostages loses 300,000

Sign up to receive our ratings newsletter at broadcastnow.co.uk

Title

Day

Start

Viewers (m) (all homes)

Share %

Gain (m)

Gain %

Silent Witness Silent Witness Death In Paradise Call The Midwife The Musketeers Mr Selfridge Birds Of A Feather The Bletchley Circle Benefits Street The Voice UK Casualty Benidorm Coronation Street Coronation Street Mrs Brown’s Boys Hostages EastEnders The Undateables Helix Coronation Street Waterloo Road Paul O’Grady’s Animal Orphans Coronation Street The Big Bang Theory The Following EastEnders The Tomorrow People Criminal Minds EastEnders The Bridge

Thu Fri Tue Sun Sun Sun Thu Mon Mon Sat Sat Thu Fri Fri Sat Sat Mon Thu Mon Mon Wed Tue Wed Thu Tue Tue Wed Mon Thu Sat

21.00 21.00 21.00 20.00 21.00 21.00 20.30 21.00 21.00 19.00 21.10 21.00 20.30 19.30 22.00 21.00 20.00 21.00 22.00 20.30 20.00 21.00 19.00 20.30 22.00 19.30 21.00 21.00 19.30 22.00

7.23 7.19 8.46 10.83 7.58 6.50 7.96 5.18 6.48 8.86 5.66 6.43 8.92 9.54 5.54 1.71 8.61 3.14 1.85 11.03 3.13 3.93 9.41 2.75 0.87 8.36 1.51 1.04 8.18 1.41

24.70 25.60 30.84 35.57 24.93 21.20 30.16 18.15 22.80 36.87 22.80 21.77 34.36 40.06 24.24 6.86 32.64 10.63 11.75 40.64 12.68 14.34 41.69 10.36 4.45 35.65 5.71 3.65 35.73 6.74

1.99 1.98 1.56 1.55 1.50 1.28 1.16 1.10 1.05 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.99 0.87 0.83 0.81 0.77 0.76 0.74 0.71 0.71 0.69 0.68 0.68 0.67 0.63 0.63 0.60 0.59 0.57

37.80 38.00 22.60 16.70 24.70 24.50 17.10 27.10 19.30 12.80 21.50 18.40 12.40 10.00 17.50 89.90 9.80 31.70 66.10 6.90 29.20 21.30 7.80 32.60 346.70 8.10 71.30 134.50 7.80 67.40

Broadcaster BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV ITV ITV C4 BBC1 BBC1 ITV ITV ITV BBC1 C4 BBC1 C4 C5 ITV BBC1 ITV ITV E4 Sky Atlantic BBC1 E4 Sky Living BBC1 BBC4

Figures include HD and +1 where applicable

38 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

CORPORATE SUBSCRIPTIONS

Struggle to get your hands on Broadcast each week?

Three major obstacles between you and Broadcast‌

1 2 3

Having to fight your colleagues to get hold of the one office copy.

Coming back to your desk to find your copy, the one you left momentarily unattended, missing.

Not having individual logins meaning you can't access online content or personalise your account by selecting the email alerts and updates you want to receive.

Sound familiar? There is a solution Corporate subscriptions are ideal for companies with 5 plus individuals requiring Broadcast. Everyone in the office will get their own copy plus their own online login details, providing free roam of Greenlight commissioning data, ratings statistics and articles as well as a choice of email updates.

They offer the company savings on a per subscriber basis and are simple to manage, with one single renewal date and a dedicated account manager to answer enquiries.

Your company may even already have a corporate subscription...

CONTACT US NOW TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BE ADDED.

corporatesubscriptions@mb-insight.com

+44 (0) 203 033 2872

Off Cuts

Do you have a story that you’d like to share? Contact

robin.parker@broadcastnow.co.uk

ALL A TWITTER #birdsofafeather tonight about tattoos amongst other things. #Outnumbered last night about tattoos amongst other things.

Ooh, zeitgeisty! @mauricegran (Maurice Gran) Co-writer, Birds Of A Feather Partying hard: tea and poker

Frat’s not our cup of tea

Minor moment of feminist triumph: I successfully argued for replacing the word ‘busty’ with ‘feisty’ in a voiceover.

When Brits and Americans came together at last week’s Realscreen Summit in Washington, DC, for an impromptu late-night poker party thrown

by ITV Studios, the US producers in

attendance had to explain to the many of the UK indies what a ‘frat party’ was. Things weren’t helped the following morning when the event ran out of teabags, something that forced History UK commissioner Rachel Job and Talent Television’s Kate Beal to share the last PG Tips.

AND FINALLY ...

UKTV rises to the challenge

What words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Gordon Bennett!” Who is he anyway?

Who would you put into Room 101?

The last TV exec who didn’t give me a job.

Who is your pin-up?

Jeremy Piven (pictured).

What keeps you awake at night?

Unfortunately, not Jeremy Piven. Yet. What law would you most like to break?

Sod’s Law. What would you do with a million quid?

Expand my Camden Passage card shop ‘etc’ and open more around London.

How do you get your own way?

By refusing to answer questions like this…

What’s the most unusual drink you’ve ever had?

Strange South American cocktails are up there, but my research continues.

What’s your hidden talent?

I’ve got a mean wolf whistle to rival any builder’s.

Best of British to UKTV staff, including chief exec Darren Childs (pictured), embarking on a daunting-sounding triathlon in the name of charity. More than 100 employees – half the workforce – have signed up to the challenge, which takes in a 100km walk, a 300mile bike ride and a marathon lap, to raise funds for children’s charity Cosmic.

@sixteenthCgirl (Suzannah Lipscomb) Historian/presenter

My attempts to make David say “tweeting” last night nearly worked. We’re getting there #bbcqt @alexhuds (Alex Hudson) Producer, Question Time

OMG. Watching #sunnybeach.

Plus: Zoe Wanamaker’s disdainful voiceover. Minus: the rest.

Stuff that DLT is ON TRIAL FOR happening as routine. @edstradling (Ed Stradling) Producer/director

Red faces all around in the world of captioning. No sooner had the subtitling on BBC News celebrated ‘the year of the whores’ than Channel 4 News spelled out the meaning of ‘quango’ in screen-filling type – with the ‘u’ mysteriously absent…

Kate McIntyre Roving reporter, Police 5, Channel 5

Thank you to all of our sponsors Sponsored by

After-party sponsors

Twitter wall sponsor

5 February 2014 Grosvenor House, London

broadcastawards.co.uk 40 | Broadcast | 7 February 2014

www.broadcastnow.co.uk