www.broadcastnow.co.uk
25 October 2013
PRODUCTION
INTERVIEW
BEHIND THE SCENES
Page 24
Page 22
Page 26
Blurring the line between post & IT
Bryan Kirkwood on keeping Hollyoaks edgy
Mental health: care and consent
China limits foreign formats Co-development deals set to increase as indies and distributors battle back against new rules BY PETER WHITE
UK indies and distributors are developing strategies to keep doing business in China despite new regulations that will limit the number of international formats that can be remade there. The government-controlled State Administration of Radio, Television and Film (SARFT) introduced the rules earlier this week to reduce the number of talent formats that Chinese broadcasters acquire. The result is that domestic broadcasters will be allowed to acquire only one international format a year, while foreign formats will not be allowed to be broadcast in primetime. “China was always looking for the next Susan Boyle and it’s become a bit much,” said Jean Dong, managing director of UKChina broker Zespa Media, which brought Shine International’s Clash Of The Choirs to public broadcaster CCTV. Paul Youngbluth is director at consultant Tape and works with many Chinese broadcasters to acquire international formats. He added: “This is certainly not a door closing on the formats business in China. It just means UK producers and distributors will take a slightly different path. The Chinese authorities just want to stop the Wild West trading of formats.” British and European companies have been tapping into the lucrative Chinese market with some success in recent years. The X Factor: Zhongguo Zui Qiang Yin, which airs on Hunan TV, and The
China’s Got Talent: regulations have been introduced to limit the number of remakes of international formats
This is certainly not a door closing on the formats business in China Paul Youngbluth, Tape
Voice Of China, on Zhejiang Satellite TV, have been ratings hits, while in recent months, UK formats including Studio Lambert’s Undercover Boss, Supernanny, Secret Millionaire and The Nation’s Biggest have all been snapped up by Chinese broadcasters. China became the biggest growth market for UK programming last year, with revenues up 90% to £12m, according to Pact. Inevitably, British companies are working out how best to proceed.
While talent contests are out, Chinese broadcasters are seeking family entertainment formats, cooking formats and studio-based quiz shows. Zig Zag Productions has pitched weight-loss format Fit Family Challenge, which tries to help three generations of a family to become slimmer, directly to CCTV. Development producer Paul Hughes said: “It’s a format that’s strongly suited to China because it has a great social purpose.” Sony’s Gogglebox Entertainment recently secured a remake of BBC2 quiz Breakaway on Zhejiang, which will be produced by Sony’s joint venture Chinese production company Huaso Film and TV Digital Production. CCTV is also considering a local version of DRG-owned Catchphrase,
after it was pitched at the Edinburgh International TV Festival. “Co-development is the best way to get formats away now that the government is clamping down, particularly bringing UK creativity directly to China,” said Dong. She added that it is currently pitching season in China and encouraged UK indies to get involved. “The broadcasters are hungry and now have to think harder about what shows to do,” she said. Youngbluth said Chinese broadcasters will likely change their strategies because of the new regulations. Networks will get involved with international formats at the development stage and work directly with format creators and developers, rather than going through agents, he suggested.
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
Time for action on Rose report DG’s candid apology is welcome but he must act to restore trust
T
he Rose report in numbers: 850 staff complain of sexual harassment and bullying; one member of staff has had around 30 complaints made against him; £2.5m has been spent on the Rose report and the Dame Janet Smith review so far, part of the BBC’s £5.3m spend on Savile-related reports. Appearing before the Select Committee this week, BBC director general Tony Hall revealed the results of the Rose report so
‘Many were encouraged by the BBC’s determination to address this issue but the sense now is it is failing to act quickly enough’ far: one manager has departed and another has faced a disciplinary hearing. There is also a new bullying and harassment phoneline. Value for money? Not so far, and certainly little comfort to the victims, many of whom feel they are being inadequately and poorly treated. Hall responded candidly to Broadcast’s story that one victim of bullying emailed Hall personally about his ordeal but was ignored for months. He has since received an apology. “We cocked up,” Hall admitted. “We didn’t handle it properly; I’ll take the blame; I run the shop.” While it is good to hear Hall acknowledge mistakes, there is a feeling of huge disappointment on the ground – felt most acutely in the news division. Many were encouraged by the BBC’s determination to address this contentious issue and welcomed the introduction of new measures in the Respect at 2 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
è Tony Hall is to cut the BBC senior management headcount by nearly 8% by 2015 in a bid to save £100m a year to fund the BBC’s ambitious digital plans.
è The National Audit Office is set to be Work Review. However, the sense now is that the BBC is failing to act quickly enough, breaking its 30-day promise to respond to allegations and damaging the trust Hall says he is at pains to restore. The NUJ’s 109-page dossier makes for distressing reading, which for those involved demands decisive action. But as one bullying victim told me this week, people feel in the dark about what’s going on, adding: “There is more talk of bullying in newspapers than there is internally.” A BBC NUJ representative backed this up, suggesting “there is no see-through, no delivery… the time it is taking is undermining confidence. We’ve seen investigations go on for more than 180 days. It’s really depressing.” The NUJ suggests an independent unit should be established to deal with such complaints in future. This may be sensible, not only to ensure a fair hearing but, as the BBC rep points out, to free up managers who struggle to find time to resolve issues, given the demands of their jobs. The situation in TV appears healthier, given that Bectu is happier with the Rose report outcomes than the NUJ, and TV boss Danny Cohen has proved he is a champion of fair treatment in the workplace. Speaking at a recent RTS event, Cohen stressed that bullying is on the agenda in every speech he gives to his teams, and he has been clear about his expectations regarding the fair treatment of others. He added: “The thing I’d like to say is we make TV: we don’t save lives; we don’t confront violent criminals; we don’t put out fires. We can be nice to each other.”
granted improved access to the BBC’s books after the corporation agreed changes to its relationship with the spending watchdog.
è SIS Live is to close its OB division in March next year after its failure last month to secure any of the new BBC Sport contracts.
Ratings Top Five 1 Strictly Come Dancing beat The X Factor on a Sunday for the first time this year, peaking with 10m (38.7%). 2 The Paradise (pictured below) returned for a second series on Sunday with 200,000 fewer viewers. 3 BBC2’s look behind the scenes at frozen food retailer Iceland attracted more than 2m viewers on Monday.
One-off doc Date My Porn Star, which took three British porn obsessives to LA as part of C4’s sex season, attracted 1.4m (8.6%) viewers. 4
5 The latest doc in C5’s And Proud series doubled the channel’s slot average of 1.2m (5%) with 2.2m on Monday.
Team Tweets è “I don’t have the BBC annual report and accounts,” says MP Paul Farrelly at his committee’s hearing on the BBC annual report and accounts. @Jake_Kanter
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News & Analysis
Bullying: BBC still under fire NUJ and MPs dissatisfied with corporation’s implementation of Rose report recommendations BY Jake kaNter
The National Union of Journalists is becoming increasingly unhappy with the BBC’s efforts to tackle bullying amid Tony Hall’s defence of the corporation’s actions. The trade union is dissatisfied with the BBC’s implementation of the Dinah Rose Respect at Work recommendations and claims that news staff have become increasingly disillusioned with management efforts. The NUJ leaked a 109-page dossier it submitted to the Rose review, which contains a swathe of first-hand accounts of mistreatment of staff by managers. More than one BBC employee claimed the conditions had made them suicidal. Former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw told BBC director general Hall during a DCMS Select Committee hearing this week that the document gave the impression of a “hornet’s nest” in the newsroom “that hasn’t been addressed”. Hall rejected this theory and claimed that Rose’s recommendations are being implemented carefully. He said mediation had been introduced to “hit some of these issues early” and “in some cases” this was bearing fruit. The director general also revealed that a confidential hotline has been launched to allow staff to blow the whistle on poor working conditions. “We’ve had more than 200 discussions within teams about what a good workplace should be like and we’re also doing things like exit interviews, making sure we learn from what people are telling us about the workplace,” he told the Select Committee hearing. Hall also revealed that “a number of disciplinary hearings” have taken place and that in “at least one case” the manager responsible for bullying no longer works at the BBC. Although no details were provided on the case, it is believed to be outside of the corporation’s news division. Hall’s response did little to reassure the NUJ, with one senior BBC union representative claiming that www.broadcastnow.co.uk
The time investigations are taking is undermining confidence NUJ rep
Hall: NUJ anger at director general’s defence of BBC’s response to bullying
the director general “should know better” than to suggest that the Rose recommendations have been put in place across the broadcaster.
Complaint resolution One of the central aims of the Rose report was to cut the time it takes to settle bullying and harassment complaints from 90 to 30 days. The NUJ rep said he was aware of one case resulting from the review that has taken more than 180 days to resolve. Hall also admitted this week that his office “cocked up” in not responding to a bullying complaint from a BBC Arabic employee. The email was sent to the director general in July and it was only after Broadcast exposed the correspond-
ence this month that the BBC began looking into the matter. “It’s not looking good – there is no see-through; no delivery. Staff at the BBC want change and investigations to be carried out with integrity, but the time it is taking is undermining confidence,” the NUJ rep said. “Investigations have slipped, and the BBC always wants more evidence. The NUJ stands by the need to give people a fair hearing, but the BBC has to pull out all the stops to ensure this happens on the timescales it has promised.” He said in some cases the BBC is trying to “reinvent the wheel” by monitoring working conditions when the Health and Safety Executive already has a comprehensive
test for work-related stress. Calls to introduce this tool have been “completely ignored” by senior managers, the rep argued. BBC insiders have also aired frustrations with the way the NUJ is approaching the issue, with one claiming the union is too combative and often contributes to delays in cases being resolved. The NUJ and Bectu have repeatedly called for bullying cases to be heard independently, providing greater impartiality for those affected and easing the time pressures for managers brokering disputes. There is thought to be some empathy with this suggestion, but it has so far been rejected by the BBC. It is also clear that the NUJ’s strident views on the Rose report are not entirely shared by Bectu, which believes progress is being made outside of the news division. Director of television Danny Cohen is understood to have taken a particularly proactive approach. 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 3
News & Analysis In BrIef Andreae heads to Fox Simon Andreae has joined Fox as executive vice-president of alternative entertainment, just two months after he moved to Sony Pictures Television to set up UK-based producer Scarlet Media. Andreae will oversee the network’s slate of unscripted programming and specials. He had previously agreed to create Scarlet, which was to be majority owned by Sony, in August. Sony declined to comment on his surprise departure.
BBC1 orders Met doc BBC1 has commissioned a 6 x 60-minute documentary exploring the inner workings of the Metropolitan Police Service. Ordered by BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore and head of documentary commissioning for BBC1, BBC2 and BBC4 Emma Willis, the series will explore the challenges of policing in the capital. The doc will feature different ranks of officers, from commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe (pictured) to borough officers.
Handford joins Tiger Tiger Aspect has drafted in former Sky commissioner Clare Handford as head of factual programming. She will be responsible for generating and driving original series and primetime ideas, and will look after ongoing series including Channel 4’s Restoration Man and BBC2’s An Island Parish.
C4 launches shorts Channel 4 has begun to roll out a set of short online films for the latest series of Unreported World. The 8 x 2-minute films are designed to give viewers greater insight into and understanding of the 25-minute TV docs. The broadcaster commissioned Quicksilver Media to make the films, which will be released on the C4 website, YouTube and Vimeo when the series airs.
For the latest breaking news www.broadcastnow.co.uk 4 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
Betty’s Iuzzolino set for return to broadcasting BY ChrIs CurtIs
Walter Iuzzolino is to leave Betty after four years as creative director. The former Channel 4 commissioner is seeking a fresh challenge and is set to leave the Bear Grylls Escape From Hell producer at Christmas. He said that the “time has come for me to make the move back into broadcasting”, and is expected to reveal his plans in the new year. Iuzzolino’s departure comes almost exactly two years after Betty was bought by Discovery Communications, and he will have fulfilled the terms of his contract with the international broadcaster. While Betty is in the process of recruiting externally to bolster its senior team, Broadcast understands it is unlikely to make a direct like-for-like replacement. Iuzzolino’s credits at Betty include Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, The Undateables and Ultimate Shopper. He said his spell at the indie had been “the happiest, most creatively fulfilling chapter of my professional life”.
Iuzzolino: time at producer was a “most creatively fulfilling chapter”
Betty chief executive Liz Warner described him as “a creative zealot” and “a unique force and personality in the TV industry”. She added: “Walter has been a great creative partner and ally during an exciting period of growth. He leaves the company in rude health and we are looking to develop the senior management team to take Betty to the next level, both in the UK and overseas.”
Iuzzolino has significant experience to draw on in terms of returning to work for a broadcaster. He was acting head of features when he left Channel 4 in January 2010, and his commissioning credits during his three-year spell there include Embarrassing Bodies and The Sex Education Show. He is also a former deputy controller of features at Channel 5.
Howie to step down at ITV for life in the US BY Jake kanter
ITV daytime commissioning editor Diana Howie is to leave the commercial broadcaster at the end of the year to relocate to Los Angeles. Howie will step down before Christmas after six years with ITV, where she was responsible for ordering hit shows including The Chase and Countrywise. Howie’s family live in California and she said it was a “good time” to join them. “It has been on the to-do list for a long time and I’m leaving ITV on a high,” she added. Howie has begun conversations about finding a new role in the US and may look to exploit her experience as a producer. She said: “It’s an exciting time in the
howie: exploring us opportunities
Moving to the US has been on the to-do list for a long time. I’m leaving on a high Diana Howie
world of television and content, so there are lots of opportunities to explore.” Announcing Howie’s departure internally this week, director of daytime Helen Warner said: “I have loved working with Diana and will miss her greatly.” It is not yet known if Howie will be replaced directly, given that she has developed a remit that spans both daytime and peak programming. The Chase is the best example of this, growing from a daytime show into a primetime hit through regular spin-offs. Howie joined ITV in 2007 after holding various commissioning roles at UKTV. She was also an executive producer at Carlton TV and Cactus Television. www.broadcastnow.co.uk
News & Analysis
Pact hails new era for indies BY PETER WHITE
New terms of trade will lead to a fresh wave of consolidation in the indie sector and create greater international opportunities, according to Pact chief executive John McVay. Pact has already struck new terms of trade deals with Channel 4 and the BBC and is in negotiations with ITV and Channel 5. McVay said he expected the new agreements to encourage a fresh generation of start-up indies, leading to more producer acquisitions. He also highlighted UK indies “working at a higher level in the international market”, particularly in the US. In striking the deals, Pact has paid particular attention to technological advances and the emergence of new digital players. McVay challenged the UK indie sector to maintain its position within the digital landscape. His comments follow the release of an Oliver & Ohlbaum-produced report – A Decade of Success – looking at the impact of the Communications Act 2003 on indies over the past 10 years.
Inside Claridge’s: producer The Garden is a second-generation indie; Pact chief executive John McVay
The acceleration of growth since 2004 is attributable to the terms of trade John McVay, Pact
McVay said the terms of trade were directly responsible for at least £2bn worth of growth in the indie sector, which is now valued at £2.8bn a year.
“The acceleration of growth since 2004 is attributable to the terms of trade. Without this, there would have been no consolidation nor internationalisation among UK indies,” he said. “But you still have to be a really good producer with really good shows.” In terms of the digital marketplace, the O&O report said: “The next phase in globalisation of the content industries is likely to include the continued growth of global platforms and services
including those provided by the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Sony. Added to this are the new OTT service providers, such as Netflix, and the platform-neutral channel providers, such as YouTube, that have built scale rapidly across markets.” Additionally, McVay stressed the importance of rights windowing, which was a key point in the deal struck with the BBC, helping indies benefit from improved terms for exploiting digital rights.
Bad Education iPlayer debut points to future BY JAKE KANTER
BBC3’s strategy to premiere scripted comedy on iPlayer has paid off after Bad Education outperformed the corporation’s biggest shows on the video-ondemand platform. Series two of Jack Whitehall’s classroom comedy registered the top five most requested TV episodes on iPlayer last month, while the premiere of the second run of Some Girls also featured in the top 10. The second episode of Whitehall’s show was requested 2.13 million times, while the other four instalments all clocked up more than 1.5 million views. This put them all ahead of major BBC favourites including The Great British Bake Off and EastEnders. www.broadcastnow.co.uk
Bad Education: scripted success
The iPlayer premiere had little impact on Bad Education’s linear television audience. In fact, the comedy averaged 998,000 (5.1%) consolidated TV viewers over its six-part run, a small increase on last year’s average of 970,000 (4.7%).
The figures support the corporation’s plan to make iPlayer the ‘front door’ for audiences and iPlayer head of TV content Victoria Jay branded it “BBC television’s fifth channel”. The BBC also released some download statistics for the first time in September’s iPlayer performance pack. The iPlayer app has been downloaded more than 20 million times by iOS and Android users since launching in February 2011. Christmas day 2011 and 2012 provided peaks in traffic, with 229,200 and 385,600 downloads respectively, as users unwrapped smartphones and tablets for the first time. The app allows users to download shows to watch offline and
Top Gear has proved the most popular. The opening episode from series 20 of the motoring show was downloaded 92,000 times, while another nine instalments featured in the top 20. EastEnders was the most popular series overall, with 1.9 million downloads to date, as viewers caught up with the Albert Square drama on their mobiles and tablets. Separately, a record 43 million streaming requests came from tablets last month, while a further 27 million came from mobiles, compared with a meagre 5 million requests in September 2010. The BBC’s Jay added: “20 million downloads of the BBC iPlayer mobile app marks a golden age of public service television.” 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 5
Investing in tomorrow, today The multi-million pound Skills Investment Fund is administered by Creative Skillset and funded by industry contributions with Government match funding to support skills, talent and business development. Every pound invested by industry into the SIF will be matched by Government by up to £8m a year until 2015, making the total potential co-investment in skills through the SIF £32m over two years. In response to industry feedback and requirements, co-investment in the SIF will give companies access to: The Challenge Fund – grants of up to £1 million a year are available to individual employers or consortia of employers to deliver creative and practical ways to boost skills and develop talent in their companies. The next deadline for applications is 7 November 2013. Trainee Finder – providing the best trainee placements and giving employers access to a diverse talent pool, and match funding. Commissioned Training – created to address collective industry barriers allowing employers to procure training from approved central resources.
To find out more, go to www.creativeskillset.org/sif For Trainee Finder, email traineefinder@creativeskillset.org For Challenge Fund, please contact Fergal McBride on 020 7713 9858 or fergalm@creativeskillset.org
The SIF is administered by Creative Skillset and funded by industry contributions with Government match funding to support skills, talent and business development in the film, TV, animation, games and VFX industries. Each industry determines how it contributes to the SIF and employers who make a contribution gain access to the SIF’s talent, grants and training resources.
Supported by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport
News & Analysis Sky Atlantic to unveil slate of high-profile docs Sky Atlantic has unveiled a batch of high-profile documentaries for its second annual Documentary Film season. They include a Johnny Deppfronted doc about Hunter S Thompson collaborator Ralph Steadman, and an Errol Morris-directed film about former US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld. No Good Reason, produced by Charlie Paul’s UK indie Itch Film, follows Depp as he looks at the work of Steadman, who illustrated Thompson’s novels, including Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail ’72. The Unknown Known, from Fog Of War director Morris, consists of interviews with Rumsfeld and features his enormous archive of memos, written across 50 years in Congress, the White House and the Pentagon. It is produced by UK indies Moxie Pictures and Hanway Films. The films are two of six commissioned by Sky head of factual Celia Taylor to air in 2014. They will be unveiled at the Sky Atlantic Documentary Film Festival this week. The first season of Sky Atlantic docs included Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel; Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry; The Act Of Killing; and Manhunt: The Search For Bin Laden.
Mandabach: young writers need support BY LiSa CaMPBeLL
The BBC and indies need to join forces to address the dearth of new writing talent in the UK, producer Caryn Mandabach told Broadcast’s Production and Post Forum this week. The US-born producer behind BBC2’s critically acclaimed Peaky Blinders and US hits Roseanne and Nurse Jackie said the only way to grow new talent is for producers and the corporation to jointly fund apprentice writers. “The BBC and indies together should fund at least one apprentice writer for every big-budget production. There should be a mandate because the only way to learn is to sit with a senior writer. It needs to be acknowledged that it’s a craft that has to be passed down, just like a cobbler making shoes.” Mandabach said shorter episode runs in the UK and the lack of a writers’ room meant there were too few opportunities for writers to learn their trade on the ground, unlike in the US. “The magic of the writers’ room in the US is that you have access to the person holding the pencil.
Peaky Blinders: producer Mandabach called for apprentice writers on dramas
In the UK, the budget simply doesn’t allow it.” Mandabach, who launched her indie Caryn Mandabach Productions in the UK in 2005, added that a writer such as Peaky Blinders scribe Steven Knight could select an apprentice and decide on the level of their involvement, but should at least share drafts and explain the thinking behind their script and subsequent changes. “It’s important, especially as far as everyday storybreaking is
concerned. It’s not so much about dialogue, or the specific technicalities of a murder, for example. The emphasis needs to be about the bones of the story; that’s the real difficulty at the heart of writing.” Mandabach told delegates she expected to have news on whether the BBC had commissioned a second series of the Birminghamset drama, which ended with a consolidated figure of 2.5 million viewers, any day. News on a US sale is also imminent.
Hollyoaks proud of edgy plots as it lines up male rape storyline BY RoBin PaRkeR
Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks is restating its commitment to controversial storylines with a plot about male rape, despite Ofcom recently upholding complaints about violence in the soap. In January, it will depict the fallout of the rape of 30-year-old male teacher John Paul McQueen by 16-year-old pupil Finn O’Connor and 17-year-old Robbie Roscoe. Lime Pictures and C4 are bracing themselves for complaints, but executive producer Bryan Kirkwood noted that all four prewatershed soaps have portrayed www.broadcastnow.co.uk
The show has handled emotive subjects well and I don’t see how this should be any different McQueen: played by James Sutton
the rape of women. He argued that male-on-male attacks should be treated the same. “Hollyoaks has handled emotive subjects well and I don’t see how this should be any different,” he told Broadcast. “The actual attack
Bryan Kirkwood
will happen off-screen and we will examine the consequences.” Duncan Craig, founder of charity Survivors Manchester, described the story as “a culturally important milestone.” He added: “Rarely does TV reference the rape
of a male by someone he knows. I am proud that Lime Pictures has the courage to address this very real issue.” Gay rights campaign group Stonewall is also supporting the storyline. In August, Ofcom ruled that a Hollyoaks scene in which drug dealer Brendan pushed Walker in front of a speeding train “exceeded viewers’ expectations” at 6.45pm. Kirkwood said he respected the regulator’s ruling, adding: “We talk to C4 at every stage of the editorial process and we take our position incredibly seriously.” ➤ See Bryan Kirkwood interview, page 22 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 7
Commissioning News
BBC2 gears up for old bangers Essex Bangers has access to a group of drivers who fix up old cars for a last hurrah
BY Jake kanter
BBC2 is to explore the world of Essex petrol-heads as part of a double commission for Fremantle Media UK’s Boundless. The public broadcaster has ordered Essex Bangers (working title), which has secured access to a group of drivers who fix up old cars to take them for a last hurrah around a racing track. The 2 x 60-minute series will follow the Arena Essex Raceway drivers, mechanics, enthusiasts and wannabes on and off the track as they compete in the 2013 season. The raceway hosts meetings into November, meaning Boundless is currently capturing races as they unfold. Essex Bangers was ordered by Tom McDonald, a commissioning editor for documentaries on BBC1, BBC2 and BBC4. The executive producer is Victoria Silver for Boundless. The Fremantle Media label will also make Jimmy Doherty’s latest show for Channel 4: a special 90-minute film exploring the world’s best diets.
BBC1 commissions celebrity gymnastics competition BBC1 has commissioned two new entertainment formats, including a Saturday night celebrity gymnastics competition. Let’s Get Ready To Tumble (w/t) has been created by the BBC in-house entertainment format development team and its editor Leon Wilde. In the series, trainers of Olympic medallists Louis Smith (pictured) and Beth Tweddle will attempt to transform celebrities into gymnasts. The BBC commissioner is Mirella Breda. BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore and controller of entertainment commissioning Mark Linsey ordered the show, as well as a new primetime makeover series called Your Home In Their Hands. In the latter, homeowners will hand over 8 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
Banger racing: BBC2 two-parter is filmed at arena essex raceway
The food engineer will travel the world to compile a list of the worst offenders and best providers of the planet’s healthiest foods. It will culminate in pulling together “the world’s best shopping basket”, a weekly diet of super-foods that can be secured in the UK.
Doherty will be joined on his mission by an international team of nutritionists plus Kate Quilton, C4’s multiplatform commissioning editor for specialist factual, who is doing an increasing amount of presenting work. She was one of the team
their keys to people they think are professional redecorators, but the twist is that those doing the makeovers have only ever decorated their own homes. The series was developed in-house by Rachel Arnold and Richard Hastings. The BBC commissioner is again Mirella Breda.
marketplace, whose founder Ross Ulbricht was arrested by the FBI earlier this month. The doc was ordered by Storyville editor Nick Fraser and will be directed by Emily James.
BBC4 orders drugs doc BBC4 has commissioned The Silk Road, a documentary about the illicit drugs and weapons online market, from Raw TV and Vice. The commission is the first original documentary to be produced for TV in the UK by the youth-skewing Vice brand, which is working with The Imposter producer Raw for the first time. Part of the Storyville strand, it will tell the story of the criminal
C5 to delve into pothole problems for STV doc Channel 5 has commissioned a one-off potholing documentary from STV Productions. The broadcaster has ordered 1 x 60-minute Pothole Britain, which will investigate why payouts from local authorities to pothole victims totalled £50m in 2012. It will also talk to the victims, councils and campaigners looking to solve the issue. The doc was commissioned by C5’s Emma Westcott and will be produced by STV and GroupM Entertainment. Exec producers are STV’s Liam Hamilton and GME’s Abigail Adams and Tony Moulsdale. It will be directed by Nicky Taylor.
who fronted Ricochet’s Food Unwrapped last year, which aired on Channel 4. World’s Best Diet (working title) was ordered by David Glover, senior commissioner for specialist factual at C4. Boundless’ Claudia Lewis is the executive producer. Boundless managing director Patrick Holland said: “From the world of banger racing in Essex to the global quest for the ultimate best diet, I’m thrilled to be making two such exciting and very different primetime factual commissions.”
For details of all commissions, see
http://greenlight.broadcastnow.co.uk
Shine TV challenge brings Bear Grylls back to C4 Bear Grylls (below) is returning to Channel 4 with a series in which he will challenge 12 men to survive on a desert island for four weeks. In the 5 x 60-minute The Island Of Lost Blokes, produced by Shine
TV and Bear Grylls Ventures, a group of men will be stripped of home comforts and left to survive on the island alone. Grylls described the series as “Lord Of The Flies meets Bear Grylls meets Darwin’s survival of the fittest”. The Island Of Lost Blokes will air on C4 next year. www.broadcastnow.co.uk
For more projects in development and the latest commissions, visit
http://greenlight.broadcastnow.co.uk
Q&A ElizABETh MCinTyrE elizabeth McIntyre Vice-president, production and development, factual commissioner, Discovery networks International What’s your most recent commission and why? A new survival series with Ed Stafford, produced by Tigress Productions. In Naked And Marooned – Ed’s last series and a fantastic global success – he wanted to push himself to the limit, experimenting with ways to survive with absolutely nothing on a desert island. He now wants to see if he can survive alone in other extreme environments – places that may look like paradise, but hold hidden dangers. Ed encapsulates the heart of Discovery’s editorial values – he’s authentic, risktaking and pushes the boundaries. How much has the programme changed from what was initially pitched? The show has stayed true to its original concept. The idea’s authenticity and simplicity is key: ex-military Ed has a passion to know how he’s able not just to survive, but to thrive in high-risk locations. What was it that grabbed you? The show was born of a personal ambition of Ed’s, making it all the more authentic. What would you like more of? We are always looking for long-running returnable series to air globally, and commissions aimed solely at the UK market. Either character-led (talent with expertise) ultra-real adventure/endurance or new pop science formats. What’s a definite no for you? While there is a definite place for brand-defining specials such as Shackleton: Death Or Glory, it’s best to pitch series – for example, The World’s Biggest Ship, which is currently airing on Quest.
What’s the best line you’ve heard in a pitch? “I love your American Pickers.” What’s the worst line you’ve heard in a pitch? “I could do with being talked through some of the shows on Discovery.” What’s your riskiest commission and why? Pop science formats aimed at bringing in a younger audience around the globe while retaining the core 35-45 audience – such as What Happened Next? (Twofour) and You Have Been Warned (October Films) – which combine entertainment and specialist factual. These shows have proven to drive ratings in all of our international markets. What is the most important lesson life as a commissioner has taught you? Producer relationships are at the heart of everything. How quickly do you aim to respond to an idea? Within a week. Who has final sign-off? Julian Bellamy, creative director and head of production and development for Discovery Networks International. How should producers pitch to you? Producers should feel free to contact me via email in the first instance. I will happily schedule a follow-up meeting as necessary. What’s your top pitching tip for producers? Be able to summarise in a couple of lines what your show is about, and bring tape of talent.
Further information and programming tariffs available at: http://greenlight.broadcastnow.co.uk
rECEnT CoMMiSSionS
SHACKLETON: DEATH OR GLORY
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SHIP
Production company Raw TV Length 3 x 60 minutes TX Thursdays from 24 October, 9pm, Discovery Channel Summary Six men, one tiny wooden boat, and the most dangerous feat of survival in the history of exploration. Explorer Tim Jarvis and a crew of five men will attempt to follow Sir Ernest Shackleton’s incredible journey – using exactly the same equipment and clothing as used a century before.
Production company Windfall Films Length 6 x 60 minutes TX Tuesdays at 10pm, Quest Summary Follow the creation of the world’s biggest ship, from design to maiden voyage. Built by Maersk Line, the ship is 40% larger than any in existence – longer than four football pitches, heavier than 55 nuclear submarines and able to carry more than 300 million bottles of wine.
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25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 9
International News
Starz eyes UK drama projects Content boss Carmi Zlotnik outlines cable network’s plan to compete with HBO and Showtime BY peter white
US cable network Starz is scouting for more UK drama projects as it aims to compete with premium broadcast rivals HBO and Showtime and reach 75 hours of original content over the next few years. Run by chief executive Chris Albrecht, the former HBO boss who was responsible for The Sopranos and Sex And The City, Starz is the most aggressive US broadcaster in terms of working with UK scripted indies. It has projects with the likes of Left Bank Pictures, Company Pictures, Tiger Aspect’s Fifty Fathoms and Ferret Productions under way, plus a wide-ranging production deal with BBC Worldwide. Carmi Zlotnik, chief executive of content division Starz Media, previously worked with Albrecht at HBO. He was also previously head of global operations at UK indie IMG Global, before joining the Liberty Media-backed broadcaster. “I’m very familiar with the UK market,” he told Broadcast. “It has a great talent pool and I’m very comfortable working with UK producers.” The broadcaster is set to reach 50 hours of original content next year, with shows including Company’s The White Queen, which it is considering bringing back, BBCW’s David Goyer-penned Da Vinci’s Demons and forthcoming Sky co-production Fortitude. Zlotnik said the target for origination is 75 hours over the next few years, and much of this will come from US producers. Already lined up is Power, a CBS Studiosproduced gangster drama exec produced by rapper 50 Cent, and pirate drama Black Sails, produced by Transformers director Michael Bay and set to launch in January. However, it is also looking further afield and has ordered Outlander, a period sci-fi drama based on Diana Gabaldon’s novels and exec produced by Battlestar Galactica creator Ron Moore. The show, which tells the story of a married combat nurse from 10 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
Black Sails: pirate drama set to launch in January is one of a number of US-produced originations to air on Starz
I’m very familiar with the UK market. It has a great talent pool and I’m comfortable working with UK producers Carmi Zlotnik
1945 who is mysteriously sent back to 1743, was filmed in Scotland and is produced by Andy Harries’ Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television. Starz is also developing Fleet Street, a period drama project executive produced by former Daily Mirror editor and CNN anchor Piers Morgan. The series, which is set in the UK in the 1970s, chronicles the rise of tabloid journalism and the sexual revolution. It is being produced by Morgan’s indie Ferret Productions, Richard Branson’s film and TV production company Virgin Outsourced, and Mad Men producer Lionsgate. If commissioned to a full series, the show will likely be shot in the UK, taking advantage of the
recently introduced tax break. It is being written by Danny Brocklehurst, who penned a number of episodes of Channel 4’s Shameless,
BBC Worldwide deal The company’s deal with BBCW, which was signed in 2011 following its co-production of Torchwood: Miracle Day, promised up to 100 hours. Goyer is now working on series two of Da Vinci’s Demons and Starz is working on new ideas with the BBCW team in LA. “We’re developing other projects with them; this deal underscores our belief in such partnerships,” said Zlotnik. Starz is now looking for more modern ideas following a raft of period dramas, including Magic
City and Camelot. “I’m focused on adding contemporary pieces. We’ve done a lot of period pieces so I’m looking for balance,” Zlotnik said. Starz is hoping to find relationship-based series and a drama set within the international crime genre. “I’m open for ideas; it’s all about the material and the writers, that’s what motivates us more,” he said. Eventually, the broadcaster would like to develop unscripted material. It is also taking its first steps back into comedy development, working on Survivor’s Remorse, a half-hour comedy about one of Philadelphia’s toughest neighbourhoods, from basketball player LeBron James and Roseanne producer Tom Werner. However, Zlotnik said it will tread carefully when it comes to comedy and it isn’t looking to open the floodgates to pitches that have been rejected elsewhere. “We’re not taking comedy pitches, but Survivor’s Remorse was a project that came across our desk by coincidence, because of the people who brought it to us. There’s ambition to do this eventually, but not right now,” he added. www.broadcastnow.co.uk
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The deadline for entry is Tuesday 3 December 2013 For more details visit http://awards.bafta.org/entry or contact David Lortal on entrysupport@bafta.org
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International News Miramax bolsters UK business with Misselbrook hire Miramax, the film and TV studio set up by Harvey Weinstein, is beefing up its UK business by hiring former BBC Worldwide executive Tom Misselbrook. Misselbrook, who will join as television sales manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, was previously senior manager, scripted sales and co-productions at BBC Worldwide. He was based in New York and sold content and projects to online services such as Hulu and Netflix. He will now be responsible for selling Miramax’s slate of movies, including Reservoir Dogs and Good Will Hunting, to broadcasters, in addition to its forthcoming TV series. Miramax is planning to push further into TV production and is developing a remake of Sylvester Stallone film Copland with US cable network Starz. It is also working with Martin Scorsese on a TV remake of Gangs Of New York. Miramax is owned by an investment group that includes Colony Capital and Qatar Investment Authority. It signed a volume film deal with UKTV last year. Before joining BBCW, Misselbrook worked at Entertainment One, distributing series such as AMC’s zombie drama The Walking Dead and NBC legal thriller The Firm.
C5 backs away from US Gavin & Stacey remake BY PeTeR WhiTe
Channel 5 has stepped back from plans to acquire the US remake of Gavin & Stacey after production of the comedy was halted in the US. The Northern & Shell-owned broadcaster had been set to close a deal for the series, known in the States as Us & Them, but backed off after network Fox put the show into hiatus. The series, which stars Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel in the title roles, was set between New York and Pennsylvania and originally commissioned as a 13 x 30-minute run. But Fox has now halted production after seven episodes (including the pilot). Fox, which has not officially cancelled the remake, is expected to air the six episodes in the new year, but is not likely to produce any more. Us & Them is produced by Sony Pictures Television, BBC Worldwide Productions and Baby Cow, which made the original BBC version. It is distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television, the Hollywood studio that was set to ink the deal with Channel 5 before the hiatus. Sony is expected to continue to pitch the existing episodes to UK
Us & Them: Fox stopped production on the remake after seven episodes
broadcasters, but the show will more likely end up on a UK subscription video-on-demand service rather than a traditional channel. This is the third time a remake of Gavin & Stacey has been attempted in the US, following failed attempts by NBC and ABC. Us & Them was one of three adaptations of UK formats by US
networks for the 2013/14 season following ABC’s pick-up of Lucky 7, a remake of The Syndicate, and The CW’s order of The Tomorrow People. The latter is a sci-fi series based on the Thames TV-produced kids’ series, devised for ITV in the 1970s by Roger Price. The remake has been acquired by Channel 4 for youth-skewing network E4.
Universal Channel snaps up LA Screenings prime target Rake Rake was one of the most talked-about series of this year’s LA Screenings. It’s a perfect fit for Universal Channel
BY PeTeR WhiTe
Universal Channel has acquired the US adaptation of legal comedy drama Rake after striking a deal with Sony Pictures Television. The acquisition is part of Universal’s strategy to buy more firstrun US programming from the LA Screenings, as well as focusing on more character-led dramas, rather than procedural series. The NBC Universal-owned pay-TV broadcaster hopes to replicate the success of supernatural thriller Sleepy Hollow, which became the channel’s highestrating launch this month, with www.broadcastnow.co.uk
James Newton, Universal Channel
Rake: acquired in deal with SPT
consolidated figures of more than 670,000 for its first episode. Rake stars Little Miss Sunshine actor Greg Kinnear as brilliant but self-destructive criminal defence
lawyer Keegan Joye, who spars with everyone around him, from his ex-wife and judges to his bookie and the IRS. The US series, which is produced by Peter Tolan’s Fedora
Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television, will launch on Fox later this season. The original series was produced by Australian indie Essential Media and Entertainment for public broadcaster ABC. “Rake was one of the most talked-about series of this year’s LA Screenings and we knew it would be the perfect fit for Universal Channel and our new positioning,” said Universal Channel director James Newton. “It immediately became a prime target for us, and we’re delighted to have secured it this early, long before its US launch.” 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 13
Multiplatform News In brIef Netflix enters movie biz Netflix has revealed plans to commission a raft of original feature films. Chief financial officer David Wells said: “On the movie side, I would keep my mind wide open to what those films would be and what they would look like.” The online streaming service announced the plans as it released its thirdquarter earnings on Monday.
Endemol UK creates apps Endemol UK is creating apps in-house for its TV properties for the first time. The super-indie plans to create a network of apps based on existing shows, as well as apps devoted to new games. New Deal Or No Deal (pictured) and Pointless apps, which both allow participants to play against friends, will be available on iOS and Android devices next month.
Sky Sports in Twitter deal Sky Sports has struck a deal with Twitter to share video highlights from European Champions League football games in realtime. The broadcaster is working with Grabyo Studio, a cloudbased service that enables broadcasters to grab, edit and share clips in real-time using an online browser. The move is a bid by Sky to encourage viewers to sign up to its new online service Now TV, which gives subscribers access to all six Sky Sports channels for 24 hours for £9.99.
YouTube mobile use soars YouTube has revealed that mobile devices now account for nearly 40% of all traffic to the video site. The figures show a significant rise on previous years – in 2012, mobile made up 25% of site visits, and 6% in 2011. The figures were released as parent company Google announced its financial results. YouTube hinted at plans to strike a number of long-form content deals in the US and around the world.
For the latest breaking news www.broadcastnow.co.uk 14 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
Yahoo! orders Queen’s Twitter spoof animation BY alex farBer
Twitter star @Queen_UK is to be brought to life after winning a commission from Yahoo! UK. The spoof social media profile, which parodies the Queen and is best known for calling on its 1.1 million followers to take part in ‘gin o’clock’, has been handed an animation series that will launch on 15 November. An alternative Christmas Speech has been scheduled to go live on 25 December. The 6 x 3-minute series, to be distributed via the Yahoo! portal, will be produced by digital agency Sweetweets with animation by Cutlass Productions. Yes Ma’am, which will include episodes such as ‘Prince William is Left Holding the Baby’, ‘Budget Day Briefing’ and ‘Prince Harry’s Search and Rescue Mission’, will feature the voice of Kate Robbins, who played the Queen and other female characters in Spitting Image. Robbins will be joined by Lewis MacLeod, who will voice characters including Prince Harry, George Osborne and Boris Johnson. Yahoo! head of video Dan WattSmith, who ordered the series, said Yes Ma’am reverses the usual
Yes Ma’am: spoof Twitter profile @Queen_UK has been turned into a series
It’s an online video series for the Queen’s dedicated subjects and followers Dan Watt-Smith, Yahoo!
trend of characters from TV shows setting up Twitter profiles. “Usually, we see characters from TV shows beating a path
to Twitter, but we’re trying an alternative approach, creating an online video series for the Queen’s dedicated followers and subjects. “Each episode will not only give us a topical angle to promote, but will have long-term appeal, much like her Majesty,” he said. The secret creator of @Queen_ UK launched the profile in May 2010 and published a book, Gin O’Clock, in 2011.
Web WaTch InTerrogaTIon SuITe
U
K indie Leviathan Films is making drama thriller Interrogation Suite for a content portal based on US online video service Hulu. The producer, which is run by The Da Vinci Detective director Nigel Levy, struck a deal with TV4 Entertainment, a digital entertainment company that operates a portal on Hulu. TV4 is run by former Hulu general manager Jon Cody. Interrogation Suite is a 10 x 10-minute drama that follows multiple interrogations around the world that link together. It was written by Northern Irish playwright Gary Mitchell and will film next year. Levy, who described the show as In Treatment-esque, told Broadcast: “Since Netflix launched House Of Cards, everyone’s thinking about what shows will work online. I thought this concept would work really well.” The project is one of the first by a UK producer to launch directly onto the digital video service, following BBC Productions’ co-pro with Hulu for the James Corden-fronted action comedy The Wrong Mans.
In Treatment: similar format
Developer Leviathan URL www.hulu.com
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Technology & Facilities
Fleet up for grabs as SIS Live exits OB market BY GeOrGe BevIr
Millions of pounds worth of HD and SD outside broadcast trucks are up for sale after SIS Live revealed it is pulling out of the OB market. The company had previously held the majority of BBC Sport contracts after acquiring the broadcaster’s OB division in 2008, but last month BBC Sport announced that SIS had not been successful during the last round of OB tenders. More than 200 staff, many of them former BBC employees, will face redundancy when the department shuts down in March. In preparation for the closure, SIS is looking to find buyers for its extensive fleet of OB trucks, including 14 HD and four SD production units. SIS chief executive Gary Smith described the OB sector as a “commodity marketplace where price is the dominant factor”.
We have never been prepared to sacrifice quality to deliver a cheaper service Gary Smith, SIS Live
For sale: SIS Live is taking offers on its fleet of HD and SD OB trucks
He said: “Our difficulty in reaching terms with BBC Sport over the renewal of its sports contracts offered a vivid reflection of the problem. We have always sought to be competitive in our pricing, but we have never been
prepared to sacrifice quality just to deliver a cheaper service.” He added: “In view of the pricing pressure for long-term contracts for customers such as the BBC, we have come to the conclusion that the outside broad-
cast market, as it is today, no longer offers an arena in which it makes sense for us to continue to operate.” SIS Live’s equipment and links and teleport divisions will not be affected by the closure. “This decision will allow us to focus with renewed confidence and determination on the other parts of our business, where our commitment to excellence continues to be reflected in strong market demand and a high level of customer satisfaction,” added Smith.
Creative review
Shackleton: Death or Glory Post Clear Cut Pictures Client Raw TV Brief Post-produce the three-part series that recreates Sir Ernest Shackleton’s escape from Antarctica. How it was done Clear Cut assisted with camera trials, creating a workflow and training production crew. Colourist Enge Gray used DaVinci Resolve to give the programme a cold, desaturated palette to add to the miserable and freezing conditions. Senior dubbing mixer Ben Newth cleaned up the distorted audio that had been recorded in stormy conditions. He used heavy EQ and restoration tools on the sync and dialogue. To add emphasis to the storms and drama to the images, a contrast of sounds and dynamics were used. Watch it Thursdays, 9pm, Discovery
karl PilkinGton: the MoaninG of life Post The Farm Client Me & You Productions Brief Post-production on the 5 x 60-minute series in which Karl Pilkington experiences how other cultures face up to some of life’s biggest issues. How it was done Colourist Aidan Farrell had to create a linear look throughout the series, from a variety of source materials acquired using the Canon C300 and Canon 5D. He graded the series using Nucoda Film Master, employing a stylised and modern look in a bid to give Pilkington a prince-like quality on his journey. With each episode focusing on a different theme and shot in a different location, Farrell created a distinct look for each. Watch it Sundays, 9pm, Sky 1
VeeP Post Technicolor Client HBO Studios Brief Grade and provide digital intermediate and mastering services for the second series of Armando Iannucci’s political satire. How it was done Senior colourist Dan Coles used Baselight to grade all 10 episodes, promos and deleted scenes for the second season, which was shot with an Arri Alexa. Coles worked remotely with director of photography Jay Feather to give the comedy a vibrant look. Using identical monitoring, Feather remained in New York while Coles graded in London. He created a natural but colourful look to suit the comedy, using subtle techniques in the grade to accentuate the narrative. Watch it Wednesday, 10.35pm, Sky Atlantic
You can view clips at broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/creative-review To include your work email george.bevir@broadcastnow.co.uk 18 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
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£10m drama hub in works New Manchester production complex will house five studios totalling 50,000 sq ft of space BY GeOrGe BevIr
Work begins this week on a £10m scheme to build an extra 50,000 sq ft of dedicated drama studio space in Manchester. The team responsible for the Sharp Project is leading the council-backed scheme to turn a former Fujitsu computer centre into a production complex, which will house five studios ranging in size from 8,891 sq ft to 11,194 sq ft. Sharp Project director Sue Woodward said a high level of demand for studio space was one of the reasons for the expansion and she expects the high-end drama tax breaks introduced earlier this year to create a “new wave” of productions. The site for the yet-to-be-named drama hub covers 360,000 sq ft and is three miles from the Sharp Project. Some demolition and site clearance work has already taken place at the Gorton site, which is due to be up and running by the end of May next year. The Sharp Project, which contains four production stages and office space for start-up firms, is already home to productions such as Mount Pleasant and Fresh Meat, and will continue to provide space for drama productions. “This is about building and growing, not separating,” said Woodward. “The Sharp Project just can’t cope with the demand. With this new site, we’re building for the future. “We have deconstructed the process of making drama to ensure we take into account things that can make life tricky, such as access to the site and overnight parking.” She added: “Where the Sharp Project was a building to which we gave a sense of purpose, we have chosen the site in Gorton for its access and scale – it will be the most exciting purposebuilt drama centre to open in the UK for decades. “With the lessons we have learned from the Sharp Project, we can make it a high-quality and affordable space. We have a small www.broadcastnow.co.uk
Artist’s impression: studios expect to benefit from a new wave of high-end productions in the wake of tax breaks
this is about building and growing, not separating. the Sharp Project just can’t cope with the demand Sue Woodward, Sharp Project
but very focused team at the Sharp Project and we will adopt the same kind of approach at the new drama hub.” The site will contain a workshop and a purpose-built prop store, a canteen, dressing rooms, production offices and seven offices for long-term tenants who supply services to drama productions. Woodward emphasised that the facility has been designed specifically for long-form productions.
“It’s not being built as a broadcast centre for live and audiencebased shows – there is already MediaCityUK in Manchester, which is great for that,” she said. “If someone wants to make a TV commercial, we won’t turn them away, or a production could turn up with a scanner, but that’s not the market we’re chasing.” In December, Manchester City Council approved expenditure of £10.6m for the expansion,
including £4m from the European Regional Development Fund for the part-refurbishment building work at the site, which is owned by the city council. “The council has been hugely supportive,” said Woodward. “It recognises that the creative digital sector can provide new jobs and aspiration to young people in the city, and has spent a lot of time considering where to invest to get maximum impact for young people. The creative and digital sectors provide that.” The contract to manage the dayto-day operations of the Drama Project will be awarded following a procurement process. CTMS, the parent firm of Manchester and Glasgow post-production firm 422.tv, provides facility management at the Sharp Project. The Sharp Project, which opened in 2009, is a 250,000 sq ft redevelopment of factories previously used by electronics company Sharp. 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 19
Comment
I want to get the audience excited, whether they’re shouting at the TV or talking online Bryan Kirkwood, Interview, page 22
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Evolution is in drama’s DNA Learning from the past and adapting is key, says Barbara Machin
T
V drama is a rapidly evolving creature, growing new limbs, losing others, changing shape and potential as the decades flash by. And listen up people: we have only had about 60 years. That is a very short lifespan for a major art form. Innovation is a zig-zag path and every new influence subtly changes the DNA of what happens next. It can be the next big idea or just a small touch on the tiller. For better or worse, it must be individual enough to influence what comes next. It should make the audience sit up and actually engage before tweeting. It is the nowness of narrative that makes it fresh and distinctive, and after which only another new challenge will do. Roll back the years and while cinema was all colour and spectacle, the small screen came of age in 1966 with the iconic black-and-white Talking To A Stranger, which spent eight riveting hours with four people in a series of rooms. That year, Ken Loach’s Cathy Come Home also appeared; in the following decades, the likes of Rock Follies and The Singing Detective broke new ground in new ways, each of them asking big, exciting questions. Let’s not get too starry-eyed or downcast. These shows were children of their time. They reworked the gene pool and laid down an inheritance that later bore such varied delights as Life On Mars, The Cops, Bodies, The Office, This Is England, The Street, The Slap, Sherlock and Luther. And many others. We are in a heady soup of change and creative mutation. Even small adaptive tweaks allow big changes. Long-running series, once a collection of strictly self-contained episodes, now run hugely complex, serialised stories around the central
characters, and this has cross-bred with the newly bulked-up, big Scandi dramas. Series one of The Killing triggered this bravado with a 20-episode series, all of it serialised. Away from the ‘conventions’ of established English-speaking dramas, they had done it their way. And before we knew it, it became our next big thing. Except, of course, it wasn’t. Murder One had already done it brilliantly a decade before. Twenty hours, one case. Zig-zag evolution. And swiftly the drama genomes reconfigure and we’re doing it our way with Broadchurch. Not on the same scale (that is another subject entirely), but with an ambitious, bold series that twists an established genre into a new shape. And already mutating onwards, The Fall (pictured) emerges next. Another big, pay-attention series but breaking new ground using two points of view: the cop and the criminal. In doing so, it breathed fresh audacity into yet unborn new shows. Being a gloomy, self-deprecating bunch in TV, we tend to ride a rollercoaster of gloom and self-doubt. The questions are familiar: are we as creative as back in the day? Are we as adventurous as the Americans, the Danish, the French? Did we have our golden age then lose our touch ? It’s an important and positive paranoia and without it we’re dead. Natural selection rules; complacency kills. ➤ Barbara Machin is currently writing Mindhunter for BBC1 and adapting Susan Hill’s The Small Hand for BBC2. She is chairing a panel on TV writing tomorrow (25 October) at the London Screenwriters’ Festival at London’s Regent’s University
‘We are in a heady soup of change and creative mutation’
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Your SaY
Fox Wars: creative filming
Cunning ways to catch an urban fox Filming foxes was great fun but turned out to be quite a challenge. The majority of Fox Wars was shot with the Canon XF305 and C300: the XF305 for the observational filming and the C300 for low-light conditions. But we also used the Canon XF100 for infra-red night shooting, and Canon 5D and GoPros for specific jobs. One of our main contributors, Nobby, fed foxes in a street overrun with them, so we filmed over a couple of long nights – and were rewarded with a touching latenight scene. I used a C300 with a variety of lenses at an ISO of 20,000, which let me shoot in poor light without infra-red. Another of our characters, Janet, had a problem of a fox fouling her garden. We wanted to film where the fox entered, so she could set up appropriate defences. We ended up installing a domestic CCTV camera system that allowed us to record 24/7 on four cameras for about two weeks. The hunting scene with Lee was shot on a farm in pitch black darkness. I used the infra-red mode on the Canon XF100 to film Lee shooting foxes, and a device called an Iscope. It attaches itself to a rifle and allows you to film on your mobile phone what the hunter is seeing through their scope. This allowed us to cut from a shot in infra-red of Lee with a rifle, to a shot of his actual scope as he shoots the fox. We also got some lovely high location shots with a combination of Landmark’s so-called Hedgecam tripod, which goes up to 25 feet, with either a GoPro or a Canon 5D on top. This is an edited extract from a blog on broadcastnow.co.uk by Leon Dean, producer-director of Fox Wars www.broadcastnow.co.uk
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In mY vIew Response on broadcastnow.co.uk to our story ‘ITV and Lime settle TOWIE case’ Congratulations Brian. The general acceptance within the industry that ideas get nicked all the time is appalling. Credit where credit’s due. ‘Sorry it’s not for us’ – until we’ve sat on it a few months, mulled it over, tweaked it and decided it is for us after all, except it’s now our idea not yours. That’s the commissioning process isn’t it? Development producer I’ve never met anyone in the TV industry who didn’t claim that TOWIE was their idea. Producer A four-year battle, a massive victory for Brian. Well done mate. Agent Response on broadcastnow.co.uk to our story ‘Moving On to be first iPlayer drama premiere’ It’s a start but not enough. Why don’t they trail it with one of the big shows such as Bake Off? It won’t give a true indication. Anonymous Response on broadcastnow.co.uk to our story ‘BBC1 poaches Great British Bake Off’ Confused by this – does it make any difference at all? Is the “even broader audience on BBC1” all those people unable (or unwilling) to flick up a channel? Anonymous Response on broadcastnow.co.uk to our story ‘BBC1 commissions celebrity gymnastics show’ Just when you thought the bottom of the barrel had been scraped, the BBC manages to find something lying below the barrel. ITV has a semi-flop with Splash! – although it is so in denial it commissioned a second series – so the BBC go: “What other minor Olympic sports did we win medals at? I know, gymnastics. Didn’t that chap from Strictly win a silver? Let’s get him on – and that girl, Beth Twaddle.” Producer I love TV right now. It is so fabulously bad. And The Beeb now joins the idiocy club! You have to admit, Let’s Get Ready To Tumble is a funny title... Ben Frow must be fuming. TV executive
PSBs have duty to air views from every part of society Tommy Robinson film shows why we have to explore taboo subjects, says Aaqil Ahmed
B
ack in April 2012, The Big Questions had the then leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson on the show. My attention that day was focused around security so I didn’t notice the Muslim activist Mo Ansar’s offer to Tommy for both their families to have dinner. It was the start of a journey that led to me commissioning a documentary on Mo’s attempts to show Tommy a more rounded view of Islam and for Tommy to show Mo why some people are worried about extremist Islam in the UK. For someone like me, schooled in the student politics of the 1980s, this should have been unthinkable. The BBC, giving a voice to a person described by some as an Islamophobe, a hooligan and even a racist? I’m not totally convinced by these descriptions but the one thing I am convinced about is we need to hear views, however difficult or challenging they may be. Scheduling and unnecessary offence have to be taken into consideration but I strongly believe that true public service broadcasting has to include voices from across a wide spectrum. I remember commissioning Inside The Mind Of The Suicide Bomber at Channel 4. This was the first time failed Palestinian suicide bombers, recruiters and bomb makers had talked openly in a documentary. It was a scary moment, with no experts, and no victims, just the brilliant film-maker Tom Roberts questioning everyone about why they did what they did. It was either a brave or stupid idea, but to me it was the correct one. If you want to defeat terrorism, you have to understand it, not appease it or condone it. Through this prism of enquiry and acceptance of diversity of opinion, we have been able to go into subjects that many others
would consider taboo in programmes such as The Qur’an or The Life Of Muhammad. From highlighting research that suggests parts of the Qur’an should be read not in Arabic but in Syriac, and therefore giving a different meaning, to having contributors suggesting Muhammad was a warmonger, these projects have shown that it is possible to chart a middle ground yet still take the audience out of their comfort zone by giving them a range of views.
‘I strongly believe that true PSB has to include voices from across a wide spectrum’ And this brings me back to Tommy Robinson. Friends ask me: has he changed, is this a tactic, is he still critical of Islam? I think the film shows he clearly has shifted some of his positions, and gives an idea of when some of this happened, but only time will tell how far and for how long those positions have changed. We gave him an opportunity to understand the diversity of Muslim thought in Britain, the producers introduced him to his new friends at counter-extremism think tank Quilliam, and let’s not forget it was Mo Ansar who started it all by extending his hand of friendship in the first place. The BBC has ended up with a great exclusive story, but the biggest thing for me is that this is true public service broadcasting. The people who felt their views were excluded, maligned or threatened were given an opportunity to talk to each other, and the end result is probably what no one in their wildest dreams would have thought possible when Mo asked Tommy if he fancied dinner. There’s probably a format in it… ➤ Aaqil Ahmed is the BBC head of religion and ethics 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 21
The Broadcast Interview Bryan KirKwood Lime PiCtures
Championing the teen voice Tea-time soap Hollyoaks is no stranger to controversy. Its exec producer tells Robin Parker why it has to stay true to its young audience by taking risks on often uncomfortable storylines FaCt FiLe Career 2012- present Head of continuing drama, Lime Pictures; executive producer, Hollyoaks 2009 Executive producer, EastEnders 2006 Producer, Hollyoaks 2000-2006 Researcher, rising to story editor, Coronation Street
H
ollyoaks has come of age. And as it celebrates its 18th birthday, the producers of Channel 4’s teen soap are stepping into some particularly uncomfortable territory that many programmes wouldn’t touch with a bargepole at 6.30pm. In January, viewers will see the culmination of a year-long storyline, in which two pupils take their bullying of gay teacher John Paul McQueen to its extreme by raping him. Hollyoaks is no stranger to tough storylines: in its time, its Mersey precinct has witnessed anorexia, bullying, attempted suicide and domestic violence. It’s not even the first time male rape has been touched on – its late-night counterpart once went into further detail of an attack that was peripheral to the pre-watershed storylines – but it comes at a time when the teen soap is facing some serious scrutiny. In August, Ofcom ruled that the violent climax of a major storyline in which drug dealer Brendan killed the character Walker by pushing him in front of a speeding train “exceeded viewers’ expectations” at 6.45pm. Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood, a former producer who rejoined Lime last year after a stint on EastEnders – including the contentious baby swap plotline – is understandably diplomatic. But he stands by the care Lime takes in telling stories over a long period, even if this means casual viewers might be caught off guard by violent scenes. “We respect Ofcom’s decision,” he says. “At the time, we felt the scene was editorially justified. We talk to C4 at every stage of the editorial process and we take our position incredibly seriously. Our show is unique in what we can do for young audiences, and it has to be true to them.” All four pre-watershed soaps, including Hollyoaks, have portrayed the rape of women, he notes, and the considerations should be the same with male-onmale attacks. “The show has handled very emotive subjects well and I don’t see how this should be any different,”
22 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
‘Our show is unique in what we can do for young audiences, and it has to be true to them’ Bryan Kirkwood
he says, adding: “The actual attack will happen off screen and we will be examining the consequences.” Rape support group Survivors Manchester, St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre and pressure group Stonewall have all worked with Lime on the storyline. Jessica Lee, a writer with several years’ experience on the soap who penned a recent bullying script, is overseeing the story, having shaped McQueen’s character. But in coming up with these controversial plotlines, the Hollyoaks team puts the work in, Kirkwood says, and it’s a democratic process.
“We invite every writer to talk about the next four weeks of storylines at each of our monthly conferences,” he says. “These are two loud, fun, demanding days where we talk about stories, characters, performances – what’s working well and what’s not – which is as it should be. The writers are a tough crowd – as they should be – and we have to get under the skin of our characters.” He believes the soap is hitting its stride, with viewers up 9% year on year to 2 million across its C4 TX and first-look broadcast on E4 – “our best consolidated figures in four years,” he proclaims. He talks of tightening up the writing with a “robust template” intertwining three distinct types of storyline at any one time. “Big, outrageous” soap stories full of jeopardy and cliffhangers – “pure escapist fun just to engage and entertain people home from school, college or work” – jostle with love stories and the kind of big teen issues that the rape storyline represents. Returning to the show “felt like coming home”, he says, and he has
Tough storyline: Jazmine Franks as bullying victim Esther Bloom
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19%
Share of Hollyoaks audience in the 16-24 category over the past month
Top down: Emma Rigby as anorexia sufferer Hannah Ashworth; James Sutton as gay teacher John Paul McQueen; Bryan Kirkwood on the EastEnders set
kept his focus on steering the flagship show at the expense of previous brand extensions: out, for now, goes Hollyoaks Later – no editions are planned for 2014, he confirms. “Over the years, our energies have gone in different directions but I was keen to focus the entire team on making the 6.30pm show the best it can possibly be,” he says. Online support remains crucial, however: the brand has 1.8 million Facebook fans, generates about 1 million on-demand views a month and can generally count on being among the most tweeted-about shows of the night whenever it’s on. Any misstep and the fans will make themselves heard. The pressure both to surprise them and give them what they want has never been bigger. A dedicated online team interacts with this audience and feeds ideas back into every monthly storyline conference. “We’ll always look at ways to extend into the digital space,” Kirkwood says. “It’s part of the genesis of every story and we’re always looking at how we can use it to sell storylines to our audience and extend and deepen the story. Viewers expect that.”
Shunning the snobbery
Bryan KirKwood on… EastEnders “Soap opera is fundamentally about telling stories. On East Enders, I very much enjoyed working with brilliant storytellers like Simon Ashdown. I learned a hell of a lot there and it’s a joy to put it into Hollyoaks.”
Nurturing young talent “It’s very much an open-door policy. We have a number of writers for whom their first
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gig is our story department, where they work under series editor Iain McCleod. We’ve seen a tremendous amount of people with very little experience blossom into strong scriptwriters, both here and elsewhere.”
His proudest moments on Hollyoaks “When we covered anorexia about six years ago. It was
a really important story that, oddly, hadn’t been told before on a British soap. And Esther’s bullying and attempted suicide was a visceral, important story.”
Meanwhile, it rankles with him that due to its slot and demographic, Hollyoaks still suffers from an image problem within the industry. Small steps are being taken to force a subtle rethink. “We’re not unaware of the sneery attitude that people have towards it, but that makes it all the more exciting to fight against,” he says. “We remain skewed to a younger audience but we’ve made a definite move to appeal to families. Signing Gillian Taylforth and putting adult, authority characters into the opening titles hopefully demonstrates this.” For now, Hollyoaks’ C4 audience profile remains broadly as it has been, though 16-24s’ share has dropped from 24% to 19% in two years, offset by some growth among 35-44s and 45-54s (to 15% and 13% respectively). The changes are driven, he says, by a “well-oiled machine”. “The editorial team has found a real energy and the task now is how we keep that energy up. I’ve got a real ambition to shout loudly, to completely embrace and celebrate that we’re a tea-time soap. I want to get the audience excited, whether they’re shouting at the TV or talking online.” 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 23
Production PosT-ProducTIon and IT
The Magaluf Weekender: fixed-rig ob docs can only be made on a budget by using commoditised IT servers and storage
When IT meets post As digital workflows become more prevalent, IT disciplines are beginning to merge with production processes. Adrian Pennington reports on the changing data environment
I
nformation technology (IT) is fast becoming the industry’s technical backbone, as the storing, processing and sharing of data using computers and computer networks pervades set-to-screen workflows. “There is little distinction between pure IT and production IT disciplines, particularly in the world of post,” says Ben Foakes, managing director and co-founder of Sequence Post. Kate Robson, head of operations at Prime Focus, concurs. “IT is central to everything we do, from assessing the health of a rushes file, to planning endto-end post workflows, to archiving data. Where we had machine rooms [MCRs] full of tape decks, standards converters and legalisers, we now have rooms of Macs and PCs. Ethernet and fibre cables have replaced SDI throughout the building.” Five years ago, corporate IT, from finance to office and email, would
24 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
‘There is little distinction between pure IT and production IT disciplines, particularly in the world of post’ Ben Foakes, Sequence Post
have been largely separate from the turn-key hardware required of post production. Now the boundaries are blurring: bookings and production staff often see and access the same storage devices as the post-production team. “Previously, people making bookings would have had to request a physical copy to be made by the MCR,” explains David Klafkowski, director of The Farm Group. “Now they can select and manipulate mastered files from our virtual network, which spans multiple internal storage systems, and generate a QuickTime file for client approval from their desktop.” While linear tape file system (LTFS) looks likely to be the standard mastering and archiving format, file-based transport for IP transmission has already been mandated by the Digital Production Partnership. Meanwhile, manufacturers from Grass Valley to Sony are building broadcast equipment
with more and more IT components to complement the industry’s transition to using IP packets rather than SDI for distributing video.
Monitoring networks “Post-production will soon no longer be about the type of production equipment on offer, but whether there is a fat enough pipe to deliver terabytes of data, whether the network is appropriate to manage it, and what internal systems have been designed to move it around,” says Malcolm Cowan, director of technology at BT Sport. Gez Quinn, head of technical services and IT at Deluxe Media, says that while you can bring in an expert to build your network, monitoring it is essential if you are to ensure you have enough bandwidth to perform the data deliveries you need. “Who will make sure your staff don’t download all the episodes of a project www.broadcastnow.co.uk
The Garden had a relationship with the Trust through 24 Hours In A&E A&E, but this was a whole new ball game Alice Mayhall, Behind the Scenes, page 26
at once and cause the system to fail?” he asks. “And if the network does stop, who is able to get it running again?” The evolution in technology has required a change in skillset, with IT acumen rising up the recruitment agenda. Evolutions employs 30 to 40 operators handling data and file management under head of technology Kevin McGrory, who has an IT background. The Farm Group combines broadcast engineering with IT under chief technology officer Adam Morris. Shed Media, meanwhile, restructured its IT and post departments under a new strategic director of technology role for former group head of IT Matt Bazzaco. “There’s value in having talent versed in IT skills across the post-production environment,” says Bazzaco. “Whether for back-end infrastructure development or general support and advice on a production, it’s becoming advantageous. We also need to continue developing edit assistants and technicians, to maintain their thirst for putting together TV programmes. If we can marry the two skillsets, we will be in a strong position.” That may be a tough ask since IT and broadcast engineers are still widely believed to be of different breeds. “A broadcast engineer understands how www.broadcastnow.co.uk
a studio works and what the end goal of a production is,” summarises Evolutions operations director Owen Tyler. “An IT engineer will understand networking and switching but may not be as strong on TV – even though TV production is based around what was traditionally IT infrastructure.” Prime Focus runs an internal training scheme with regular tests and financial rewards for progression. “It’s difficult to find people who have a high-level IT skillset, but who also know post workflows and kit inside out,” says Robson. “Staff have to be experts in both IT and post rather than specialists in one,” confirms Rowan Bray, managing director, broadcast, at Prime Focus. “There is a real shortage of suitably educated recruits coming through. There is no government support for this and it comes at a significant cost to the business. We recognise the need to ensure our staff are properly prepared for the work we do.” Tyler agrees that recruitment can be challenging. “IT graduates tend to enter banking, where the start salaries are far higher,” he suggests. “Post promotion still relies on the archaic route, which starts with being a runner.” Hot-housing IT skills can increasingly help win business or tackle internal problems. Silverglade Post invested in its own FTP approval site to deliver edits for client approval rather than use open internet variants such as WeTransfer or Vimeo. “We were finding that we couldn’t guarantee speed since the network’s use could be contested at any time,” explains managing director Jason Tomkins. “We worked with our web developers to devise a system where we encoded video once and could consistently and quickly deliver to clients anywhere in the world.” Automation is another key benefit of IT integration. “It allows key personnel to spend more of their time focusing on the creative aspects of the job rather than manually transcoding data or checking file integrity,” says Robson. Fixed-rig ob docs such as The Magaluf Weekender are only possible on a budget with commoditised IT servers and storage, which allow thousands of hours of rushes to be captured and routed direct to post.
‘There’s value in having talent versed in IT skills across the postproduction environment. If we can marry the two skillsets, we will be in a strong position’ Matt Bazzaco, Shed Media
Clockwise from top left: clients are investing in FTP sites rather than using internet variants such as Vimeo; HP’s Ultrium LTO enables archiving format LTFS; Don’t Tell The Bride producer Shed Media has restructured its IT and post departments
“We use robust systems from Cisco or Dell because the military-grade type of server technology used for live sport is criminally expensive in comparison,” says Tyler. “The advantages are cost savings but also a workflow that gets closer to post. You are ingesting content in the native codec used in post, duplicating files and managing raw data. These are essentially IT processes and something a broadcast engineer is typically uncomfortable with.”
Keeping pace with change Evolutions is fielding a number of enquiries from producers asking if the facility can set up its IT systems for production of studio-based reality shows. “Matters become complex when you take IT methodology into old-school broadcast studios, which may still be based on technologies established in the 1960s,” says Tyler. Studios are indeed the last bastion of SDI video, reliant on baseband connected cameras, vision mixers and decks, although this is changing. In post, proprietary hardware-based systems are being replaced by more affordable, flexible software apps, enhanced by GPU acceleration and high-speed, third-party storage. “If you don’t keep up with IT, you might be caught out,” warns Loft London Solutions managing director James Gibson. “It used to take broadcast houses years to swap outdated hardware for new systems. Now changes at the consumer end, for example updating to Android or Apple IOS, mean the production company and, by extension, the facility have to change the workflow within weeks. “With IP connectivity built into every product and process, facilities can also obtain feedback about how its internal equipment or file formats are being used. But you need systems designed to collect that information and analysts to understand it. IT provides that essential agility.” Foakes adds: “The major shift will come when budgeting, acquisition, post, mastering, quality assurance and delivery all seamlessly align with file-based practices. The tools already exist, but only after that point of convergence will pure end-to-end IT production become commonplace. It’s going to take innovative companies and new business strategies to push this era forwards.” 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 25
Behind the Scenes bedlam
Mental illness handled with care Filming at the Maudsley Hospital was all going smoothly – until a patient came in suffering from the delusion that she was being followed by a Channel 4 film crew, says Alice Mayhall bedlam
Production company The Garden Productions TX 31 October 2013, Channel 4 (time tbc) length 4 x 60 minutes Commissioners Tabitha Jackson; Madonna Benjamin Series director Dave Nath directors Paddy Wivell; Becky Lomax executive producers Amy Flanagan; Jonathan Smith Producer Alice Mayhall Producer/cameraman Peter Beard editors Rupert Houseman; Steve Barclay; Ben Brown; Alex Fry Post-house Directors Cut Films Summary Doc series going inside the UK’s mental health system.
alice mayhall my tricks of the trade n Be thorough with your
compliance notes: keep detailed daily logs of all relevant conversations, events and issues. Don’t underestimate how useful these notes might be further down the line. n Trust and wait. A good friend of mine taught me this years ago and I use it on every production at that point in filming that you start worrying you haven’t got anything. n If you don’t know, ask. I continually ask questions, especially when I’m starting on a new project. I think it’s better to be curious than pretend you know all the answers. n Keep a sense of humour.
Alice Mayhall Producer
W
alking into Lambeth triage ward can be like entering the eye of a storm: volatile, charged and unpredictable. It’s a shortstay A&E service for those with mental illness, a place where people go when they are in acute crisis, experiencing anything from psychosis to severe depression or drug-induced paranoia. Depending on the mix of patients on the ward, the environment can fluctuate between calm and relaxed or frantic and loud. You really don’t know what to expect when you go through the secure front doors, especially if you’re a producer asking patients to be involved in a Channel 4 documentary. Our executive producer Amy Flanagan spent more than a year getting access to the South London and Maudsley Trust (SLaM), attending countless meetings at which our intentions and ambitions were interrogated. The Garden had a working relationship with SLaM through its fixed-rig series 24 Hours In A&E, but this was a whole new ball game. Amy faced an enormous challenge securing access but was determined Lambeth triage would be one of the films in the series. When director Paddy Wivell came on board, we still weren’t sure whether it was practical to film on a ward caring for some of the most vulnerable people. I spent the first few weeks shadowing the staff and being introduced to the patients. Not only did we have to think about how to work with people in such a fragile state of mind, but also how we would get consent. Some patients are brought into hospital by the police, others by social workers or ambulance. At least half were under a section of the Mental Health Act. We spent many weeks meeting with clinicians and patients, discussing the ethics and practicalities of filming. How, for example, could we best work
26 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
with patients who lacked the capacity to consent? We agreed on a two-tier process: first we would ask clinicians, patients and next of kin for consent to film, then return to the patients for consent to broadcast the material once they had regained capacity. One of the most difficult issues was the restraint of patients. We wanted to reflect this reality of life on the ward, in the right context, and discussed how and when we might do this with senior members of the Trust.
‘We made plans of what and who we would film each day, but it could all change in a second’ Alice Mayhall
To forcibly restrain someone is a decision not taken lightly. Many staff were worried that the dignity of the patients would be compromised; others that there may be repercussions if they were seen on a documentary restraining a patient, or that it would reinforce a Nurse Ratchett view of acute psychiatric care. On the first day we took the camera onto the ward, Paddy and I were nervous; we weren’t sure what effect the presence of a camera would have in such an environment. To our surprise, many patients were nonchalant about it. Every day we went on to the ward, we introduced ourselves to any new patients, explained what we were doing and said we would only feature those who gave their consent. Many didn’t want to be filmed, but several were supportive and curious. A few even said they were glad that people “would see what it was really like”. In the down time between filming, Paddy and I would sit around the ward talking to people, hearing about why they’d ended up in hospital. There were people from all walks of life, some who’d spent years in and out of psychiatric hospitals, others for whom it was the first time. One man said he’d
taken too much ketamine and had ‘come round’ on the ward. Another said he was an East End gangster who’d ended up in the wrong hospital, a case of “mistaken diagnosis”. Triage is hugely unpredictable. One moment we would be filming a patient calmly receiving medication; the next, someone would be screaming to get off the ward. We’d be filming an interview with the ward manager and suddenly the alarms would go off because someone was becoming distressed or aggressive. We made plans of what and who we would film each day, but it could all change in a second. The ward has up to 90 patients admitted each month. We spent a lot of time talking to them about the documentary, reassuring them and answering their questions. Some patients we would meet and film one day, then by the next they’d left – gone home or to another ward in the hospital. We had to ensure we kept daily compliance and contact notes and followed up patients with the clinicians at every stage.
Forced break About a month into filming, a woman was admitted to the ward with a fixed delusion about being filmed by a Channel 4 film crew. She thought there were cameras in her home so she was admitted to hospital. She arrived at the front door of triage, only to be greeted by our filming notice stating that a Channel 4 camera crew was making a documentary – all her fears had been proved right. We immediately stopped filming and didn’t return to the ward until the patient had been discharged. Nine months on, many of the contributors are out of hospital. Some are much better. Patients who have seen the film say it is an accurate reflection of their time on the ward, which makes Paddy and I feel we have done something right. Triage is an extraordinary environment where we met extraordinary people – staff and patients – and I feel very privileged to have passed through its doors. www.broadcastnow.co.uk
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Clockwise from bottom left: Maudsley’s Dr Martin Baggeley; patient Dominic; patient Katrina; Dominic back at home; the Maudsley Hospital in South London; Paddy Wivell and Alice Mayhall filming
bedlam SHOOTING WITH PRIme leNSeS Peter Beard Producer/ cameraman
Right from our first conversations, series director Dave Nath was clear that he wanted to make Bedlam as visually and tonally distinctive as it would be editorially bold. So many observational films at the moment look and feel very similar. We felt it was important to find our own look and style. We have both experimented with filming actuality on prime lenses in the past. It’s very tricky: without a zoom, you can miss key moments, but visually the results are worth it. The Canon C300 had just come out so we thought it was worth a go. The restrictive nature of shooting on primes forces you to film in a completely different way to a standard video camera. I relished this challenge as I’d grown tired with the look and approach of Z1/XF305-type cameras. Prime lenses force you, as the camera operator, to move about a scene instead of relying on the zoom. It often means you have fewer shot options, but those you settle on end up being better composed, more interesting, more thought out and, hopefully, more usable. What made this approach challenging here was the environment. Our contributors could be incredibly unpredictable and we had little or no control over how the scene would play out. We were also unsure how the contributors would deal with me moving around the room; a lot of them were already distressed and we didn’t want to unsettle them further. The reality was that they didn’t bat an eyelid, they
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knew no different. To them, this was just how filming happened. The technical side of shooting was also a challenge. The actuality was often fastmoving and the shallow depth of field the primes gave made holding focus tricky. I’ve never shot anything that required such concentration before – but now I can change a lens in about three seconds. The results are beautiful and worth the eye strain. Even the most sterile NHS building or squalid flat can be made to look interesting and the character in each scene shines through. Our editor, Rupert Houseman, reviewed the rushes early on and cut a few sequences. He has an amazing ability to interpret material creatively and was very excited by what we brought him. Seeing his rough-cut assemblies at such an early stage of the edit allowed us to push ourselves further out in the field. The combination of the prime, Rupert’s approach to the footage and the use of lyricled music has given this series as much a feeling of drama as a traditional documentary. It demonstrates that you really can bring a strong sense of style to an ob doc – it should never be point and shoot.
25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 27
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Pennaeth Pryniant a Chynllunio
EDITOR – WATCHDOG £COMPETITIVE | 12 MONTH CONTRACT LONDON | REF: BBC/TP/7174/413 BBC in-house production is looking for a new Editor for Britain’s best known consumer show, Watchdog. The successful candidate will be leading and inspiring a large team, delivering two series a year (16 eps) of hour long shows for BBC1. You will need to be comfortable and experienced in a live studio environment, running a gallery under pressure, with all of the contentious ethical and legal issues that come with a programme like Watchdog. The secret filming brand, Rogue Traders, is an important part of Watchdog, so you’ll need to be familiar with all of the issues around privacy and door stepping without prior notification. You’ll be expected to have ambition and vision for a show which pulls its weight in the highly competitive 8pm slot. To find out more and see a full job description, please visit: www.bbc.co.uk/careers. If you meet the requirements of this senior role, please submit your CV and a covering letter to Helena Gardner at helena.gardner@bbc.co.uk. Closing date: 27th October. We’ll be holding interviews mid-November and the successful candidate will need to be in place by the 1st of March 2014. Watchdog is always interested to hear from Producers, Directors, Assistant Producers and Researchers with both live and journalistic skills. Please email your CV to janezurakowski.kathrynpark@bbc.co.uk.
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
25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 31
Ratings Mon 14 Oct – Sun 21 Oct
X Factor loses its lustre Sunday edition slips to seventh on the table as Saturday show drops out of the top 10 altogether BY Stephen price
The shortening days always come as a disappointment, even though, without fail, it happens every year. But it feels especially poignant this year, as we bid adieu to the long hot days of the Grand Summer of 2013. Still, after the clocks go back this weekend, at least it won’t cost the earth to put the lights on. No, wait; apparently it will. Ah well, maybe just have the flickering lantern that is TV on then; it can bathe us all in light. Unless you like trucking or gynaecologists, in which case you might be bathing on your own. At 9pm on Monday, Crimewatch drew 6.7 million/27% for the Madeline McCann special, its biggest audience for probably decades and enough to draw level with ITV’s hitherto imperious Doc Martin’s 6.7 million/27% (342,000 +1). On Tuesday, ITV’s coverage of England’s World Cup qualifying win over Poland averaged 8 million/33% (incl +1) from 7.30pm, peaking at 10.9 million/43% at 9.40pm. BBC2’s The Great British Bake Off was the best of the rest at 8pm with 5.6 million/21%, ahead of BBC1‘s Holby City’s 4 million/15%. At 9pm, BBC1’s DIY SOS: The Big Build improved on the hospital drama with 4.5 million/18%. On Wednesday, an hour of ITV’s Coronation Street at 8pm (9.2 million/39%; 440,000 +1) helped shave 600,000 off last week’s audience for BBC1’s Watchdog, which averaged 3.8 million/16%. At 9pm, the third of BBC1’s The Great British Year (2.6 million/12%) 32 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
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 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 31 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 43 45 46 46 48 49 50
Title
Day
Start
Viewers (m) (all homes)
Share %
Broadcaster/ Producer*
Strictly Come Dancing Coronation Street Strictly Come Dancing: The Results Coronation Street Downton Abbey Coronation Street The X Factor Results Coronation Street Emmerdale Emmerdale Coronation Street World Cup Qualifying: England V Poland The X Factor Emmerdale Emmerdale Emmerdale EastEnders Doc Martin Emmerdale Countryfile Crimewatch EastEnders EastEnders EastEnders The Great British Bake Off BBC News At Ten The Paradise BBC News At Ten BBC News At Six Atlantis BBC News At Six The One Show Have I Got News For You BBC News At Six DIY SOS: The Big Build Pointless Celebrities The One Show BBC News At Six BBC News At Six The One And Only Cilla Inside Out Surprise Surprise BBC News The One Show The One Show BBC News Holby City Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: Julian Clary BBC News At Ten Casualty
Sat Wed Sun Mon Sun Mon Sun Fri Wed Thu Fri Tue Sat Thu Mon Fri Mon Mon Tue Sun Mon Tue Fri Thu Tue Mon Sun Tue Mon Sat Tue Mon Fri Wed Tue Sat Tue Fri Thu Wed Mon Sun Sat Wed Thu Sun Tue Fri Wed Sat
18.30 20.00 19.15 19.30 21.00 20.30 20.00 19.30 19.00 20.00 20.30 19.30 20.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 20.00 21.00 19.00 18.15 21.00 19.30 20.00 19.30 20.00 22.00 20.00 22.00 18.00 20.20 18.00 19.00 21.00 18.00 21.00 17.40 19.00 18.00 18.00 21.00 19.30 19.00 22.05 19.00 19.00 22.00 20.00 21.00 22.00 21.15
9.69 9.64 9.42 9.26 9.23 9.03 8.91 8.50 8.38 8.15 7.99 7.95 7.91 7.80 7.67 7.60 7.35 7.05 7.03 6.80 6.69 6.35 6.32 6.24 5.58 5.33 5.17 5.01 4.82 4.71 4.67 4.67 4.67 4.58 4.46 4.44 4.42 4.32 4.30 4.26 4.14 4.10 4.07 4.07 4.06 4.04 4.04 3.97 3.95 3.94
43.93 41.05 38.40 41.39 36.40 36.98 34.14 41.58 39.75 36.56 35.73 32.72 34.32 37.86 36.97 39.02 31.24 28.84 34.00 33.40 27.36 28.40 29.30 29.99 21.05 27.64 19.82 26.09 26.84 20.32 27.76 22.51 21.90 26.39 17.70 26.45 21.40 25.75 26.33 20.60 18.50 17.15 20.60 19.30 19.68 19.34 15.23 19.00 20.84 17.52
BBC1 ITV BBC1 ITV ITV/Carnival Film & Television ITV ITV/Thames/Syco ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV/Thames/Syco ITV ITV ITV BBC1 ITV/Buffalo Pictures ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC2/Love Productions BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1/Urban Myth Films BBC1 BBC1 BBC1/Hat Trick BBC1 BBC1 BBC1/Remarkable Television BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV BBC1 ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV/Shiver BBC1 BBC1
Figures include HD and +1 where applicable
the paradise
the One And Only cilla Black www.broadcastnow.co.uk
All BARB ratings supplied by: Attentional
Source: BARB
Title
Day
Start
Viewers (m) (all homes)
Share %
Broadcaster/ Producer*
BBC News Match Of The Day Crimewatch Update ITV News & Weather Watchdog Gino’s Italian Escape ITV News & Weather The One Show ITV News & Weather ITV News & Weather ITV News & Weather BBC News At Ten Tonight: Dying To Get High
Sun Sat Mon Mon Wed Fri Thu Fri Wed Tue Sun Thu Thu
17.45 22.25 22.35 18.30 20.00 20.00 18.30 19.00 18.30 18.30 22.05 22.00 19.30
3.87 3.85 3.79 3.78 3.75 3.74 3.68 3.65 3.62 3.62 3.59 3.56 3.56
21.49 26.33 24.56 19.02 15.99 17.35 19.91 18.74 19.08 18.94 18.25 19.74 17.11
BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV/ITN BBC1 ITV ITV/ITN BBC1 ITV/ITN ITV/ITN ITV/ITN BBC1 ITV
64
The Chase
Mon
17.00
3.55
24.99
ITV
65 66 66 68 69 70 71 71 71 74 75 75 75 78 79 79 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 94 96 97 98 99 100
ITV News & Weather The Jonathan Ross Show The Graham Norton Show The National Lottery Live Countrywise Pointless The Chase Pointless Britain’s Secret Treasures The Chase BBC News At Ten The Chase By Any Means Pointless The Chase The Chase: Celebrity Special BBC News At One BBC News At One Pointless University Challenge Educating Yorkshire Breathless Pointless Grand Designs BBC News Miranda ITV News & Weather Citizen Khan BBC News At One The Great British Year BBC News At One Waterloo Road Trust Me, I’m A Doctor Ronnie’s Animal Crackers Dogs: Their Secret Lives Panorama: Britain’s New Banking Scandal
Fri Sat Fri Sat Mon Mon Wed Wed Thu Fri Fri Tue Sun Fri Thu Sat Wed Mon Thu Mon Thu Thu Tue Wed Sat Fri Sun Fri Tue Wed Fri Thu Thu Fri Mon Mon
18.30 22.00 22.35 21.05 20.00 17.15 17.00 17.15 20.30 17.00 22.00 17.00 21.00 17.15 17.00 19.00 13.00 13.00 17.15 20.00 21.00 21.00 17.15 21.00 17.20 20.30 18.45 21.30 13.00 21.00 13.00 20.00 20.00 19.30 20.00 20.30
3.48 3.46 3.46 3.40 3.35 3.31 3.24 3.24 3.24 3.23 3.22 3.22 3.22 3.20 3.16 3.16 3.12 3.10 3.01 3.00 2.93 2.92 2.91 2.83 2.81 2.79 2.76 2.66 2.66 2.63 2.63 2.61 2.60 2.59 2.53 2.48
19.14 18.67 24.87 15.21 14.23 22.20 23.59 22.59 15.30 23.13 17.73 24.43 12.55 21.97 24.95 14.25 38.82 39.08 22.58 12.73 13.85 13.82 21.10 13.08 20.26 12.47 13.32 12.97 39.63 12.16 37.59 11.99 11.99 12.65 10.53 10.17
ITV/ITN ITV/Hot Sauce BBC1/So Television BBC1 ITV BBC1/Remarkable Television ITV BBC1/Remarkable Television ITV ITV BBC1 ITV BBC1/Red Planet Productions BBC1/Remarkable Television ITV ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1/Remarkable Television BBC2 C4/Twofour ITV BBC1/Remarkable Television C4/Boundless BBC1 BBC1 ITV/ITN BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1/Shed Productions BBC2 BBC1 C4 BBC1
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 59 61 62 62
*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 Secret treasures www.broadcastnow.co.uk
Dogs: their Secret Lives
was its worst performer yet. Opposite, ITV’s special The One And Only Cilla won with 4.1 million/19% (209,000 +1). On wheezy Thursday at 9pm, the second part of ITV’s Breathless managed 2.7 million/13% (265,000 +1), 800,000 short of its lacklustre launch. BBC1’s Truckers (2.3 million/12%) exited the top 100 after losing 600,000 on its equally poor launch. C4 was ahead of the Beeb thanks to Educating Yorkshire’s 2.5 million/12% (448,000 +1). Including +1, ITV and C4 were neck and neck. On Friday, with no football opposite, BBC1’s Have I Got
‘BBC1’s Truckers exited the top 100 after losing 600,000 on its poor launch’ News For You was the best 9pm show, welcoming 1 million viewers back to the fold to hit 4.7 million/22%. At 9.30pm, Citizen Khan remained steady on 2.7 million/13%. ITV’s Piers Morgan’s Life Stories averaged 3.7 million/18% (281,000 +1). The Saturday edition of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing kept its lead over ITV’s The X Factor with 9.7 million/44% from 6.30pm. At 8pm, and including +1, The X Factor was more than 1.5 million behind, on 7.9 million/34%. When playing head to head for 20 minutes from 8pm, Strictly held a lead of more than 3.5 million. At 8.20pm, BBC1’s continuing saga Atlantis (4.7 million/20%) was on par with last week. Following Strictly’s results (9.4 million/38%) at 7.15pm on Sunday, BBC1’s second series of The Paradise launched at 8pm with 5.2 million/20%, slightly ahead of series one on Tuesdays (4.9 million/21% live) and a fraction behind Antiques Roadshow’s average in the slot since September (5.3 million/21%). Opposite, ITV’s The X Factor’s 8.6 million/33% (309,000 +1) was 600,000 short of last week and the second lowest Sunday so far. At 9pm, ITV’s Downton Abbey carried on imperiously: its 8.9 million/36% (373,000 +1) was light years ahead of BBC1 drama By Any Means’ 3.2 million/13%.
See over for digital focus, plus channel and genre overviews 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 33
Ratings Mon 14 Oct – Sun 21 Oct Channel Overview
Barks better than pub bites BY stephen price
I don’t know why the phrase ‘the county’s going to the dogs’ is such a pejorative one; certainly, commissioners can’t get enough of our woofy friends. This week, it was C4’s turn to jump on the doggy bandwagon – to good effect. On Monday at 8pm, Channel 4’s Dogs: Their Secret Lives achieved 2.2 million/11% (326,000 +1). But this wasn’t enough to overhaul BBC2’s University Challenge, which achieved 3 million/ 13% for the third week in a row. At 8.30pm, BBC2’s Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food slipped behind the brains and woofers with 2 million/8%. Channel 5’s The Gadget Show trailed on 700,000/3% . On Thursday, BBC2’s Trust Me, I’m A Doctor at 8pm fell behind last week’s opener by 550,000, but still registered 2.6 million/12%, ahead of C4’s Location, Location, Location (1.7 million/9%; 212,000 +1) and C5’s The Railway: First Great Western (900,000/4%; 58,000 +1). After its rocket-fuelled start, C4’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has settled in more quietly, with this week’s 1.4 million/7% (298,000 +1) on par with last week but half the launch figure. Opposite, BBC2’s Mastermind (1.9 million/ 9%) and Gardeners’ World (2.2 million/10%) were easily ahead.
Source: BARB
WEEK 42 Average hours per viewer Daytime Share (%) Peaktime Share (%) w/c 14.10.13 Peaktime share (%) w/c 15.10.12 yEAR To DATE Average hours per viewer Audience share (%) Audience share (2012)
BBC1 5.45 18.45 22.15 23.22 BBC1 5.58 20.89 21.51
BBC2 1.42 4.03 7.24 7.91 BBC2 1.52 5.70 6.06
ITV1 4.92 15.15 25.52 22.16 ITV1 4.29 16.06 15.55
C4 1.52 5.77 6.30 6.55 C4 1.55 5.81 6.55
34 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
Total 26.28 100.00 100.00 100.00 Total 26.72 100.00 100.00
Day
Start
Viewers (m) (all homes)
Share %
Broadcaster
ToP 30 bbC2, CHAnnEL 4 AnD CHAnnEL 5 Title 1
The Great British Bake Off
Tue
20.00
5.58
21.05
BBC2
2
University Challenge
Mon
20.00
3.00
12.73
BBC2
3
Educating Yorkshire
Thu
21.00
2.93
13.85
C4
4
Grand Designs
Wed
21.00
2.83
13.08
C4
5
Trust Me, I’m A Doctor
Thu
20.00
2.60
11.99
BBC2
6
Dogs: Their Secret Lives
Mon
20.00
2.53
10.53
7
Gardeners’ World
Fri
20.30
2.16
9.64
BBC2
8
Strictly Come Dancing – It Takes Two
Mon
18.30
2.12
10.69
BBC2
9
On Benefits And Proud
Mon
21.00
2.08
8.52
C5
10
Bigfoot Files
Sun
20.00
2.07
7.95
C4
C4
11
QI
Fri
22.00
2.00
11.15
BBC2
12
Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food
Mon
20.30
1.98
8.12
BBC2
13
Homeland
Sun
21.00
1.97
7.76
14
Strictly Come Dancing – It Takes Two
Thu
18.30
1.96
10.60
15
Strictly Come Dancing – It Takes Two
Fri
18.30
1.91
10.50
15
Location, Location, Location
Thu
20.00
1.91
8.79
C4 BBC2 BBC2 C4
17
Mastermind
Fri
20.00
1.90
8.82
BBC2
18
The Wrong Mans
Tue
21.00
1.89
7.39
BBC2
19
Strictly Come Dancing – It Takes Two
Wed
18.30
1.79
9.40
BBC2
20
Gogglebox
Wed
22.00
1.76
9.85
C4 BBC2
21
Strictly Come Dancing – It Takes Two
Tue
18.30
1.75
9.17
22
Peaky Blinders
Thu
21.00
1.73
8.16
BBC2
23
Dive WWII: Our Secret History
Sun
20.00
1.71
6.55
BBC2
24
The House That £100K Built
Wed
20.00
1.70
7.23
BBC2
25
Rick Stein’s India
Tue
19.00
1.68
7.81
BBC2
26
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Sun
16.20
1.63
10.38
C5
27
Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fri
20.00
1.60
7.30
C4
28
Walrus – Two Tonne Tusker: Natural World
Fri
21.00
1.55
7.39
BBC2
28
The Simpsons
Fri
18.00
1.55
9.21
C4
30
Man Down
Fri
21.30
1.52
7.41
C4
Figures include HD and +1 where applicable
Multichannel 35.61
Greg Davies’ C4 sitcom Man Down launched slightly below the 1.5 million slot average (Fri, 9.30pm)
Others 11.95 51.62 35.61 36.50 Others 12.67 47.43 46.08
Daytime is 09.30-18.00. Peaktime is 18.00-22.30. Figures include HD and +1 where applicable
DAyTIME SHARE (%) w/c 14.10.13
PEAKTIME SHARE (%) w/c 14.10.13
1.5m
C5 1.03 4.97 3.18 3.65 C5 1.10 4.11 4.25
BBC1 22.15
ITV1 25.52 C5 3.18 BBC2 7.24 C4 6.30
BBC1 18.45
Multichannel 51.62
976k Part two of BBC2’s Stephen Fry: Out There did slightly better than part one’s 865,000 (Wed, 9pm)
ITV1 15.15
C5 4.97
BBC2 4.03
C4 5.77
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
What’s New Scooby-Doo? Hacker Time Sam And Cat Newsround Dennis The Menace And Gnasher All At Sea Swashbuckle What’s New Scooby-Doo? Newsround Peter Rabbit
top 10 factuaL proGraMMes
Day
Start
Viewers (Age 4-15)
Share (%)
Channel
Title
Wed Wed Mon Wed Wed Wed Sat Thu Fri Fri
16.00 16.30 18.00 16.20 15.45 17.00 11.00 16.00 16.20 16.45
252,900 248,800 240,100 237,200 229,200 227,600 226,900 208,500 207,700 206,800
24.03 18.47 12.77 20.65 27.03 14.67 18.37 21.42 14.77 13.85
CBBC CBBC N’odeon CBBC CBBC CBBC CBeebies CBBC CBBC CBeebies
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Countryfile The Great British Bake Off The One Show DIY SOS: The Big Build The One Show The One Show The One Show P Morgan’s Life Stories: Julian Clary Watchdog Gino’s Italian Escape
Day
Start
Viewers (millions)
Share (%)
Channel
Sun Tue Mon Tue Tue Wed Thu Fri Wed Fri
18.15 20.00 19.00 21.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 21.00 20.00 20.00
6.80 5.58 4.67 4.46 4.42 4.07 4.06 3.97 3.75 3.74
33.40 21.05 22.51 17.70 21.40 19.30 19.68 19.00 15.99 17.35
BBC1 BBC2 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV BBC1 ITV
➤ sam and cat provided an extremely rare entry for Nickelodeon in the children’s table. The show registered in third place, fighting off competition from BBC favourites including what’s new scooby-doo? and newsround. CBBC still dominated proceedings.
➤ countryfile and the Great British Bake off held on to the top two spots, with the former gaining 100,000 viewers on last week. diY sos: the Big Build also constructed a bigger audience week on week, as BBC1 dominated the factual table.
top 10 draMa proGraMMes
top 10 entertainMent proGraMMes
Title
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Downton Abbey Doc Martin The Paradise Atlantis Holby City Casualty By Any Means Breathless Waterloo Road Homeland
Day
Start
Viewers (millions)
Share (%)
Channel
Sun Mon Sun Sat Tue Sat Sun Thu Thu Sun
21.00 21.00 20.00 20.20 20.00 21.15 21.00 21.00 20.00 21.00
9.23 7.05 5.17 4.71 4.04 3.94 3.22 2.92 2.61 1.97
36.40 28.84 19.82 20.32 15.23 17.52 12.55 13.82 11.99 7.76
ITV ITV BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 BBC1 ITV BBC1 C4
Title
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
➤ downton abbey remained an immovable force at the top of the drama line-up, while other period drama the paradise returned with a solid 5.2 million viewers. Elsewhere, Breathless had another disappointing outing for ITV, while truckers fell out of the table completely.
up Countryfile gains 100,000
down Saturday’s X Factor loses 190,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9
Miranda Citizen Khan Fool Britannia The Wrong Mans The Simpsons Man Down The Simpsons Father Figure The Simpsons Bluestone 42
Viewers (millions)
Share (%)
Channel
Sat Sun Sun Sat Fri Sat Wed Sun Mon Sat
18.30 19.15 20.00 20.00 21.00 17.40 21.00 19.00 17.00 22.00
9.69 9.42 8.91 7.91 4.67 4.44 4.26 4.10 3.55 3.46
43.93 38.40 34.14 34.32 21.90 26.45 20.60 17.15 24.99 18.67
BBC1 BBC1 ITV ITV BBC1 BBC1 ITV ITV ITV ITV
up Strictly results adds 1.1m
down Waterloo Road falls 400,000
up Downton Abbey up 150,000
top 10 Music & arts proGraMMes
Day
Start
Viewers (millions)
Share (%)
Channel
Fri Fri Sat Tue Fri Fri Tue Wed Mon Fri
20.30 21.30 18.30 21.00 18.00 21.30 18.00 22.40 18.00 23.20
2.79 2.66 2.27 1.89 1.55 1.52 1.49 1.45 1.36 1.36
12.47 12.97 11.08 7.39 9.21 7.41 8.85 10.75 7.58 13.86
BBC1 BBC1 ITV BBC2 C4 C4 C4 BBC1 C4 BBC1
➤ In the absence of any strong new comedy, a repeat of Miranda had the goods to lead the line-up. It was followed by continued underwhelming performances for citizen khan and fool Britannia. the wrong Mans was steady at around 2 million. next week sport and current affairs www.broadcastnow.co.uk
Start
➤ strictly come dancing completed a rare one-two in the entertainment table, further cementing its lead over the x factor, which slumped to a series low on Saturday. Elsewhere, the one and only cilla performed solidly for ITV.
down Breathless tumbles 810,000
up DIY SOS rises 110,000
top 10 coMedY proGraMMes Title
Strictly Come Dancing Strictly Come Dancing: Results The X Factor Results The X Factor Have I Got News For You Pointless Celebrities The One And Only Cilla Surprise Surprise The Chase The Jonathan Ross Show
Day
Title
1 2 3 4 4 6 7 8 9 10
Later Live... With Jools Holland Culture Show: London Film Festival Later... With Jools Holland Mobo Awards 2013: Highlights The World's Most Beautiful Eggs... The Art Of Australia How The Brits Rocked America... How The Brits Rocked America... Top Of The Pops: 1978 Frank Sinatra: Voice Of The Century...
Day
Start
Viewers (millions)
Share (%)
Channel
Tue Wed Fri Sun Sun Tue Fri Fri Thu Sat
22.00 22.00 23.05 23.15 21.00 21.00 21.00 22.00 19.30 22.55
0.73 0.41 0.40 0.39 0.39 0.35 0.34 0.32 0.30 0.29
3.86 2.17 4.09 6.30 1.51 1.40 1.60 1.96 1.42 2.67
BBC2 BBC2 BBC2 BBC1 BBC4 BBC4 BBC4 BBC4 BBC4 BBC4
➤ Later Live… with Jools Holland snagged first and third, with its top entry more than 300,000 viewers ahead of nearest rival culture show. BBC4 secured a slew of places for music content, including top of the pops: 1978.
See over for demographic and digital focus 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 35
Ratings Mon 14 Oct – Sun 21 Oct Demographic focus
Source: BARB
Channels
Individuals Share (%)
Adults ABC1 Share (%)1
Adults ABC1 Profile (%)2
BBC 1
20.97
25.53
47.84
ITV
19.06
18.01
37.12
C4
5.63
6.01
41.94
BBC 2
5.29
7.09
52.59
C5
4.25
3.67
33.91
ITV2
2.66
2.20
32.59
ITV3
2.42
2.22
36.06
E4
1.92
1.78
Film 4
1.62
Dave
1.38
BBC 3 More 4
Adults 16-34 Share (%)1
Adults 16-34 Profile (%)2
Male Share (%)1
Male Profile (%)2
Female Share (%)1
Female Profile (%)2
11.93
10.41
20.59
44.23
21.27
55.77
16.08
15.42
16.23
38.36
21.38
61.64
7.57
24.59
5.58
44.67
5.67
55.32
3.02
10.43
5.45
46.37
5.17
53.63
4.12
17.71
3.96
41.91
4.50
58.09
4.57
31.44
2.14
36.37
3.07
63.64
0.49
3.69
1.94
36.00
2.82
64.02
36.35
5.54
52.66
1.82
42.57
2.01
57.41
1.25
30.47
1.80
20.42
2.14
59.66
1.19
40.33
1.32
37.59
2.37
31.34
1.92
62.73
0.94
37.29
1.29
1.14
34.81
3.59
50.86
1.44
50.22
1.17
49.79
1.16
1.26
42.81
1.00
15.83
1.13
43.83
1.18
56.17
5 USA
1.02
0.84
32.21
0.83
14.86
0.81
35.94
1.19
64.04
ITV4
0.95
0.75
31.24
0.86
16.56
1.37
65.18
0.60
34.78
Sky Sports 1
0.92
1.12
47.36
1.16
22.90
1.45
70.51
0.50
29.54
BBC 4
0.90
1.32
57.75
0.38
7.71
1.07
53.71
0.76
46.31
Sky 1
0.81
0.82
39.99
1.37
31.19
0.96
53.49
0.68
46.57
Yesterday
0.70
0.62
35.29
0.21
5.64
0.91
58.79
0.52
41.24
Drama
0.66
0.57
33.76
0.36
10.01
0.59
40.33
0.72
59.75
379k
Matt Berry and Arthur Mathews’ C4 sitcom Toast Of London got off to a poor start with 379,000/2.9% at 10.40pm on Sunday. An unusually high proportion of viewers were 35-44 – 33% versus the average 19%. Its AB profile was above slot average: 29% compared with the 22% slot average
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
BBC4 quiz fails to connect BY stephen price
“Take your BBC1 shilling and be gone Buns!’ BBC2, wounded but proud, points dramatically to the exit. Then with barely a beat, but arms akimbo, it welcomes a quiz with hieroglyphics. BBC4 turns around, looks at the drawing board and says huffily: “Well?” In the week when Broadcast revealed that BBC4’s Only Connect was being promoted to BBC2, the brainy quiz achieved its second lowest live rating of this autumn series with 880,000/4%. ITV2’s Celebrity Juice’s 1.4 million/8% on Thursday at 10pm was the best of the latest series so far and more in line with the winter performance, when the best live rating was 1.7 million/9% in February. The best of E4’s Hollyoaks was Wednesday at 7pm with 1 million/ 5% – the first time it’s hit the magic million this autumn. ITV2’s The Only Way Is Essex’s (962,000/6%) best was Wednesday at 10pm, ahead of E4’s Made In Chelsea’s 706,000/4% on Monday at 10pm. 36 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
Source: BARB
dIgITal HOMEs
TOp 30 MulTICHannEl prOgraMMEs Title
1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 8 8 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 17 17 21 22 22 22 22 22 22 28 29 30
Celebrity Juice Live Ford Super Sunday Family Guy Hollyoaks The Only Way Is Essex Midsomer Murders Hollyoaks The Only Way Is Essex Only Connect Family Guy Hollyoaks Foyle’s War K Pilkington: Moaning Of Life Hollyoaks Pain, Pus And Poison... Family Guy Tricked Family Guy Agatha Christie’s Poirot Family Guy Hollyoaks Made In Chelsea Inspector Montalbano The Xtra Factor Saturday Night Football The Big Bang Theory Agatha Christie’s Poirot Family Guy The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory
Figures include HD and +1 where applicable
Day
Thu Sun Sun Wed Wed Tue Tue Sun Mon Sun Fri Sat Sun Thu Thu Sat Thu Fri Wed Sat Mon Mon Sat Sun Sat Fri Thu Sat Mon Thu
Start
22.00 15.30 22.00 19.00 22.00 20.00 19.00 22.00 20.30 22.25 19.00 20.00 21.00 19.00 21.00 0.15 21.00 23.25 20.00 23.50 19.00 22.00 21.00 21.00 17.00 18.30 19.55 23.30 18.30 18.30
Viewers (millions)
Share (%)
1.36 1.32 1.10 1.02 0.96 0.96 0.94 0.89 0.88 0.88 0.85 0.82 0.81 0.78 0.76 0.75 0.73 0.73 0.73 0.73 0.72 0.70 0.70 0.70 0.70 0.70 0.70 0.69 0.67 0.66
8.06 8.81 5.51 4.93 5.50 3.69 4.54 5.08 3.59 5.66 4.38 3.56 3.17 3.78 3.58 10.81 3.46 7.51 3.22 8.45 3.45 4.19 3.37 2.74 3.79 3.85 3.21 6.25 3.35 3.59
Channel
ITV2 Sky Sports 1 BBC3 E4 ITV2 ITV3 E4 ITV2 BBC4 BBC3 E4 ITV3 Sky 1 E4 BBC4 BBC3 ITV2 BBC3 ITV3 BBC3 E4 E4 BBC4 ITV2 Sky Sports 1 E4 ITV3 BBC3 E4 E4
Channels
Share (%)
BBC1 ITV C4 BBC2 C5 Total multichannel ITV2 ITV3 E4 Film 4 Dave CBeebies BBC3 More 4 Pick 5 USA ITV4 Sky Sports 1
20.97 19.06 5.63 5.29 4.25 46.33 2.66 2.42 1.92 1.62 1.38 1.30 1.29 1.16 1.09 1.02 0.95 0.92
Figures include HD and +1 where applicable
812k Audience for the launch of Sky 1’s Karl Pilkington: The Moaning Of Life (Sunday, 9pm)
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 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 34 36 37 38 39 40 41 41 43 44 44 46 47 48 49 50
Title
Day
Start
Viewers (000s) Share (all homes) %
Live Ford Super Sunday Karl Pilkington: The Moaning Of Life Live Ford Saturday Night Football Storage Hunters Storage Hunters Live Championship Live Newcastle United V Liverpool Dave Gorman: Modern Life Is Goodish Storage Hunters Geordie Shore Storage Hunters Sleepy Hollow The Tunnel The Simpsons Mock The Week Jonathan Creek The Simpsons Red Bull Cliff Diving Storage Hunters Storage Hunters The Simpsons Storage Hunters Mock The Week Storage Hunters Storage Hunters The Simpsons Rizzoli And Isles A League Of Their Own: Unseen Gillette Soccer Saturday Glee Not Going Out The Simpsons Storage Hunters The Simpsons The Simpsons Mock The Week The Simpsons Storage Hunters The Walking Dead The Simpsons The Simpsons Star Trek: Enterprise Lizard Lick Towing QI XL Mock The Week Stargate Atlantis Lizard Lick Towing Sam And Cat Salvage Hunters Would I Lie To You?
Sun Sun Sat Tue Sun Sun Sat Tue Sun Tue Tue Wed Wed Tue Wed Fri Wed Sun Sun Sat Thu Fri Fri Sun Fri Wed Thu Fri Sat Fri Thu Thu Sun Tue Wed Fri Sun Sat Fri Tue Thu Mon Wed Thu Sat Fri Wed Mon Mon Sun
15.30 21.00 17.00 20.00 17.30 13.00 11.30 22.00 17.00 22.00 20.30 21.00 21.00 19.00 22.00 21.00 19.00 18.00 12.30 19.30 19.00 20.30 22.40 12.00 20.00 19.30 21.00 21.00 12.00 20.00 21.00 19.30 16.30 19.30 18.30 22.00 18.30 15.30 22.00 18.30 18.30 19.00 20.00 20.00 22.20 20.00 20.30 18.00 21.00 22.00
1,322,800 812,400 701,100 545,300 530,800 518,100 492,400 478,400 475,900 471,400 467,400 459,400 433,100 404,000 403,300 397,500 391,400 390,800 388,100 374,800 364,900 362,100 354,100 347,900 336,400 333,400 333,300 328,200 328,100 327,400 325,100 320,700 319,000 318,300 318,300 316,000 313,000 311,400 310,300 308,700 307,100 307,100 302,400 298,400 298,400 297,100 296,000 293,700 292,100 291,400
8.81 3.17 3.79 2.10 3.06 4.97 5.89 2.87 3.12 2.82 1.73 2.12 2.00 1.96 2.22 1.96 1.90 2.10 4.44 1.67 1.77 1.62 2.59 4.26 1.56 1.55 1.58 1.57 3.21 1.49 1.53 1.54 2.25 1.42 1.68 1.81 1.55 3.05 1.88 1.61 1.66 1.42 1.31 1.37 1.65 1.35 1.24 1.63 1.20 1.59
Figures include HD and +1 where applicable
The Tunnel www.broadcastnow.co.uk
The Walking Dead
Broadcaster/ Producer* Sky Sports 1 Sky 1 Sky Sports 1 Dave/T Group Dave/T Group Sky Sports 1 BT Sport 1 Dave/Liberty Bell Dave/T Group MTV/Lime Pictures Dave/T Group Universal Sky Atlantic Sky 1 Dave/Angst Productions Drama Sky 1 Dave Dave/T Group Dave/T Group Sky 1 Dave/T Group Dave/Angst Productions Dave/T Group Dave/T Group Sky 1 Alibi Sky 1 Sky Sports News Sky 1 Dave/Avalon Sky 1 Dave/T Group Sky 1 Sky 1 Dave/Angst Productions Sky 1 Dave/T Group Fox Sky 1 Sky 1 Pick Dave Dave/Talkback Dave/Angst Productions Pick Dave Nickelodeon Quest Dave
327k A tribute episode to the late Corey Monteith scored the best ratings to date for this series of Glee (Sky 1, 8pm)
Viewers enjoy a good moan BY sTephen price
According to Dave and Karl, modern life barely gets off the mat; at best, it seems it’s good-ish before subsiding to something that has to be endured with the maximum of irritability. These shrugging concepts represent a narrow vista of life, but with a chuckle each, they seem to have struck a chord. Dave Gorman: Modern Life Is Goodish achieved its best Tuesday 10pm premiere slot rating to date for Dave, with 478,000/3%, a fraction ahead of the launch episode in September (474,000/3%). Sky 1’s Karl Pilkington: The Moaning Of Life began on Sunday at 9pm with 812,000/3%, only slightly behind the live ratings of the last series of An Idiot Abroad in 2012. Sky Atlantic’s new Wednesday kicked off at 9pm with The Tunnel, the English/French version of the Danish/Swedish thriller The Bridge and a home(ish)-grown hit with 433,000/2%. Immediately afterwards, the returns began to diminish: Stephen Merchant’s Hello Ladies debuted at 10pm with 150,000/0.8%, followed by a new series of Veep on 40,000/ 0.3%. Recording will reveal a truer picture of this triumvirate. Fox’s The Walking Dead returned to 310,000/2% on Friday at 10pm. Recording usually adds another 600,000, so its premiere transmission should inch close to, or possibly even pass, 1 million. 25 October 2013 | Broadcast | 37
Ratings Mon 7 Oct – Sun 13 Oct
All BARB ratings supplied by: Attentional
Consolidated Ratings
UK dramas fail to impress BY Stephen price
The autumn assault of US dramas on UK shores is a constant one, and while Sky Living’s sultry and sanguine Dracula waits in the wings, two more turned up on our screens. At the same time, homemade dramas launched head to head on the UK’s two biggest channels, but were comparatively below par. ITV’s drama boasted US retro style while BBC1 flashed a very British blade, but the audience just sort of shrugged. Meanwhile, an office clerk and his cowardly assistant inched through the carnage in a bid to become the right mens.
BBC1: Truckers ITV: Breathless On Thursday at 9pm, BBC1 and ITV went head to head with two new dramas: Truckers on BBC1 and
Source: BARB
Breathless on ITV. Neither really set the world on fire, with Truckers impressing least. While Breathless’ live rating of 3.8 million/18% rose to 4.7 million/18% (incl +1) after 931,000 recorded and watched, BBC1’s Truckers could only claim 484,000 viewing via the PVR, which converted its live rating of 2.9 million/14% to 3.4 million/13%. With the help of its +1 channel, Channel 4’s Educating Yorkshire beat it with 4.2 million/16%.
BBC2: The Wrong Mans BBC2 comedy thriller The Wrong Mans debuted on 24 September at 9pm with a decent 3.1 million/14%, which was enhanced by 1.4 million via recording to deliver a series high 4.5 million/16%. Episode two on 1 October was recorded by 1.1 million, delivering 3.2 million/12%, while episode three on 8 October matched that after 928,000 recorded to deliver 3.2 million/13%. The 15 October episode was clouted by football, with a live rating of just 1.9 million/7%, so it
will have to be the best recorded of all to keep up the momentum.
Universal: Sleepy Hollow Universal’s US import Sleepy Hollow launched strongly on 415,000/2% at 9pm on Wednesday 9 October. After more than 258,000 recorded and watched, that rose to 674,000/2.8%, sending it to the top of Universal’s best ever programme list, overtaking an episode of Harry’s Law from 17 October 2011 (516,000/ 3%). Five repeats added another 829,000, delivering a weekly total of 1.5 million.
Sky Living: The Blacklist
An extra 930,000 in PVR and catch-up boosted the audience for ITV’s Breathless
On Friday 4 October at 9pm, the launch episode of Sky Living’s The Blacklist began with 585,000/2.8%; episode two slipped to 353,000/1.5%. However, while episode one was recorded by 513,000 to deliver 1.1 million/5%, episode two was recorded by 895,000, emerging with a higher consolidated rating of 1.2 million/5%.
TOP 30 CONSOLIDaTeD RaTINgS: RaNkeD By gaIN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 23 25 26 26 28 29 30
4.8m UP Under The Dome adds 320,000 DOWN Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. loses 900,000
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Title
Day
Start
Viewers (m) (all homes)
Share %
Gain (m)
Gain %
Downton Abbey Atlantis The Great British Bake Off Doc Martin Homeland Educating Yorkshire Strictly Come Dancing Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. By Any Means Under The Dome Whitechapel Casualty EastEnders The X Factor Breathless The Wrong Mans EastEnders The Blacklist Coronation Street Have I Got News For You EastEnders Coronation Street Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. CSI New York Coronation Street The X Factor Results Coronation Street Wentworth Prison EastEnders Peaky Blinders
Sun Sat Tue Mon Sun Thu Sat Fri Sun Mon Wed Sat Fri Sat Thu Tue Tue Fri Mon Fri Mon Sun Sat Tue Wed Sun Mon Wed Thu Thu
21.00 20.30 20.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 18.30 20.00 21.00 22.00 21.00 21.30 20.00 20.00 21.00 21.00 19.30 21.00 20.30 21.00 20.00 19.00 19.00 21.00 19.30 20.00 19.30 22.00 19.30 21.00
11.75 6.24 7.41 9.08 3.24 4.20 10.90 2.77 4.20 2.29 4.70 5.03 6.39 9.33 4.75 3.23 5.42 1.25 9.85 4.52 7.82 9.21 1.47 2.27 9.46 10.41 10.10 1.41 7.37 2.03
39.02 23.38 27.89 33.82 10.80 16.37 43.85 10.78 14.08 12.04 19.62 19.65 24.71 34.77 18.50 12.54 22.95 4.68 38.50 16.77 31.88 33.84 5.85 8.91 42.72 37.84 43.67 7.61 34.11 7.96
2.01 1.62 1.44 1.34 1.19 1.16 1.11 1.11 1.10 1.09 1.06 1.02 0.97 0.96 0.93 0.90 0.89 0.87 0.77 0.76 0.74 0.72 0.66 0.66 0.65 0.64 0.64 0.63 0.62 0.59
20.70 35.10 24.10 17.20 57.80 38.30 11.30 66.20 35.60 90.50 29.10 25.40 17.80 11.50 24.40 38.70 19.50 228.50 8.50 20.10 10.50 8.50 81.80 40.60 7.40 6.50 6.70 81.70 9.30 40.60
Broadcaster ITV BBC1 BBC2 ITV C4 C4 BBC1 C4 BBC1 C5 ITV BBC1 BBC1 ITV ITV BBC2 BBC1 Sky Living ITV BBC1 BBC1 ITV C4 C5 ITV ITV ITV C5 BBC1 BBC2
Figures include HD and +1 where applicable
38 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
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Off Cuts
Contact robin.parker@emap.com
Jake’s up to scratch on mic
ALL A TWITTER
Chillin’ out with Broadcast
ITN’s basement was transformed into a football pitch to celebrate the launch of its News UK Premier League clips. While the likes of Jon Snow took penalty kicks under the watchful eye of Jon Champion, Broadcast’s Jake Kanter attempted some commentary of his own, including a fearlessly objective assessment of nasty Fernando Torres’ scratchy encounter with Spurs maestro Jan Vertonghen.
The character parade has become an annual tradition at Brand Licensing Europe, as everyone from Peppa Pig to Paddington Bear forgets their fierce rivalry to march as one down Olympia’s exhibition hall. It’s demanding work, though, as the Snowman and his doggy pal demonstrate here – they prepared for some much-needed time out with a sift through the latest Broadcast.
If the cap fits: Jake takes the mic
That Bruce Forsythe make-up on Toast of London is creepily brilliant and very funny. @MattStrevens (Matt Strevens) Producer, An Adventure In Space And Time
Just finished #Homeland ep 3. Erm. When does it actually start?
£4.99
Do you have a story that you’d like to share?
Cool customers: Snowman and dog
@sniggiht (Tom Higgins) Writer, Casualty; EastEnders
You know what Homeland really needs? A more selfindulgent title sequence. @Lazbotron (Laurence Rickard) Writer/actor, Ponderland
Why is Katie Hopkins commenting on nuclear power? Couldn’t even win a TV reality show! Consider yourself a failed producer if you book her. @WorksWithWords (Lisa Holdsworth) Writer, New Tricks
Bafta likes to throw the odd glitzy bash or two but the hot ticket last week was a Bake Off-style tea party for chief executive Amanda Berry. The office do marked Amanda’s 15 years at the top with cakes and other treats, but she appears to be revealing the secret of her success by hogging the salad bowl with glee.
AND FINALLY ... Roger Morris Managing director, Elstree Studios
What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told? That I was a vegetarian to get a job as a washer-up in a vegetarian restaurant. What’s the worst rejection you’ve ever had? Not getting the job as a washer-up in the vegetarian restaurant. Tell us one of your most hilarious faux pas. Asking a lady producer when she was due, only to be informed she wasn’t pregnant. Who would you put in the Celebrity Big Brother house? Chris ‘Ferrari’ Evans. A very talented man. Who would you like to play yourself in a movie? The Rock. I often get mistaken for him. Which TV show would you resuscitate? Channel 5’s karaoke gameshow Night Fever. I could never understand why they took it off – and it was great to work on. What would you do with a million quid? In retrospect, I should have spent it wisely. What’s your hidden talent? I’m still trying to find it.
23rd & 24th October BFI Southbank, London www.broadcast-forums.com
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40 | Broadcast | 25 October 2013
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