Tellycast: two archive columns from 2021

The BBC – Auntie’s turn in the barrel

With the publication of the Dyson Report, the Corporation has entered its darkest period since Savile and the David Kelly ‘sexed up dossier’ affair.

All three debacles stemmed from common flaws inherent in the BBC: a penchant for covering up mistakes, lousy senior management, institutional arrogance and (incongruously for a broadcaster) terrible media messaging.

It’s also ironic that this government, not exactly known for truthfulness and regard for the welfare of others, now has the perfect opportunity to emasculate the BBC.

The words of John Lennon in 1966 have always reminded me of the BBC, which in itself is a fine idea, but one marred in actualité by the generally abysmal calibre of the ruling cadre

“Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

The gall of Tony Hall to return to the BBC as DG after his whitewash inquiry of the Bashir interview should be shocking, but knowing from experience the immense self-regard of the upper ranks of the Corporation, it’s actually predictable.

One wonders whether the Bashir interview was brought up when Hall first applied (and failed) to become DG in 1999.

Lord Hall’s lack of self-awareness is typical of many BBC grandees, not least the DG at the time of the interviews, John Birt, who, with the exception of a brief ‘not me guv’ arse-covering statement appears to have gone to ground.

Birt’s self-righteous prating about journalistic integrity and the ‘Mission to Explain’ ring distinctly hollow in the knowledge of self-confessed involvement in l'affaire Bashir.

I guess the chance of stripping Messrs Hall and Birt of their life peerages and knighthoods is slim, but such an action would really hit the pair where it hurts in terms of their social standing.

At the least, Tony Hall should be swiftly ejected from his current cushy gig as chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery.

And maybe Eutelsat will think it is time for Birt to do the decent thing and retire as Non-Executive Independent Vice Chairman.

Don’t hold your breath though.

If JB can escape the ceiling falling in on him when he served as Tony Blair’s very own Gríma Wormtongue in 2005, he, in the fashion of a post-Armageddon cockroach, will probably survive the Dyson Report.

As with many prestigious organisations, the ‘kiss up, kick down’ culture at the BBC is entrenched, with some senior managers regarding their decades-long tenures as a right, many “dug in like an Alabama tick” to quote the movie Predator (1987).

An example of BBC’s wrongheadedness in terms of higher management was the decision to recruit Channel 4’s Shane Allen as Head of Comedy back in 2012.

I have little time for Ch4’s then creative head Jay Hunt, but Allen’s frsnkly dickish behaviour at his ‘End the Hunt’ leaving bash should have disqualified him from the BBC gig.

Or at least until he took some time out to reflect on his douchery and learned to conduct himself as an adult.

The BBC are fortunate (if that’s the word) in that with DG Tim Davie and chairman Richard Sharp the organisation is headed by figures who the Tory government regards as ‘on side’.

Not that this won’t prevent Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden taking a metaphorical pair of rusty bacon scissors to caponize the Corporation.

And tragically (for some) it will all be the fault of the BBC itself, as ever the author of its own misfortunes – in this case the deceit which possibly contributed to the tragic events leading to the death of Princess Diana.

Stephen Arnell May 21st, 2021

A Change Is Gonna Come?

Sky’s Scripted Evolution?

Earlier this week Broadcast magazine reported that:

‘Sky Studios is hunting a creative director and head of indie commissioning to fill (Cameron) Roach’s shoes when he leaves in the spring. The former will help oversee Sky Studios’ transformation beyond its roots in co-development, deficit funding and distribution into a fully-fledged producer.

The ideas generated by that individual will ultimately be commissioned for Sky UK by managing director of content Zai Bennett. Meanwhile the head of indie commissioning, who will also sit within Sky Studios, will take charge of projects pitched by third-party producers and help exec produce and secure distribution agreements and deficit funding.

This individual will take charge of the lion’s share of the ￡1bn annual budget Sky has pledged to invest in original programming by 2024. Bennett will also sign off on these projects.’

If you remember, Roach announced his departure in September 2020, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Since the pandemic presumably meant that he was working from home most of the time since March last year, that’s one close familial household.

‘And why not?’

As Barry Norman said in the catchphrase the affable film critic adopted after Spitting Image created it for him.

Attempts at humour aside, the split presents an interesting development for the future of the now Comcast-owed Sky.

There will always be a tension between the desire to own IP through your own studio productions and the reality of needing hit shows from established production entities and talent.

Without any quotas given, it looks like it will (rightly) be the survival of the strongest ideas, in terms of what eventually hits our screens.

To the outsider, this looks like strengthening the hand of Content Director Zai Bennett, who is generally credited to have been instrumental in championing critical hits such as Chernobyl, Patrick Melrose and others.

Whether the exit of Jeremy Darroch and Gary Davey presages further changes at the top at Sky is a matter for speculation.

These two new scripted roles could be filled by executives with greater experience in the international arena, versed in the process of scoring hits on a regular basis.

Roach and his predecessor Anne Mensah leave a mixed record in drama commissioning, in no small part down to the fact that they had to hit the ground running from previous stop/start scripted regimes at Sky where programming strategy sometimes changed at what appeared as whiplash speed.

They both built up Sky’s reputation as a new home for quality UK drama, but too often the results tended to be distinctly underwhelming.

Shows such as Hooten & The Lady, Lucky Man, Riviera, Britannia, Temple, Fortitude and You, Me and the Apocalypse have a few admirers, but failed to provide the broadcaster with the international hits needed to build a reputation.

With some series launching in the US on failed ventures such as Pivot (Fortitude) or boutique operations like Ovation (Riviera) there was admittedly little chance of some of the dramas ever chalking up decent audiences outside the UK.

Comedy-drama You, Me and the Apocalypse did debut on NBC in the US, but despite a strong cast (including Rob Lowe, Diana Rigg, Jenna Fischer, Megan Mullally and others) it was a ratings flop.

Critically they also received very mixed receptions, with only Britannia achieving any kind of dedicated appreciation.

On the other hand, the aforementioned Chernobyl/Patrick Melrose, and others such as Catherine The Great, Penny Dreadful (original series), Save Me, and I Hate Suzie demonstrated some genuine ambition and added to Sky’s lustre in the industry.

The recent Jude Law folk-horror series The Third Day and (to a lesser extent) The Young/New Pope also showed a refreshing appetite for experimentation.

With renewed COVID-19 restrictions, any new scripted hires will face additional challenges, but will at least have the advantage of beginning their roles inheriting a far stronger position than Cameron Roach and Anne Mensah initially confronted.

On a final note, a plea from a viewer for a trifle more variety in scripted drama – especially from the streamers?

A cursory examination of upcoming and current shows for the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime sees a tidal wave of fantasy (particularly prevalent the numerous exercises in ‘world-building’) and supernatural series, presumably commissioned in an attempt to rival the Marvel and Star Wars franchises on Disney+

New, current, and upcoming fantasy dramas include Fate: The Winx Saga, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Shadow and Bone, Tribes of Europa, Cursed, The Order, Locke and Key, October Faction, Jupiter’s Legacy on Netflix and new seasons of American Gods, The Boys, and Carnival Row on Amazon Prime.

And not forgetting Amazon Prime’s two-fer of the mega budget LOTR series and Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time, as well as Netflix’s Narnia-verse, which are all in varying stages of production.

Of the seven new scripted shows announced by Netflix UK scripted head Anne Mensah, four have a supernatural aspect.

Spoilt for choice, aren’t we?

Stephen Arnell January 20th, 2021