June 2019

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1012-RTS ADVERTS-V1.indd 5 22/05/2019 16:24 Journal of The Royal Television Society June 2019 l Volume 56/6

From the CEO A sultry period drama Returning to the 21st century, Shilpa Recently, I was privileged to be the set in the shimmering Ganatra has written a timely feature guest of the RTS’s Isle of Man Centre. heat of 18th-century on how TV coverage of women’s sport Every year, the island welcomes India is our June cover is gaining a higher profile. I, for one, around 15,000 motor cycles and story. ITV’s new Sun- am enjoying BBC One’s coverage of 40,000 visitors for the annual TT day night treat, Bee- the Women’s World Cup and hope the Races, broadcast by ITV4. cham House, looks likely Lionesses can raise their game fol- I was told that it takes up to three to be the perfect antidote to our own lowing their hard-won victory over weeks to transport everyone and their – so far – less than scorching summer. Scotland. bikes to the Isle of Man. Two intrepid In Steve Clarke’s interview with the Elsewhere in this issue, I would like travellers made it all the way from series’s director and co-creator, to highlight a new regular column, Argentina. Gurinder Chadha, the film-maker Working Lives. I’m confident that Sadly, bad weather led to the racing looks back on her extraordinary this will become a popular feature being cancelled on the day I was career and explains why she was in Television. In this month’s edition, there. So I missed the spectacle this inspired to make a long-form, cos- Pippa Shawley interviews intimacy year. The legendary Isle of Man hospi- tume drama. director Ita O’Brien, who opens our tality more than made up for this. Previously, her films, such as Bhaji eyes to a job that many readers will What was that again about the Great on The Beach and Bend It like Beckham, not have heard of. British Summer? have focused on Indians living in We also carry reports from some England. By contrast, the central char- recent RTS events. These include a acter in Beecham House is an English celebration and screening of 63 Up, entrepreneur in India, the dashing and a timely and important discus- John Beecham, played by Tom Bate- sion about what we need to do to man, who recently starred in another promote wellbeing and mental health ITV period piece, Vanity Fair. in the TV industry. Theresa Wise Contents Sophie Lanfear’s TV Diary Seeing through the secrets and lies Natural history film-maker Sophie Lanfear leaves A panel of investigative journalists share their 5 her natural habitat for Hollywood and encounters 16 approaches to unearthing stories with Matthew Bell a television great Stop harming, start helping Bend it like Beecham The way we make TV can make people ill, behind and in Steve Clarke talks to Gurinder Chadha, who explains the 19 front of the camera, hears Matthew Bell 6 background to her Sunday-night ITV costume drama set in 18th-century India Our Friend in Wales Judith Winnan celebrates 60 years of RTS Cymru Wales The dramady comes of age 22 and applauds the help it gives to new TV talent Caroline Frost hails a style of show, typified by Mum and 9 Home, that is reinvigorating the comedy genre Private lives lived in public Carole Solazzo meets the team behind one of factual Working lives: the intimacy director 24 television’s most iconic experiments, 63 Up Pippa Shawley interviews Ita O’Brien, who does one 12 of those extraordinary TV jobs you’ve never heard of Food, glorious food Tara Conlan finds much to chew on at an RTS event on Game changers 26 TV food shows The profile of women’s sport on TV has never been 14 higher, discovers Shilpa Ganatra Cover: Gordon Jamieson

Editor Production, design, advertising Royal Television Society Subscription rates Printing Legal notice Steve Clarke Gordon Jamieson 3 Dorset Rise UK £115 ISSN 0308-454X © Royal Television Society 2019. [email protected] [email protected] London EC4Y 8EN Overseas (surface) £146.11 Printer: FE Burman The views expressed in Television News editor and writer Sub-editor T: 020 7822 2810 Overseas (airmail) £172.22 20 Crimscott Street are not necessarily those of the RTS. Matthew Bell Sarah Bancroft E: [email protected] Enquiries: [email protected] London SE1 5TP Registered Charity 313 728 [email protected] [email protected] W: www.rts.org.uk

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 3 Your guide to upcoming events. Book online at RTS NEWS www.rts.org.uk

RTS MASTERCLASSES National events Tuesday 5 November and Wednesday 6 November RTS Midlands RTS AGM RTS Student Masterclasses TV Careers Tuesday 25 June Venue: IET, 2 Savoy Place, All RTS members welcome. 6pm London WC2R 0BL Fair 2019 Venue: RTS, 7th floor, Dorset Rise, London EC4Y 8EN RTS AWARDS 7 October 10:00am-4:00pm Monday 25 November Edgbaston stadium, Birmingham RTS AWARDS RTS Craft & Design Awards Friday 28 June 2019 Book via Eventbrite.co.uk RTS Student Television Sponsored by Gravity Media Awards 2019 Group Sponsored by Motion London Hilton on Park Lane Friday 29 November SCOTLAND Content Group 22 Park Lane, London W1K 1BE RTS Midlands Awards ■ April Chamberlain Venue: BFI Southbank, Belvedere Venue: International Convention ■ [email protected] Road, London SE1 8XT Centre, Broad Street, Local events Birmingham B1 2EA SOUTHERN RTS EARLY EVENING EVENT ■ Jayne Greene 07792 776585 ■ Stephanie Farmer Thursday 29 August DEVON AND CORNWALL ■ [email protected] ■ [email protected] In conversation with Jeff Pope ■ Jane Hudson Jeff Pope is head of factual ■ RTSDevonandCornwall@rts. NORTH EAST AND THE BORDER THAMES VALLEY drama at ITV Studios org.uk ■ Jill Graham ■ Tony Orme Venue: TBC ■ [email protected] ■ [email protected] EAST RTS CAMBRIDGE CONVENTION ■ Nikki O’Donnell NORTH WEST WALES 2019 ■ nikki.odonnell@bbc.co.uk Wednesday 19 June 3-10 August 18-20 September An evening with Judge Rinder National Eisteddfod 2019 Content, consumers and ISLE OF MAN Hosted by Lucy Meacock, Gran­ Eisteddfod events details TBC everything in between ■ Michael Wilson ada Reports. 6:30pm for 7:00pm Venue: Llanrwst, Wales Principal sponsor: ITV. Confirmed ■ [email protected] Venue: Compass Room, Lowry ■ Hywel Wiliam 07980 007841 speakers include: Jeremy Dar- Theatre, Salford Quays M50 3AZ ■ [email protected] roch, CEO, Sky; Howard Davine, LONDON executive vice-president, busi- Wednesday 4 December Thursday 26 September WEST OF ENGLAND ness operations, ABC Studios; Christmas Lecture: Awards launch party Tuesday 2 July Tony Hall, Director-General, BBC; David Abraham Details TBA AGM Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4; 6:30pm for 7:00pm Venue: Compass Room, Lowry Venue TBC Jane Turton, CEO, All3Media; Venue: Cavendish Conference Theatre, Salford Quays M50 3AZ ■ Belinda Biggam Sharon White, CEO, Ofcom; Centre, 22 Duchess Mews, ■ [email protected] Rt Hon Jeremy Wright MP, London W1G 9DT Saturday 23 November Secretary of State, DCMS; and ■ Daniel Cherowbrier RTS North West Awards YORKSHIRE David Zaslav, President and CEO, ■ [email protected] Venue: Hilton Deansgate, 303 Thursday 4 July Discovery. Chaired by Carolyn Deansgate, Manchester M3 4LQ Adjusting perspective: Getting McCall, CEO, ITV. MIDLANDS ■ Rachel Pinkney 07966 230639 more BAME crew on set Venue: King’s College CB2 1ST Monday 7 October ■ [email protected] Joint event organised by Creative RTS Midlands TV Careers Diversity Network and RTS STEVE HEWLETT MEMORIAL Fair 2019 NORTHERN IRELAND Yorkshire. To attend, please LECTURE 2019 Book via Eventbrite.co.uk. Thursday 7 November RSVP directly to: projects@ Tuesday 24 September Early bird tickets £5 until 1 July, RTS NI Programme Awards creativediversitynetwork.com. Speaker Mark Thompson thereafter £10. Tickets cannot be Venue: The MAC, 10 Exchange 4:30pm-6:30pm. Registration Mark Thompson is President purchased on the door. Minors Street West, Belfast BT1 2NJ 4:15pm; drinks and networking and CEO of the New York Times must be accompanied by a fee- ■ John Mitchell from 6:30pm. Company, and a former Direc- paying adult. 10:00am-4:00pm ■ mitch.mvbroadcast@ Venue: John Charles 2 Room, The tor-General of the BBC. Drinks Venue: Edgbaston stadium, btinternet.com Queens Hotel, City Square, Leeds reception sponsored by BBC Birmingham B5 7QU LS1 1PJ Studios. 6:00pm for 6:30pm REPUBLIC OF IRELAND ■ Lisa Holdsworth 07790 145280 Venue: University of Westminster, ■ Charles Byrne (353) 87251 3092 ■ lisa@allonewordproductions. London W1W 7BY ■ [email protected] co.uk

4 TV diary

Natural history film-makerSophie Lanfear leaves her natural habitat for Hollywood and encounters a television great

t’s a lot smaller than the telly ­without even realising it, a part of a cohesive structure for a film that makes it seem,” I think to your nature gets suppressed. a mass audience will understand. myself as I stare out at the I came away feeling relieved at My day is spent assimilating as infamous Hollywood sign. having acknowledged this and opti- much information as I can from a LA is the last place you’d mistic that women are gradually wide variety of sources to work out expect to find a wildlife film- reaching those higher places. Hope- which animal stories/behaviours best maker who’s more accus- fully, we will get to a place where fit the narrative. tomed to being holed up in a shack in gender difference is appreciated and From YouTube videos of squeaking Ithe Arctic wilderness. I’m on the 10th drawn upon, with the result that there frogs, to academic papers that make floor of a Hollywood hotel pondering is more varied and emotionally com- me remember why I didn’t stay on at the events of the last week. plex content. university to do a PhD, the quest to I’m here courtesy of Netflix, which find the perfect stories often feels invited me to join its “Rebels and rule ■ I have lived and breathed Our relentless and arbitrarily boundless. breakers” panel as part of its Emmy Planet since early 2015. It has been Everything is up in the air. Quite campaign for Our Planet. I didn’t want two months since the series went how it will all fall into place, no one to spoil things by telling them that: a) global (one of the joys of working knows. From the seeming chaos, one I am not really a rebel, because b) I’m for a streaming giant), and the tragic has to trust that order will somehow far too rule-abiding for my own good. walrus sequence that ends my Frozen prevail. Still, I was honoured to be along- Worlds film went viral. side some of Netflix’s leading female Since then, life has been unusually ■ Some form of order has to be talent, including the legendary Marta busy. The film helped fuel a global presented to Netflix as we meet to Kauffman, co-creator and executive conversation about the impact of discuss the new series and some of producer of Friends. climate change. the editorial challenges facing us. We question how we can make the ■ While I wasn’t sure about the value ■ This morning, I was interviewed series distinctive and deliver the of an all-female panel (I feel that for American radio station SiriusXM. incredible visuals that audiences true gender equality means gender They wanted to talk about what expect from high-end natural history invisibility), it was inspiring to hear people could do to support a more television. women speak unhindered about the sustainable future. There is so much Demand for natural history content challenges they have faced in tradi- I learnt while making Our Planet. It has never been higher; Apple, Netflix, tionally male-dominated industries. is especially rewarding to be able to the BBC, BBC Earth, Discovery and impart some of this knowledge to Nat Geo are all after their slice of the ■ I hadn’t appreciated the shortage people who want to do what they pie. Which is great for us, but one of female role models in TV (espe- can to make a difference. consequence is that the industry has cially at senior producer and exec- become much more clandestine. utive level), and the impact that can ■ I have started work on the next So it will be several years before have on trying to develop your own big wildlife documentary series for I am able to able to divulge all the leadership style and other facets of Netflix. We are in the initial stages exciting details. your career. of production. This requires you With only men to look up to, this to turn into a sponge and absorb Sophie Lanfear is a producer/director at lopsided influence means that, everything possible to come up with Silverback Films.

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 5 Bend it like Beecham

t’s 4pm on a Friday afternoon, a It sounds like familiar Chadha terri- Drama time of the week when most of tory – the story of a how a British us are preparing to wind down Pakistani teenager marooned in Luton Steve Clarke talks the working week. Not during Thatcher’s Britain finds solace in Gurinder Chadha, co-creator the music of Bruce Springsteen. to Gurinder Chadha, and director of ITV’s new The director first found acclaim for who explains the periodI drama, Beecham House, other- her award-winning debut, Bhaji on the wise known as “Downton in Delhi”. Beach, followed by Bend It Like Beckham, background to her She’s at work in a Soho edit suite, a low-budget comedy whose central putting the finishing touches to character is a football-obsessed­ Punjabi Sunday-night ITV another project, her latest movie, girl living in Southall. costume drama set in Blinded by the Light. The film is based on Both were backed by Film4; Bend It journalist and broadcaster Sarfraz Man- Like Beckham became an unlikely global 18th-century India zoor’s memoir, Greetings from Bury Park. box office hit and turned Chadha into a

6 It stars Tom Bateman as the appar- There is nothing new in India being ently morally scrupulous ex-East India used as eye candy for TV period Company trader John Beecham. His drama. While Beecham House lacks the swaggering portrayal is likely to give gravitas of, say, Jewel in the Crown, its Poldark’s Aidan Turner a run for his characters and storylines have an money in any summer tabloid contest infectious quality that may well secure for hot costume-drama­ action hero. several series. So why has Chadha forsaken modern When the programme was pitched Britain for a lavish TV period piece? Part to ITV drama head Polly Hill, the exec- of the inspiration for Beecham­ House was utive immediately saw its potential as her recent feature film, Viceroy’s House, Sunday night drama. “Polly liked the which was set in post-Second World stories,” says Chadha. “Initially, ITV War India. In common with the TV was a little nervous because of Indian series, the film was co-written with Summers, which wasn’t that successful. her husband Paul Mayeda Berges. I felt its stories were very muddled.” “I was thinking that we’d like to do As mainstream as Beecham House some long-form TV. We’d done all this undeniably is, the show’s political research for Viceroy’s House and were undercurrents are obvious and seem waiting for the money to kick in,” she especially relevant as we continue to says, picking at an improvised late grapple with Brexit and hot-button lunch of grated cheese and Brazil nuts. issues such as immigration. “Wine?” she offers. “It is Friday,” as she Chadha’s ascent via local radio and takes a swig from a plastic cup. TV to pre-eminence as a film-maker “At the time, Downton Abbey was seems unlikely in today’s less egalitar- flying high. I said to Paul: ‘We could do ian age. Opportunities for those with- that. Let’s do our version set in India in out wealth or contacts to succeed in 1795.’ Viceroy’s House was the end of the the entertainment world are, to say the British Raj. Let’s start at the beginning.” least, limited. In common with the Julian Fellowes The daughter of an Indian shop- hit, Beecham House takes an Upstairs keeper who was regularly racially Downstairs-style perspective on events abused, she began her media career in chez Beecham, but the parallels with the 1980s after reading development Downton Abbey should not be over- studies at the University of East Anglia stated. One of the show’s attributes is in Norwich. “The only other Indian I the way it captures India’s indelible met there was my driving instructor,” beauty, especially the subcontinent’s she recalls. exquisite Mughal architecture. A career working for a charity such Much of the series was shot in India, as Oxfam beckoned but, following where Chadha directed all six episodes. voluntary work in India, where she In any case, it was Downton’s success read some feminist journalism, she that motivated her, rather than the started to wonder if the media might show itself: “I didn’t really watch provide a more rewarding career. Downton. But I loved Upstairs Downstairs, Returning to the UK and seeing Stuart I remember so many of the scenes. I Hall’s seminal BBC documentary, It still have the storylines in my head. Ain’t Half Racist, Mum, sealed the deal. I remember Pauline Collins coming in “That film opened my eyes, it was a with a feather and lording it over the Eureka moment for me.… Now I get it, lady of the house. the power the camera has to define

ITV “I always wanted to do a show like who we are and how society sees us. It Upstairs, Downstairs, but not as formal as was at that moment, and seeing Stuart hot property in cinema. By contrast, her Downton Abbey. With Beecham House, I Hall’s work, that I started looking at TV TV career is less celebrated. Here, too, wanted to go back to the point where differently. I thought the way to change she has form – the two-part 1995 BBC Delhi is still Indian, and ruled by the things was to become a news journalist.” One drama she directed, Rich Deceiver, Mughals, though their power is waning. She trained in broadcast journalism achieved an audience of more than “This Englishman arrives. No one at what was then the London College 10 million viewers. And, two years ago, knows what is going to happen to of Printing, before joining BBC Radio she presented India’s Partition: The For- India. He’s an English immigrant West Midlands. “I worked in the news- gotten Story for BBC Two. 250 years ago. What I’m asking the room but I wasn’t able to tell my sto- Now comes Beecham House, a audience to do is to be in his position. ries, our stories,” Chadha remembers. gorgeous-looking,­ quintessential In many ways, he is quite a modern More satisfactory was a spell ­Sunday-night drama set in late-18th- guy trying to make the right decisions, employed as a researcher on one of century India, when the imperial Brit- but trying to do them at a time when, Channel 4’s early successes, The Media ish were vying with the French to take politically, Europeans in India were at Show, a genuine trailblazer. Eventually, control of India. a crossroads.” directing short films led to Film4 �

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 7 � nurturing her as a director. The you live your life acknowledging studio put her together with Meera that oneness. That’s what makes Syal. The two co-wrote Bhaji on the us human.” Beach. The film showed she had an She believes this? “That rubbed off unusual ability to make entertaining, on me. Everything I’ve done, every humorous films that engaged head-on film I’ve made counters prejudice of with racism, sexism and patriarchy. any kind.” Beecham House may be prime-time Produced by her own company, ITV but, from the beginning of the Bend It TV (in which Fremantle is an series, it is clear that here is another investor) Chadha says that Beecham Gurinder Chadha film full of feisty, House is “probably the first prime- empowered women. time commission from ITV for a Sun- Gurinder Chadha “I’d like to think none of the day from a company of colour. Hats women are docile. They have all got a off to ITV for doing that.” bit of attitude, certainly by the end of She adds: “I’m not going out there the first episode,” she suggests. “That’s ‘THE saving people’s lives by making a TV why it’s so important to have differ- RELATIONSHIP show. What I am doing is creating a ent people telling these stories. TV show that is genially subversive. In Diversity is not ‘Let’s stick a person BETWEEN a small way, it is saying: ‘Mate, this is of colour behind the camera’.… That’s BRITAIN AND actually what happened from my important, but true diversity is when point of view. Come on the journey you allow someone to tell their story INDIA DIDN’T with us with these great characters, or show the world from their [own] JUST START IN who will entertain you but also inform perspective, because it’s the same you about the world then and the but different. THE 1960s’ impact that world has had on today.’” “The success of some of my films What does Beecham House have isn’t because it’s only Indians watch- to say about our own dark times? ing them, or people like me. They are “Hopefully it will expose some of the mainstream, commercial movies. lies that people are being told. The “I am one of the few British film-­ relationship between Britain and makers who has made a ton of India didn’t just start in the 1960s, money back for the BFI and the when people like my parents got off National Lottery by making very the plane. A lot of Britain’s wealth was commercial films. I just happen to built purely off the back of their – and have people in them that most people ‘Why I prefer my – Indian ancestors.” wouldn’t think of as commercial.” nice to nasty’ What advice would she give to Beecham House’s cast includes British young women of colour determined Indian actors, British Caucasian to succeed in the film and TV sector? actors, Indian actors, and an Indian ‘There’s a push towards more “Don’t take no for an answer, because Australian actress. genre-­led drama,’ says Gurinder there’s strength in numbers. You have As for her own female role model, Chadha. ‘Shows such as Body­ to believe that now’s our time, you look no further than her 93-year-old guard and Line of Duty are very deserve that, and you have to own mother. “When you looked at her you popular. I can’t watch them that. Go for it. Tell your stories wouldn’t think she was feisty, because because I’ve got so much stress in because there are people who want to she did everything right. A nice, tradi- my life already [she is the mother see them. You’re going to have to hold tional Indian wife, but the strength of 11-year-old twins]. If I watch on to that and keep pushing for that. and spirit and belief in justice for those shows, I’ll get too tense and “I’m sitting here now but it’s taken humanity that my mum embodies is I don’t want to be tense. a long time for me to be in this posi- where I get it all from. ‘I don’t like movies that are tion, and it’s not all milk and honey “She has had relentless commit- thrillers. I’ve always been like that. for me. My movie [Blinded by the Light] ment to empathy for everybody.… For Some people love being made to got turned down by the BBC and her, the world is connected. People feel scared and anxious. It’s never Channel 4.… might not know it but the world is been my cup of tea. “I think it’s a great time to be crea- connected because there is one God, ‘I abhor violence on TV. I don’t tive. There’s a lot of choice. There’s a it’s just different guises. Whether you like [starting to laugh] people lot of drama out there. And the more believe in God, or a spiritual force, or being nasty to each other. That there is, the more important it is to whatever, there is one way that we are sounds crass. I see it on the news, have your own, unique voice. Nowa- all connected. I don’t want to see it on TV. I don’t days, people want uniqueness.” n “We can call it religion or we can want to feel ashamed of how the call it human empathy, but my mother world is when I am trying to relax.’ Beecham House starts on ITV believes that it is very important that on 23 June.

8 Back To Life BBC The dramady comes of age

omedy, the late, great Tim Crouch, who created the show Tony Hancock would Comedy and co-wrote the script with Jones, often tell his dinner explains: “We’re looking at the world guests, was simply hails a from a small person’s perspective, the “frustration, misery, Caroline Frost view of a lowly character. He wants boredom, worry – all style of show, typified to live quietly and peacefully. Events theC things people suffer from”. by Mum and Home, prevent that happening and he’s thrust This may go some way to explaining into confrontation with the world’s the success of a crop of deceptively that is reinvigorating wider issues. The comedy exists in the simple, single-camera comedy-dramas contrasts – someone trying to do great that have all but replaced our more the comedy genre things but being small.” traditional idea of the sitcom in the Other “dramedies” seem similarly television schedules. And that’s all before he accidentally unafraid to use writing flair, acting Toby Jones cemented his status as brings a stowaway refugee back to his talent, standout visuals and laughs to the standard bearer for such fare with Bognor Regis home following a day illuminate what could be very dark Don’t Forget the Driver. Jones’s character, trip to Dunkirk. This is one string in a subjects. Rufus Jones’s Home, on a humble driver for a coach company, story that touches on dementia, disa- Channel 4 recently, followed a middle-­ is burdened as a single parent by a bility, maternal neglect, the threat of class family’s discovery of their own teenage daughter, a frail mother, help- human slavery – and yet somehow Syrian stowaway refugee. Ricky Ger- less colleagues, and a twin brother succeeds in providing plenty of vais’s After Life explored the grief of a living the dream Down Under. chuckles along the way. middle-age widower, while This �

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 9 ‘IN LIFE, NOTHING IS EVER JUST FUNNY OR JUST SAD’

Home Channel 4

� Country and Mum took on rural alien- are part of a British drama tradition: You’re laughing at them. But I’d be ation and widowhood, respectively. “Things of this tone have always been amazed if, by the end of the first epi- Similarly, Car Share and Fleabag effort- around – a good Mike Leigh would sode, you haven’t come round to the lessly combined humour with lumps have similar components – but they fact that these are fully rounded, in the throat. weren’t called comedies. three-dimensional people. The art of Does all this signal the death knell of “We’re realising that, in life, nothing a good sitcom is that the ‘sit’ is neither the traditional sitcom? Mum’s creator, is ever just funny or just sad. It’s always here nor there, it’s the characters you Stefan Golaszewski, says no. He is a bit of everything. Today, there’s more have to care about.” adamant that his award-winning crea- confidence in commissioning things Home co-star Rebekah Staton believes tion sits firmly in that canon: “It is a that have many colours rather than just our enjoyment of these shows is symp- sitcom. If people consider that too one. I never thought for one moment tomatic of the evolving TV audience limiting, it’s because they have a that I was going to make something experience. She says: “We want to demeaning view of the sitcom. Just that was a mixture of all these things, watch comedy in the same way that because there have been some banal I just wanted to tell the story.” we watch our dramas. As we’ve come and inane sitcoms doesn’t mean the Don’t Forget the Driver’s Tim Crouch to expect from our dramas, they have sitcom has to be. puts it more succinctly: “I didn’t know strong narratives, but with laughs as “I think we’ve actually gone full about genre, but I’ve been told what well. Home has 26 minutes to give a circle. If you think of Steptoe and Son, we’ve written is a drama but made on beginning, middle and end, pack some Ever Decreasing Circles or Porridge, the a comedy budget.” punches, get some laughs. All that humour may have been broad by Simon Mayhew-Archer produced requires a level of precision maybe not today’s standards, but the subject mat- This Country, a show that gave us called for in previous years.” ter, the level of characterisation and unlikely laughs from the distinctly If technology, good cameras and subtlety of performance, were all downbeat lives of Kerry and Kurtan editing have improved the quality of where we’re at now. Humour changes Mucklowe, a pair of underoccupied production, something noticeable by its fashion in 20 years, but the things that teenage cousins causing havoc in a absence in these shows is the laughter matter to us don’t.” Cotswolds village. track – once considered essential in all Daisy Haggard created and stars in He credits our fondness for Kerry things labelled TV comedy. BBC Three’s Back To Life, which she and Kurtan as being crucial to the Staton reminds us: “That was more to describes as “a dark comedy drama”, show’s success: “When people first do with who was watching at that time. about a woman returning to her home watched it, everybody goes through It helped audiences, bringing families town after serving a prison sentence. the same kind of process – ‘Oh, I know together and supporting viewers sitting She agrees that shows such as hers what these people are going to be like.’ at home on their own. It helped having

10 Don’t Forget the Driver BBC that audience around them laughing Haggard sounds slightly more aware “deep state of national bewilderment along. These days we’re quite content to of the need for balance in the writing: that has become sharper and sharper” sit on our own watching TV.” “When we were writing it, there were with the coach-driving Everyman of Mayhew-Archer adds: “A laughter moments when we realised it needed his show’s title. track is no bad thing on a show that’s more jokes, or the opposite. We were “Nobody knows what’s going on, funny. Only Fools and Horses had a very sure of the tone, and if we knew even at the highest levels of political laughter track and was also tremen- it had gone too far one way, too heavy organisation; so, to follow that tale to a dously sad in places, but you’re laugh- or too light, we’d pull it back.” fella at the seaside, there is where the ing and crying with them. It’s only ‘sadcom’ resides.” when it’s a bad show that it jars.” Golaszewski points out: “As the world The generally slower pace of these ‘SOMETIMES, IT starts to feel less safe, the art has titles and the lack of any obvious comic become more humane. Nowadays, who punchlines requires writers, directors MEANS TAKING wants to turn on the telly and see and performers to flex different muscles. THE RISK NOT someone being horrible to other people For Golaszewski, it’s all about creating for laughs? It’s difficult being a person.” something more authentic than the TO BE FUNNY’ Sure enough, between the gentle stagey sitcoms of old. He elaborates: “I narrative twists, the true delight of all often ask the editor to make the wrong these shows lies in the humanity on edit out of a scene, to edit it like a bad For Staton, acting such a role is a display and the tiny, everyday delights editor, leave the scene mid-moment, delicate balancing act. “They could be – a shared bag of chips on the beach in hold stuff longer than we should, so deemed dramatic performances, but Back to Life, a clapped-out car finally there’s a kind of roughness, but a feel- we have to be acutely aware of the starting first time in Don’t Forget the ing of truth. I want it to feel like you’re comedy underneath. Sometimes, it Driver. Or a familiar tune on the radio watching people, not a TV show. means taking the risk not to be funny, in almost all of them. These are stories “You can’t have plot twists or huge [though] the word on the tin says of quiet lives well lived, or at least revelations, because real life isn’t like ‘comedy’, but it’s more orchestrated glorying in the attempt to do so. that. Instead, you find the drama from than people might think.” Crouch sums them up: “These aren’t somewhere else. Balancing serious For many of those involved in creat- action heroes, as those aren’t funny with the funnies is instinctive. Because ing these small-screen delights, it’s no and don’t win our hearts. Ordinary it’s a sitcom, I tilt towards the comic, coincidence that their success comes human beings have superhuman pow- but I don’t really plan the narrative, I at a time of political chaos, extremism ers. It’s about finding the extraordinary feel my way through it.” and uncertainty. Crouch contrasts our in the ordinary.” n

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 11 WORKING LIVES TV JOBS YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED Intimacy director

ntimacy director Ita O’Brien be able to integrate the work and actu­ seen as a skill. We need to shift to started her career in musical ally be understood and trusted. understanding that it is, actually, a skill theatre as a dancer and actor, and those moments need to be choreo­ before becoming a movement How do you make people feel graphed in the same way that a dance teacher and director. After comfortable when they’re in these would be. devising a play that explored very intimate situations? theI dynamics of abuse in society, I’m from an Irish Catholic background What’s the advantage of having an O’Brien looked at how she could help and sometimes the bit of me that’s intimacy director on set? keep her actors safe while dealing with watching me has a bit of a smile about Once you get in front of the camera it’s such a challenging subject. what I’m now doing. way more efficient, the filming time is The intimacy guidelines and work­ With intimate content, it needs to be way quicker and you’ve got a structure shops that she developed have led to dealt with in a professional way, as you that means, continuity-wise, that it’s her working as an intimacy director in would with any other part of the script. absolutely repeatable. TV, film and theatre. In TV, she has It’s essential to talk about it in an open In the past, when you have had peo­ worked on Netflix’s Sex Education, BBC and adult way, dealing with everything ple speaking about it, one of two things One’s Gentleman Jack and Amazon on the nail, not pussyfooting around would happen. Either the director Prime’s Hanna. anything; using language that doesn’t would say, “OK, this is what I want, O’Brien produced the “Intimacy on infantilise, objectify or titivate. you two jump in the bed and go for it” set” guidelines. These offer advice on – and you have a situation where the best practice when working with inti­ Where do you fit in on set? actors feel really awkward because macy, simulated sex scenes and nudity. My work is absolutely to serve the they don’t know what’s going to hap­ She also provides training for those director’s vision. I want to know “What’s pen or what the other person’s going to wanting to follow in her footsteps. your vision, what do you want from the do to them. scene?” Then [it’s about] having that Or the director tells the actors to go What is an intimacy director? open conversation with the director and away and work it out among them­ An intimacy director is someone who the actors, so that we’re all on the same selves. There, you’ve got a situation helps with support, open communi­ page. I then put together a structure and where you haven’t got an outside eye, cation and transparency about intimacy. choreography to serve that vision, to and it no longer really serves the writ­ They then put in place a process and a give the director exactly what they want. ing, the character or the beats of the structure, [which underlies] agreement scene. You have two people trying to and consent for touching; and then How can directors make your cobble together something in a private choreographs the intimacy really clearly job easier? situation. so that there is a structure. The actor I’d like them to look at the process and One of the new guidelines is that can then act freely within that. understand it. If there’s a dance in the you always have a third person pres­ scene, everybody knows they’re going ent, so that you keep it professional, At what stage of production do you to need to bring in a choreographer. not private. usually come on board? You need [certain] skills in order to It depends on the production. Some be able to do a physical dance or to be What advice do you have for an actor productions that I’m speaking to at the able to have a sword in your hands. To who gets on set and finds themselves moment are in the pre-production stage, learn how to look like you’re fighting in a situation where they’re told to just and they’ve called me in because there’s without accidentally chopping some­ get on with it? loads of sex throughout the whole thing. one’s head off. If you see intimate content in a script, For me, it’s way more rewarding to be With intimate content, the difference don’t just leave it. If you’re offered the part of a team right from the get-go, to is that everybody does sex, so it’s not job and you see intimate content and

12 the director hasn’t already spoken to you about that, you need to have that conversation before you sign up.

Why is it important to have these conversations? Sixty per cent of women have experien­ ced some form of harassment or abuse by the time they get to 18. That means that, of the actors who come to work with you, a high percentage may have experienced something that can be triggering for them. We don’t need or want to know what those incidents were, but we do need to put in place a structure that allows for agreement and consent. So, if a body part is off limits, we can say “that’s out of bounds” and choreograph something else.

Are there any misconceptions about your job or what it entails? Just a couple of months ago, I tried to check in with this director and he gave me very short shrift on the phone. Then I came in and did the scene and we did a really beautiful, very full-on, intercourse scene. When I checked back with him a few days later he said: “I thought you were going to be like Mary Whitehouse, coming in with your clipboard, but actually you enhanced the scene.” In some articles about Gentleman Jack, I’ve been described as a “sex expert”. I’m not a sex expert. In the same way that a stunt co-ordinator isn’t an expert swordsman, but is an expert in how you pretend to be a swordsman, I’m absolutely an intimacy co-ordinator, not a sex expert. n Gentleman Jack

BBC Interview by Pippa Shawley.

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 13 TV sport The profile of women’s sport on TV has never been higher, discovers Shilpa Ganatra

Uefa World Cup 2019 England squad Game changers

here’s a perfect storm this and eloquent, and that’s where, for me, BBC’s overall yearly sports coverage. It summer – and it’s taking the women are really kicking ass. You aired the Women’s FA Cup Final live place on our televisions. put a microphone in front of them and earlier this year, and the Fifa World The rise of women in sport they’ve got something interesting to Cup, Netball World Cup and Women’s has been gathering pace say. They understand the wider Ashes will follow. for years. Now – thanks to responsibility.” Channel 4 recently launched Wom- commercial pressure, the push for It is an exciting time, when gender en’s Football World with Balding to air equalityT and some incredible momen- equality has progressed both on and highlights of women’s football from tum provided by the sportswomen off screen, from tokenism to some- around the globe. And in motor racing, themselves – they find themselves in thing more meaningful, and women’s covering the women’s W Series is a their strongest-ever­ position.. sport is now getting the space it significant step. “It’s a collision of all these great deserves. Once consigned to unadver- “With something like the W Series, events,” explains presenter Clare Bald- tised hours on specialist sports chan- you have to look at what example that ing, speaking at the BBC’s #Change­ nels, it’s moved to better time slots, might set to women watching a sport theGame launch, marking its summer gained more coverage and, most where there are no role models,” says of women’s sport. “When you get a recently, made the jump to primetime Channel 4’s head of sport, Peter World Cup in our time zone, with Eng- on terrestrial channels. Andrews. “Hopefully, there are now land coming in with a great record, we The BBC’s push this year is the most 18 role models racing in fast cars. can really believe in it. We also have significant and comes after the broad- Claire Cottingham delivered the first the Netball World Cup on home soil. caster claimed to have increased the live motorsport commentary on ter- “And [sprinter] Dina Asher-Smith proportion of women’s sport on its restrial TV in May and I think it’s really would be the number one in terms of channels by around a third over the important that Channel 4 is here to iconic profile. She’s the most visible, past five years. Women’s competitions make that happen. the most recognised. She’s really bright now account for around 30% of the “The pressure is then commercial,

14 but, if you don’t put it on air, you never more than 4 million tuned in to Chan- are to create a more mature women’s know what audience you’re going to nel 4 to watch the Uefa Women’s Euro sports scene. And these changes will get, and you can only build an audi- semi-final, in which England were not happen overnight: we will see the ence by putting something out there knocked out by the Netherlands. “That dividends from those women receiv- and building it.” was a seminal moment, certainly for ing training and experience in front of Specialist sports channels are con- Channel 4. It woke everyone up to the (and behind) the camera only in years tinuing to invest in women’s sports. potential of the sport,” says Andrews. to come. Sky Sports has the rights to this year’s Then, last year, we had the England Of course, there’s a moral as well as Women’s Ashes and the Vitality Net- netball team’s unforgettable win at the a commercial reason to bring female ball International Series and Super- Commonwealth Games, where they sports up to parity with its male coun- league until 2020, with BT Sport beat Australia, the hosts, in a down- terpart. It challenges stereotypes, covering the Women’s Super League to-the-wire 52-51 battle. And, earlier shows viewers the sports within their (football) and women’s tennis, and this year, England won the invitational capabilities, and it provides a positive Eurosport the Women’s Tour of Britain SheBelieves Cup, building momentum and healthy body image in this selfie-­ (cycling), among other events. for the summer’s football World Cup obsessed age. It’s a stark contrast to yesteryear. On in France. “You will also see women taking pitches and grounds around the coun- While the profile of women’s sport risks, and actually not being afraid to try, women have been playing netball, has been raised, there’s quite some fail, and I think that’s a really impor- football, hockey and more for decades, way to go, however, before it achieves tant message that sport can deliver,” yet the lion’s share of screen time, espe- equal status with men’s. In a survey says Balding. “You’ve got to go out cially on terrestrial television, has been published in March, consumer insights there, do it in front of a public that is devoted to their male counterparts. company Netfluential identified the watching you and will judge you, and A recent pan-European study by main obstacles to people watching the result will be that you’ll be OK. Women in Sport and its European more women’s sport as: lack of cover- You’ll get up and you’ll do it again. counterparts showed that, while the age, the quality of commentary and That’s what it’s about.” UK was one of the better countries for poor advertising of fixtures. Putting To this end, the BBC’s director of coverage overall, the volume relied on these right must be prioritised if we sport, Barbara Slater, promises a 50:50 high-profile events. balance in streaming coverage. “Our It is instructive to look at the yo-yo Sprinter Dina live streaming service delivers more viewing figures for the Women’s FA Asher-Smith than 1,000 hours of additional live Cup Final since the BBC took over sport coverage every year, and we’ve

Ailura/Creative Commons Ailura/Creative coverage in 2013 – the average in 2014 committed to making at least 500 of was 967,000; 1,449,000 in 2015; and those hours devoted to women’s 1,070,000 in 2017. This suggests a lack sport,” she says. of loyalty on the part of the audience Commercial broadcasters might not (which may be down to the time slot, be as free to make specific commit- competition from other channels and ments, but they are offering continued presence of local players rather than a support. Jamie Steward, senior lack of interest in the tournament), director of production and as well as a lack of commit- broadcast at Eurosport, says: ment from the broadcaster. “Eurosport has been commit- The two may, of course, be ted to broadcasting women’s interrelated. So the BBC’s sport for a number of years commitment to screen more and will continue to invest as than just the big games is part of a longer-term important. strategy. “I remember, in 2007, when “We aim to give fans the we got to the quarter final of broadest, most in-depth the World Cup against the US,” viewing experience across says Alex Scott, the former our key content – and football player turned pre- women’s sport plays a big senter. “That was the only role in that, and will continue game that was on TV, so it to do so moving forward.” was very easy for people to However it plays out, the momen- tune in and see us lose. tum gained so far in 2019 means that And then it’s all ‘same old TV is wholeheartedly embracing England, they’re rubbish’. But they women’s sports. Increased coverage

hadn’t followed the journey. They Getty Images has drawn in major sponsors such as hadn’t seen what it took for us to even Barclays, Coca-Cola and Boots, and the qualify for our first World Cup in more Telegraph has launched a women’s than 10 years.” ‘THE WOMEN sports section. “Everyone’s getting it,” While specialist sports channels have ARE REALLY says Balding. “It’s more than sport aired female sports for years, it arguably – it’s business, it’s culture, it’s educa- “went mainstream” only in 2017, when KICKING ASS’ tion. It changes lives.” n

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 15 Seeing through the secrets and lies

Investigative journalists as heroes – All the President’s Men Warner Bros Warner

rguably, the world has really good stuff by taking risks,” Hen- rarely been more in Journalism shaw insisted. need of investigative “My happiest and most productive journalism. Corrupt A panel of investigative times were getting on a plane with politicians; election a folder of notes, and going to a civil meddling, state repres- journalists share war not knowing what the hell I was sion,A business shenanigans, cheating in their approaches to getting into but knowing there was a sport.… the list is endless. An RTS story there.” Futures event in May was therefore unearthing stories with “It’s my choice if I go somewhere timely, with leading journalists discuss- dangerous,” said the journalist and ing how they seek to right wrongs and Matthew Bell documentary film-maker Ben Zand. In bring the powerful to justice. 2016, he received the Young Talent of Truth seeking is not for the faint- Hardcash Productions, for almost three the Year prize at the RTS Television hearted: it requires exhaustive research decades. The multi-award-winning­ Journalism Awards for his films on BBC and dogged patience – and, for those film-maker received an RTS Fellow- Two’s Victoria Derbyshire programme. journalists investigating the world’s most ship in 2009. “Certain stories need risk-taking, oppressive regimes, bravery. In truth, it’s Hardcash has filmed, openly and otherwise you can’t tell them, but, at the probably a young person’s game. undercover, in some of the world’s same time, it’s about taking sensible “When you’re young, you’re going to most perilous places, including North risks,” said Zand, who shot a documen- do your best work – you’re fearless and Korea, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. “There’s a tary with Venezuela’s kidnap gangs. you take risks that you wouldn’t take kind of illusion now among broadcast- Zand’s films cover a wide spread of when you’re older,” said David Hen- ers that somehow you can make this subjects. He recently made two films shaw, a former BBC reporter and pro- kind of journalism risk-free. It is always about R&B artist R Kelly, who has been ducer who has run his own indie, going to be risky and you only get the accused of multiple cases of sexual �

16 Why I chose investigative journalism

David Henshaw: ‘I drifted into it – it to society – and it is the best form of wasn’t a career plan.… I joined the BBC journalism to have an impact and bring when I was just 30, working on an inves- about change.’ tigative programme for Radio 4.… I [knew it] was what I really wanted to do. It Sirin Kale: ‘You can genuinely change combined all the things I was interested things, which you can’t do in other forms in: history, geography, culture and current of journalism.… If you see… an injustice… affairs. It hasn’t stopped being interesting you can [fight] it and even change the law.’ and that was a long time ago.’ Ed Howker: ‘The kind of journalism that Ben Zand: ‘I did journalism at university we’re talking about is romantic – often and knew I wanted to be a documenta- it completely takes over your life.… It’s rist early on, but I didn’t know what type designed to create high-impact, public-­ of documentaries I wanted to make.… interest stories and I don’t see it as dis- Investigative journalism feels as though tinct or rarefied from regular journalism, Ben Zand

you are contributing something valuable except that you have more time.’ All pictures: Hampartsoumian Paul

about a bloke who’d gone missing in Contacts are key, argued Ed Howker. Tenerife on holiday in the mid-1980s. ‘If you know people who are experts in ‘Number one, “Why do you go missing certain areas or have a very good sense on holiday?” and, two, “Why do people of what’s happening in their community, think he’s still alive?”’ The story was told try to keep your relationship with them in the Channel 4 documentary Looking going. If people have had a good experi- for Ricky. ence with you in the past, they are more ‘There’s always an appetite for inter- likely to tell you things in the future.’ esting stories,’ said Sirin Kale. ‘Listen to Confidence matters, too, said Kale: people, because they often have inter- ‘Don’t assume that other people can esting things to say – so many stories report a story better than you – don’t that I’ve got have come from conversa- be intimidated.’ tions in the pub.… That said, you have to learn to deal ‘It’s really hard for journalists breaking with being turned down. ‘It’s a hard into the industry to get a staff job, but world, so you need to get used to rejec- one thing that will never change is that tion,’ said Zand. ‘Learn from people who commissioning editors are looking for have done it before and try to slowly good stories.’ move up the ladder.’ Ben Zand added: ‘Stories are journal- ism – you don’t have a career unless Sirin Kale you can come up with stories. ‘You need to figure out what the potential outlets are. If your story isn’t How to get [suitable] for Panorama, don’t go to the started in TV Panorama commissioner.’ Henshaw advised: ‘If you have a story, that’s your property and a bargaining ‘At the heart of [investigative journalism] tool. So, if you’re offering it and you then is spotting a story, and a story isn’t do a deal with the production company, something you’re going to come across make sure that you define your role in by brainstorming,’ said David Henshaw. that film.’ ‘Spotting a story is something that you He explained that having access to a have to have an instinct for. story – even if you lack TV experience – ‘In 25 years of running [my indie] can get you on to a production team. Hardcash, on two occasions I’ve got a The investigative film-maker Livvy story, which turned into a commissioned Haydock, who chaired the RTS Futures film, from reading the letters column of discussion, added: ‘If you’ve got the key the Daily Mirror. [One of them] was from access – or even one bit of it – you’re David Henshaw the National Missing Persons Helpline, already way ahead of everybody else.’

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 17 Confessions of a Serial Killer

‘CERTAIN STORIES NEED RISK- TAKING, OTHERWISE YOU CAN’T TELL THEM’ Channel 4

� abuse, for BBC Three. His latest doc- of a judge and not reveal who my and survivors,” she continued. “You umentary – Channel 4’s Confessions of source was, while also denying that I’d have to amplify their voices, because a Serial Killer, which aired at the end of hacked. The proof that I hadn’t hacked they are the people who’ve been May – tells the story of Samuel Little, was obviously to reveal my source, but affected.” who claims to have killed at least I couldn’t do that.” Howker kept the “I wanted the investigation to be 90 women over 40 years in the US. source’s identity to himself. picked up by the BBC, on Woman’s Hour Not all risks are physical, as Chan- Vice UK associate editor Sirin Kale and Victoria Derbyshire, which it was,” nel 4 News journalist Ed Howker, who was behind the anti-stalking cam- she continued. “That’s what people works on the programme’s investiga- paign Unfollow Me and produced a with connections listen to and, if you tions unit, explained. “We often look documentary on the life and death of want to change policy, you need to get at big elements of western states to a woman, who had been murdered by into those people’s spheres.” see how we can effectively hold them her stalker ex-boyfriend. Kale said More than anything, investigative to account,” he explained. The risks that her investigations “always start journalism needs the backing of he faces are mostly legal. with a human story at their heart”, broadcasters – it frequently takes time Howker worked on the RTS award-­ but she is also a firm believer in using and money to tease out a story and winning Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks data to help tell stories. film the programme. “We had an investigation into Cambridge Analytica. She used the Freedom of Informa- investigation that went out on ITV “I rather like the Ofcom code in a tion Act to request information from about a month ago, The Priory: Teenage peculiar way because it does force every police force in the UK: “I asked Mental Health Exposed, which had taken you to constantly think about being how many women had reported 18 months. It was extremely expensive fair-minded. And, if we’re trying to stalkers to the police prior to their and I’m very grateful to ITV for funding do the job properly, we should all be deaths [at the hands of] the stalker.” that,” revealed Henshaw. “Not many fair-minded,” said Howker. “But, in its The results were shocking: 60 women broadcasters are prepared to put that worst interpretation by lawyers, it can had been murdered by partners, exes kind of money and commitment in.” n blunt your spear.” or stalkers, despite reporting them to A few years ago, Howker found the police. The RTS Futures event ‘Investigations ­himself in court, falsely accused of “You need the data to create a story, uncovered’ was held at Rocket Space in having “hacked an individual, a twice-­ but then you need a human story for London on 15 May. It was chaired by inves- bankrupted tax exile, as it happens”. people to care about. And the human tigative film-maker Livvy Haydock and He recalled: “I had to stand up in front story has to come from the victims produced by Reem Nouss and Ed Gove.

18 Lauren McQueen played Lilly Drinkwell (right) in Hollyoaks

Stop harming, start helping Channel 4

he death of Steve recently that the secret of his success Dymond following his Mental health was, “We take mad people and turn appearance on The Jeremy them into money.” Kyle Show last month is The way we make TV Pumfrey continued: “There’s a really a sombre lesson on the pervasive idea within our sector that power that television has can make people ill, you have to be living life close to the over people’s lives. behind and in front edge to produce your most creative TThe participant on the controversial work. By allowing the trope of the daytime programme had failed a of the camera, hears mad creative genius to persist, we lie-detector test, having been accused tacitly condone mental ill health as of infidelity by his fiancée. Following Matthew Bell allowable or, even worse, necessary his death, the show was initially taken for creative success.” off air and then axed by ITV Chief more – to safeguard the health of the The Film & Television Charity Executive Carolyn McCall. people it employs and to portray men- (formerly the Cinema & Television Shortly afterwards, ITV announced tal ill health realistically on the screen. Benevolent Fund), said Pumfrey, that it was increasing the levels of Mental ill health “has been ignored hears stories every day of the “stress, psychological support and aftercare to as a serious issue in our industry for strain and the toll [mental ill health] Love Island contestants. This followed far too long”, argued Alex Pumfrey, takes on bright and brilliant people”. the death of Mike Thalassitis, and the CEO of the Film & Television Charity. In 2017, location manager Michael suicides last year of Sophie Gradon Pumfrey was speaking at a timely Harm took his own life. “Shortly and her boyfriend. Thalassitis and RTS early-evening event, held during before he died, he left messages for Gradon had appeared on the ITV2 Mental Health Awareness Week in friends and colleagues, saying that reality show, which began its new May and chaired by journalist and he hadn’t felt supported by his own run earlier this month. broadcaster Caroline Frost. industry,” she revealed. This provided Belatedly, television has recognised “We ignore [mental ill health], we the catalyst for the launch of the Film its responsibility for the mental health enable it and we legitimise it,” argued & TV Support Line, which has taken of the people appearing in its shows. Pumfrey, who offered an example of more than 2,000 calls since its launch But many argue that it should be doing the latter. A TV executive told her in April 2018. �

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 19 Mike Thalassitis appeared in Love Island

� “Mental ill in which the health defined soap addresses Looking after my childhood,” mental ill health revealed fellow are the most contributors panellist Bryan popular: “When Kirkwood, the Hollyoaks goes Kerry Katona, the former Atomic executive pro- super-serious, Kitten singer, appeared in the last ducer of Chan- that’s when

series of Celebs Go Dating. ‘That nel 4’s drama for ITV more people was a great example of managing young adults, watch and we someone who, very publically, has Hollyoaks. “My mum took her own life have more viewer interaction.” mental health issues, while still when I was seven and I later lost my Julia Lamb, from Mind’s media advi- creating an entertaining television dad to addiction,” he said. “More than sory service, advises soap writers on programme,’ said Anna Williamson, mental ill health, it was the silence that their storylines and character develop- who is the life coach on the E4 show. crippled us. No one ever spoke about it. ment. For Coronation Street, Mind “pro- At the same time, she added, ‘We “Fast forward to the job I’m doing on vided a case study who could talk about also had to protect her and make Hollyoaks and I take very seriously the her own experience of psychosis to the sure she was well, as we do with all responsibility to help people start a production team and the actor Ali King” the contestants.’ really difficult conversation.… There’s to ensure that the deteriorating mental Williamson continued: ‘There an epidemic of ill health that’s hap- health of her character, Carla Connor, needs to be care available at all pening to young people. was accurately portrayed. times before, during and after pro- “It’s really important that everyone “She’d had a trauma in her life and duction. On Celebs Go Dating that can grow up seeing themselves on the psychosis had come out of the blue for is very much available.’ telly. I’m proud that Hollyoaks is getting her… and she was a woman of a similar She recommended that a care there in giving our audience them- age as the character and we felt they plan should be agreed between selves reflected back.” could relate well to each other,” said the contributor and the production The long-running series, which is Lamb. company, which would continue made by Liverpool indie Lime Pictures, Jessica Fox, who has played Nancy after the programme’s transmis- has been widely praised for its portrayal Osborne in Hollyoaks for 14 years, dis- sion. She said: ‘Contributors need to of mental ill health. Storylines have cussed the stress of working on the be aware of how important it is to addressed depression and bulimia and, soap. “It’s amazing but it’s crazy,” she access help.’ earlier this year, self-harm, which cul- said. “We have no time to call our own Richard Bentley from Postcard minated in the death of the character – we are on call five days a week. Productions agreed: ‘As programme-­ Lily McQueen from sepsis. “It doesn’t matter if you’re having a makers, we have a responsibility for “We took the bold decision,” said bad day, tired or sick, you’ve got to be everybody who participates in our Kirkwood, “for Lily to lose her life as there, know your lines and turn out an programme – not just through the a result of her struggle. We’ve shown amazing performance. That’s a really tall process but beyond. some triumphant mental health stories order to ask a lot of young people to do. ‘There should be a care pack- [in the past]… but we thought it was “When you do really challenging, age in place to run for a certain important to show that sometimes upsetting, hard-hitting storylines, number of weeks afterwards. And, people lose that battle. being able to say, ‘That is work, this is even beyond that, there should be “There’s no vampiric, romantic qual- me now’ is a weird psychological thing someone the contributor can speak ity in out storytelling. We’re not sug- that we ask actors to do, which is why to and have a relationship with. I gesting to any vulnerable teenagers that so many actors are vulnerable to men- don’t think this happens, because this is the way to get your mum’s or tal health problems.” [when a programme is finished] the boyfriend’s attention. We work closely The final two members of the panel team are off [to their next job].’ with [mental health charity] Mind.” assembled for the RTS event – Richard And Kirkwood said those episodes Bentley, the creative director of

20 ‘MENTAL HEALTH HAS BEEN IGNORED AS A SERIOUS ISSUE IN OUR INDUSTRY FOR FAR TOO LONG’

Mental health in television

‘We know nothing of the prev- alence and nature of mental ill Alison King plays Carla Conner in Coronation Street

ITV health within the [UK] TV sector,’ argued Film & Television Charity Postcard Productions, and Anna Wil- television to make films that would CEO Alex Pumfrey. liamson, who has worked in front of have a social impact.” A 2016 study in Australia and behind the camera – have both Bentley and Sam Forsdike set up revealed that the incidence of experienced mental ill health. Postcard Productions in 2010 and made moderate to severe anxiety in the Bentley has obsessive-compulsive The Stranger on the Bridge, the story of general population was 4% – but disorder, which creates “a huge Jonny Benjamin’s search to find the in TV it as 42%. For depression, amount of anxiety that lives just under stranger who talked him out of jumping the figures were 3% and 17%; for the surface. I covered it up with odd off Waterloo Bridge, for Channel 4. Post- suicidal thoughts, 2% and 19%, quirks.” Working as an assistant pro- card, said Bentley, only “works on pro- respectively. ‘If those were true in ducer more than a decade ago, he jects that have a good social purpose”. the UK, they would be really alarm- became ill. “One day I woke up and More than a decade ago, Williamson, ing statistics,’ said Pumfrey. my funny little ticks had changed. My currently the life coach on E4 reality ‘We [do] know that we send intrusive thoughts that I could manage show Celebs Go Dating, had a break- people off to work very long hours, and compulsions that I experienced down in front of her colleagues while often away from home and to tight had flipped and multiplied. It [had working as a presenter on GMTV chil- deadlines; in newsrooms, they’re reached] a crisis point. dren’s strand Toonattik. exposed to traumatic material. “I was really unwell and I didn’t take “I was experiencing a lot of troubles They’re in work one moment and a minute off work. No one asked if I in my private life and was working in out of it the next, never being able was all right and I think it would have an industry where we put a lot of pres- to commit to family and friends. been very obvious from my behaviour sure on ourselves,” she recalled. “I felt ‘Two-thirds of the industry is that I wasn’t very well. I needed to be at the top of my game. freelance; life can be exciting but “My boss said, ‘Something’s hap- “I’ve been managing generalised precarious. There’s rarely anyone to pened. You’ve been here for over a anxiety disorder, depression and panic talk to and there’s the risk of being year and we want old Rich back – we disorders ever since – and I’ve man- seen as difficult and [thus] jeopard- don’t like new Rich.’ Those were his aged it really well. I’m passionate about ising your next gig. So, you keep your exact words.” showing and proving to people that you game face on and you shut up.’ Yet, Bentley “still didn’t feel safe can work with a mental health issue.” At the RTS event, Pumfrey enough to be able to disclose what was She concluded: “We’re not there yet announced that the charity would going on”. He underwent therapy while – I think it still takes a lot of guts to be running an industry wellbeing working and decided to make a film openly admit [a mental health condition, survey to provide, for the first time, about his experiences. Bentley pitched but] I do think we’ve made some mas- a comprehensive picture of the the idea to a broadcaster: “I was told sive headway in the past few years.” n state of mental health in TV. that I was too well and that it was a shame I hadn’t come when I was ‘Promoting wellbeing and mental health Need someone to talk to? sicker. Also, I was too middle-class in the TV industry’ was an RTS early-­ Samaritans: Call free on 116 123, looking, so it wouldn’t get the ratings. evening event held at Channel 4 in London email [email protected] or visit From that point, I decided that I would on 14 May. It was produced by Jonathan www.samaritans.org use the skills I had acquired in Simon, Terry Marsh and Briony Robinson.

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 21 ive me the child for his first seven years, and I will give you the man.” This nature-nurture Jesuit maxim has been the lodestone of the legendary documentary series Up since ‘itG began in 1964. Originally intended by Granada as a one-off, Seven Up! looked at the lives of a group of seven-year-olds from a variety of social backgrounds and areas of the UK, breaking convention by interviewing just the children. Michael Apted – who researched Seven Up! and has directed all the ­subsequent series – and the other programme-makers­ have been chart- ing the fortunes of the same children ever since, checking in with them every seven years to take a snapshot of their lives. Remarkably, it is still going strong 56 years later. ITV celebrated the series in early June Carole Solazzo meets the team behind one of with 7 Up & Me, in which famous fans of factual TV’s most iconic experiments, 63 Up the show – including Richard E Grant and Michael Sheen – watched the show Documentary and talked about their own lives at the same age. This was followed by the first episode of the latest instalment, 63 Up. Ahead of the new series, three key members of the production team and one of the participants, Sue Sullivan, came together at an RTS North West Private lives event in mid-May to talk to Granada Reports presenter Lucy Meacock. Claire Lewis, who joined as a researcher on 28 Up and has produced the show ever since, likened the team lived in public and the participants to “members of a family. We pick up after seven years as Sullivan said [being on the show] had no reservations about following if nothing has happened. When things felt as if “I’m living my life in seven-­ the participants around with cameras. go wrong, we are all affected.” year segments… Every seven years… She spoke of “the privilege of being a It hasn’t all been plain sailing. One Michael comes along and asks ques- part of… such an extraordinary project”, contributor, Jackie, who was in the tions... and I reflect on my life.” She calling the show “pure, old-fashioned audience at the Lowry Theatre, took continued: “With the trust that we documentary film-making”. Apted to task in 21 Up for his “sexist have in Michael and [director of pho- She added: “Talking heads [are] the questioning”. She recalled: “I was angry tography] George and everyone – we most powerful thing.” [at Apted].” He asked the girls about can be ourselves.” George Jesse Turner, who has worked men and marriage, but “he’d ask the Because of the trust that has devel- on the series since 21 Up, agreed: “I’ve boys what the Tory party was doing”. oped over the years, Lewis insisted she kept to the original cinéma vérité style,

22 Left: Jackie, Lynn and Sue in the original Seven Up! From researcher to director

Michael Apted joined Granada straight from Cambridge University in 1963 on a six-month apprentice contract. One of his first jobs was as a researcher on World in Action – Seven Up!, which became the first of the ground-break- where the camera becomes people’s ing documentary series Up. eyes. A lot of people who work in TV ‘There were two of us researching it, now will find it refreshing.” myself and Gordon McDougall,’ Apted Editor Kim Horton, who made his recalls of the ‘fairly haphazard’ process. series debut on 28 Up, gives context to ‘He dealt with the north of England, each of the characters’ lives by cutting I did the south. The brief was to find in some of the extensive archive foot- children who weren’t embarrassed or age. “A mammoth task,” he admitted. who closed up when asked questions. ‘[But] Seven Up! always yields some ‘If I found someone I liked, I checked wonderful lines and pictures.” with the teacher whether they had the Meacock noted the “incredible sym- nerve to be in front of a film unit. Michael Apted

metry” of the images, which was illus- ‘We were both looking for different Film WP trated by Nick, who was shown as an branches of the population – upper, adult walking down the same farm middle and working class – to make Apted went on to direct news, foot- track that we saw him walk along as sure all were represented.… We had ball and Granada Reports, moving on a seven-year-old child. Turner added less than four weeks to choose the to ­Coronation Street and dramas writ- that he tried to “get as much informa- children, [and] would constantly review ten by the likes of Jack Rosenthal, then tion [out of the images] as possible” to them to see which stayed in the mind. into movies. convey time as well as place. Since there was no thought of contin­ Then one day, in the Granada can- So are the Jesuits right? Lewis uing the series, we didn’t do a lot of teen, the broadcaster’s de facto head

ITV believes so, with Neil the exception research. of programmes (and later its Chair), Sir that proves the rule. “He was the most ‘We had to trust our memories… Denis Forman, walked up to Apted and lovely, vivacious charming seven- beyond some note-taking and the asked if he’d ever thought of revisiting year-old,” she said. “And at 21 [after occasional still, we had no film of the the seven-year-olds to see how they a breakdown], he was labouring on a first round. So a lot depended on our were getting on, this time to direct the building site and living in a squat.” memory of the 20 to 30 minutes we show? Apted directed 7 Plus Seven and Lewis said it was because of Neil that spent with them.’ all its successors. 28 Up won a clutch of prizes, including an RTS award and a Bafta: “It was the one, after Seven Up!, that really put us on the map.” How it all began Neil had gone missing. She tracked him down, after three months of As an Aussie, Tim Hewat, then editor children’ and Seven Up! ‘was shot by searching, to a caravan in the High- of Granada current affairs programme David Samuelson, a news cameraman, lands, interviewing him by the side World in Action, ‘was absolutely hor- who’d never shot anything like it before’. of a loch. “It was possibly the most rified… at the rigidity of social class in Lewis believes another reason ‘why profound and moving interview with England’, said producer Claire Lewis. Seven Up! was so special is that it was a young man I’ve ever done,” she said, ‘His inspiration [for Seven Up!] was: directed by a drama director, Canadian praising Neil’s courage and honesty. It “Does social class predetermine how Paul Almond, who happened to be at resonated with the general public, too: children turn out?’” Granada waiting to direct something else. “Homelessness meant something Having commissioned the show, ‘He asked Samuelson… to do all sorts because it was someone they’d seen Hewat returned to Australia before of crazy things… like putting his camera as a child.” he could see it out. However, Lewis on the floor, following [the children] Will there be a 70 Up? “Seven years added, ‘before he went, he made running across the playground, all sorts is a long time,” admitted Lewis. “Who Derek Granger the executive producer’. of ground-breaking stuff that made knows?” n Granger, who later produced Brideshead Seven Up! so different. The edit was Revisited, ‘assembled whoever they then supervised by Granger. The RTS North West event ‘A celebration could find within Granada to make it. ‘It was a fabulous team, put together and screening of 63 Up’ was held at the ‘[Michael] Apted and [Gordon] by chance… and [the show] won Lowry Theatre, Salford, on 16 May and McDougall beavered away to find the almost everything when it went out.’ produced by Rachel Pinkney.

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 23 Content Tara Conlan finds Food, much to chew on at an RTS event on TV food shows glorious

ith 87 days’ worth food of cookery shows airing during the past year on UK terrestrial televi- sion – made up of 410 unique titles – the RTS event “WhyW we love… food” was appositely named. Revealing the facts to an audience hungry for knowledge about the genre, Pritesh Mody, founder of artisan food producer World of Zing, chaired the late-May event on the day it emerged that Jamie Oliver’s UK restaurant chain had gone into administration. So, there was extra piquancy when Channel 4 head of features and for- mats Sarah Lazenby confirmed that she had ordered a new vegetarian series with Oliver and a programme looking back at his life on TV. “We’re going to do something this quite busy and we also do things with Discussing the collapse of Oliver’s year about Jamie 20 years on – and Mary Berry and we are starting to look restaurant empire, Katona said: “It’s he’s going to do a new vegetarian at new talent.… These things are cycli- interesting with Jamie and the restau- series because everyone’s wanting to cal. Every so often, there is the next rants – what is that nexus, is there a go meat-free,” said Lazenby. Jamie or [a] person who does capture nexus? Is the success of your restau- With food shows a staple of TV glob- the nation’s imagination because they rant dependent on how good you are ally, Lazenby explained their popularity: feel really passionately about an issue on TV as a presenter?” “Food always rates; it’s great, everyone that feels of the moment or because Chefs, Mody pointed out, have a lot needs to eat. It’s about how you inno- they are really extraordinary in terms of clout: “Delia is still super-influential. vate. I think you can make food pro- of their character.” Over Christmas, when she and Nigella grammes for everyone. We’ve got some Mody asked whether restaurant talk about their key ingredient, Wait- amazing cornerstones in our schedule… culture is being driven by TV or vice rose sells out in half a day, so they still but I still feel like there’s room for a new versa. Restaurateur Nisha Katona, who have influence.” generation of Instagram food shows.” is a judge on BBC Two’s Top of the Shop In a crowded market, Channel 4’s Tanya Shaw, Managing Director of with Tom Kerridge and founded Indian Lazenby is looking for original ingredi- Shine TV, which makes MasterChef, said restaurant mini-chain Mowgli Street ents for new shows: “If people bring me that new talent and a digital strategy Food, said: “I don’t think you could something that does, ‘It’s this meets are key to attracting young audiences possibly commission programmes at this’, I’m like, ‘No, how is this going to to food TV shows. These demographics the speed we, as consumers, evolve surprise me?’ I want the programmes are used to seeing chefs on social our food on the street. What TV does [in which] people are really passionate. media. However, the panel agreed that is produce something that provides a The ones that cut through are very sim- no major social media food talent has comfortable place for us, as middle-­ ple, very clear, very original; executed yet moved over to hosting their own class food intelligentsia, to come and by someone who’s got a passion for it.” broadcast show. sit and unwind and think, ‘This is a Shaw noted that if shows “are on for Shaw added: “MasterChef keeps us safe and noble place for me.’” a long time, they have to evolve. If

24 The Great British Bake Off ‘IS THE SUCCESS 2018 winner Rahul Mandal OF YOUR RESTAURANT DEPENDENT ON HOW GOOD YOU ARE ON TV?’

New recipe for Junior Bake Off

Channel 4’s Sarah Lazenby brought news about Junior Bake Off, the children’s spin-off from The Great British Bake Off, which is following its parent from the BBC to the commercial broadcaster. Lazenby revealed she had held the first meeting that morning about the new show and had begun discussions about its pre- senting line-up and look. When asked how Junior Bake Off might change as Channel 4 makes the show its own, in the same way it

Channel 4 did with The Great British Bake Off, Lazenby was cagey. ‘We’re really you’re just following the same formula, will. The more food programmes that excited that it’s coming to us. Obvi- series in and series out, people won’t work, the better it is for everyone.” ously, we’re not a children’s broad- come back.” After watching a clip of Nailed It! – in caster… 16- to 34-year-olds are our Contestants on food shows are driven which unsuccessful home bakers try to target but – there’s a format that’s by skill, observed Lazenby: “They’re not recreate edible masterpieces to win a [already] there, but there’s also a on telly because they want to be on cash prize – Katona observed: “It’s like Channel 4 tone,’ she said. telly; they’re on telly because they love The Generation Game.” Lazenby noted: “A Two weeks later, Channel 4 baking or cooking. And, actually, that’s lot of food programming has joy in it.” announced that comedian Harry Hill the joy of someone like [Bake Off win- The panel agreed that making cook- would be the main presenter. He ner] Rahul [Mandal] – he wouldn’t have ery shows was hard and required spe- will be joined by judges Prue Leith applied for Love Island, would he?” cialist skills such as using the right (a former judge in the grown-ups’ Shaw said that new outlets such as camera lenses and getting the “sound tent) and, fresh from hosting Bake Netflix “provide more opportunities. of the sizzle”, as chef and cookbook Off: The Professionals, by one-time Interestingly, MasterChef, as a format, author Melissa Hemsley put it. Bake Off competitor Liam Charles. doesn’t seem to be suffering, because Hemsley said that sustainability and Forty bakers, aged 9 to 15 will go there are more options to watch on thrifty tips were current trends: “What through 10 heats during the series Netflix.… It’s another place we can can I do with peelings? I wish there of 15 one-hour episodes later this pitch ideas to, where exciting cookery were more shows where the farmers year. shows are doing well.” were shown cooking the meal.” n When Junior Bake Off aired Netflix US original Nailed It! is one on CBBC it had different hosts – such “brash” show – it’s “brave and it The RTS early-evening event ‘Why we Aaron Craze, then Sam Nixon and works”, said Shaw, adding: “I’m not love… food’ was held at Kings Place in Mark Rhodes – from the adult sure a British broadcaster would take central London on 21 May and produced version, which was fronted by Sue that sort of risk, but I think, having by Sarah Booth, director of communica- Perkins and Mel Giedroyc. seen it succeed on Netflix, maybe they tions at EndemolShine UK.

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 25 OUR FRIEND IN WALES

Judith Winnan e do enjoy offer is a brilliant resource, available a quiz at celebrates 60 years to students and young people in pretty the RTS, of RTS Cymru Wales much every corner of the UK, thanks so here’s to our network of centres. a question and applauds the With that in mind, our 60th year for you: started on a high when we awarded what help it gives to new our very first RTS Cymru Break- notable moments in British television TV talent through and Newcomer Awards in Whistory took place in 1959? You get a February to two impressively talented point if you knew that it was the year young people already making their that Juke Box Jury was first broadcast on mark in broadcasting. Seeing how the BBC (or, indeed, Noggin the Nog). much those awards meant to them Two points to anyone who answered and also how valued and appreciated that it was the year that the ITV fran- they were by their employers was a chise Tyne Tees Television started pertinent reminder of how much our broadcasting. But there’s another event industry relies on people who are that you almost certainly didn’t know completely driven in what they do. about – and it’s why 1959 interests me: This year has continued to be a it was the year that the RTS formed its special one in other ways, too: our first committee in Wales. annual lecture was brilliantly deliv- Back then, it was known as the RTS ered by Jane Tranter, co-founder of Cardiff and South Wales Centre and it Bad Wolf, and attracted our biggest had a very specific appeal for its new ever audience, as well as some great members. The RTS was created as a media coverage. Still to come, in the

forum for engineers to discuss and BBC autumn, we are holding an event with track the “exciting new medium of one of the biggest names in British television”, and its meetings were an the best way to be up to date with TV (watch this space), plus we’ll be essential way of sharing news about the technology.” expanding our industry awards to the latest technology. Of course, over the past 60 years, the recognise the rising stars of television Intrigued to know more, I tracked focus of the RTS has shifted and, while here in Wales. down a former local committee we rightly still celebrate and shed light All in all, we’ve had good cause to member who was one of the most on the technical side of the industry, celebrate our significant birthday senior broadcast engineers working we enable and progress careers in (and, yes, there was cake). Sixty years in Cardiff at the time. He told me that television in a much broader way. on, in the spirit of our predecessors, they would invite people from Lon- One of the main reasons I wanted it’s gratifying to see that we’re still don or Manchester to give a lecture to be part of RTS Wales was because here to give a crucial helping hand to on the latest innovations, which they of the support and advice it gives to someone’s career and to offer a plat- would then introduce to their own the next generation wanting to work form to the very brightest and best work. What really struck me was how in the industry, particularly those who minds in television. Here’s to the next crucial those lectures were to their might not have those all-important 60 years! n professional lives. “We always used to contacts who can open doors for them. say, if you wanted to get ahead, you The wealth of advice and information Judith Winnan is Chair of RTS Cymru needed to be part of the RTS. It was (not to mention the bursaries) that we Wales.

26 RTS NEWS “The BBC’s job is to reflect what’s going on in Britain. It’s hard to

North West North West Centre watch... but there’s kindness and hope. It’s a really important series for us,” said commissioning editor of documentaries Emma Loach. She was discussing the award-winning Ambulance at an RTS North West event in May, sponsored by The Farm. The Lowry in Salford was packed for the screening of episode 1 of series 5 and to hear from executive produc- ers Simon Ford and Tom Currie, series producer Peter Wallis-Tayler and other Ambulance

members of the team about BBC the work that goes into pro- ducing the “stories behind the sirens”. The Manchester-set prog­ ‘A love letter to the NHS’ ramme, which was described by BBC head of documentary commissioning Clare Sillery happening in control.” Ford “In 15 minutes we get to directors, “filming for 15 hours as “a love letter to the NHS”, planned to “use that platform know them, get consent and a day in difficult locations” returned to BBC One last to see into the lives (of the [explain] what it might mean and using drones to bring “a month. Ford confessed that ambulance dispatchers), and to be on television,” Ford visually stunning cinematic when he was first approached the [ambulance crews]”. reflected, with Wallis-Tayler quality [to Ambulance]”. by factual indie Dragonfly, Dispatcher Laura Pilling is adding that afterwards they Series producer Sarah Veev- “having worked on other shown guiding a caller spend months building a ers co-ordinates these teams programmes about ambu- through cardiopulmonary relationship with them. using “30-plus WhatsApp lances”, he “wasn’t sure there resuscitation, leading her to “Their stories really tell us groups… monitored by pro- was anything more to say”. make a life-changing decision. something about the state of ducer/directors on the ground, An afternoon spent in a Wallis-Tayler praised the the nation,” said Currie, who feeding back what’s happen- busy control centre persuaded team’s “love, craft and dedica- explained that “the stories are ing”, and generating tens of him: “I realised that because tion” to the welfare of patients. genuinely happening in real thousands of instant mes- the NHS is under unprece­ “They treat us with such kind- time, simultaneously”. sages. “It feels like the world’s dented pressure, so much... ness in allowing us to film Series director Stuart longest live event,” she added. could be shown by what was those moments of intimacy.” Froude has eight producer/ Carole Solazzo

founder of the media law specialist. Bristol offers copyright tips “The copyright session was absolutely brilliant,” said Following a successful production community defences to copyright Chris Bailey, programme workshop earlier this joined leading media lawyer infringement, including fair leader of the Digital Media year on documentary Nigel Abbas at The Square in dealing with quotations, Production BA course at

West of England film-making, Bristol Bristol to learn about reporting current events and Plymouth College of Art. Media and RTS West of Eng- copyright. incidental inclusion. “Using clear examples and a land teamed up once again During the two-hour ses- “It was great meeting so simplified understanding of with Abbas Media Law, this sion, Abbas covered the main many content producers in case law, he made a very time to host a “Copyright in risks associated with copy- Bristol. Everyone seemed complicated subject as productions” workshop. right and how to avoid them, really engaged and there was straightforward and easy to In May, around 40 people as well as licensing copyright a lot of good discussion and understand as possible.” from the TV and film works. He also tackled questions,” said Abbas, the Kirsty Phillips

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 27 RTS NEWS

presenter, independent pro- the evenings and recording ducer and, in her later years, LPs at the weekend. She a successful novelist. even had her own BBC Wales Mari, who has died at the series, With a Little Help. age of 79, was also a long- But the lure of Wales was standing RTS Wales Centre strong. Back home, Mari Committee member. worked with the comedy She was born into a duo Ryan and Ronnie, and Welsh-speaking, musical Max Boyce, sang on the BBC family in the Llynfi Valley. Wales pop programme Disc a Her first TV appearance was Dawn, appeared on the BBC singing with her sister Ann, Two series Poems and Pints an accomplished harpist, on and had a residency on Max a Sunday night children’s Jaffa’sMusic for Your Pleasure programme, All Your Own, on BBC Radio 2. broadcast live from London. In 1978, Mari became a When I interviewed Mari at bi-lingual continuity her home in Llantwit Major announcer at BBC Wales. She some years ago, she told me: started directing promos and “Few people in Maesteg had set up her own production TV sets in those days so they company, MovieJack, filming all crowded into each other’s in the US and Bulgaria. houses to watch. They then Mari was a lifelong mem-

Mari Griffith crept shame-facedly into ber of the RTS and served as chapel late for the evening secretary of the Wales Centre service, hoping the minister Committee for more than wouldn’t notice.” 10 years. Whether she was Mari Griffith Mari went to college in minding guests such as for- Cardiff, before joining the mer MP Oona King or calm- BBC Northern Singers in ing down student awards Manchester. It was the mid- winners, Mari was always on 1940-2019 1960s and the folk scene was hand to help ensure the taking off: “I just bought a centre’s events ran smoothly. “Make an ‘L’ with your main radio service. It was the guitar and got on with it.” In her latter years, she mouth and blow – it’s measure of her professional- She was soon appearing on turned to writing and pub- phonetic and the town’s ism and wit that she could radio and TV alongside the lished two well-received

Wales Wales Centre called Llanelli!” Mari offer advice while gently likes of Tony Hart, and Ray historical novels, tales of Griffith was offering advice chiding her fellow continuity Alan and his puppets Tich mediaeval romance and to, of all people, the BBC’s announcers. and Quackers. It was a busy intrigue. Mari will be sadly pronunciation unit in the Mari, though, was much time for her, presenting chil- missed but fondly remem- days when Welsh program­ more than a radio announcer. dren’s programmes during bered by all who knew her. mes were opt outs from the She was, in turn, a singer, the day and playing folk in Tim Hartley

n Later in May, RTS York- shire and Screen Yorkshire Awards launched in Leeds supported a social media masterclass, also held at Prime Studios. A full house In mid-May, RTS York- and Paul, a comedy act who The region’s wide range of of 30 heard Jo Booth – direc- shire announced the have built up a strong local drama production was tor and head trainer at Man- nominations for its following on BBC Radio reflected in nominations for chester-based outfit Social

Yorkshire Yorkshire Centre 2019 Awards at a Leeds, hosted the launch. Ackley Bridge, Emmerdale and Media Makes Sense – outline launch party sponsored by Nominations for the Jack Dee and Pete Sinclair’s how production companies Leeds TV and film produc- 18 awards categories reflected ITV sitcom, Bad Move. The can get the most out of social tion facility Prime Studios. the healthy level of produc- news categories will see the media platforms. Just under 100 industry tion in the Yorkshire region. traditional battle between “Around half the UK’s professionals gathered at The hotly contested factual ITV’s Calendar and the BBC’s population are on Facebook Prime’s new events space, awards earned multiple two Look North programmes. – you’d be mad not to use Archive, to discover whether nominations for Daisybeck The RTS Yorkshire Awards this tool to talk to your audi- their work had made it on to Studios, Air TV, True North will be held on 14 June at the ences,” said Booth. the awards shortlist. Larry and True Vision Yorkshire. Queens Hotel in Leeds. Lisa Holdsworth

28 parties understand, that can go a long way towards a more rewarding process and, perhaps, a more rewarding ONLINE product at the end. at the RTS Making “When you discuss music, be honest and clear – and that goes for both sides.” n A rogue coffee cup stole Hexel, who teaches TV the show in the final season music and film composition at the of Game of Thrones, making Royal College of Music in headlines across the world. London, has composed for The abandoned beverage joins TV, commercials and feature a long list of errors that have films. His music has featured snuck into some of our favourite on the BBC’s Panorama and TV shows, from Doctor Foster Horizon, Channel 4’s Dispatches to The Simpsons. Only the most and E!’s Keeping Up with the eagle-eyed viewers will have Kardashians. spotted similar slip-ups, but, Programme-makers often if you want to see more, visit: want music to portray emo- www.rts.org.uk/TVSlipUps. tion, but a viewer’s emotional response to music is “not n Bear Grylls is a busy man. We always as predictable as we’d tracked him down to a Swiss like”, said Hexel, who offered mountainside from where he an example. “We don’t need spoke about his interactive Net- music to be sad in itself – it flix show You vs Wild, the impor- has to do so in the context of tance of wildlife shows such as what’s happening. That is how we sometimes get a comedy where the music is dramatic and heavy, but the resulting experience is hilarious.” The amount of music in programmes and films varies hugely, he said. “If you’re Ken Loach, you’re going to Vasco Hexel Bear Grylls in You vs Wild Royal College of Music of College Royal have two minutes at the very Netflix end of the film, maybe – I Matthew Bell hears how composers exaggerate a little. If you’re National Geographic’s Hostile Michael [Transformers] Bay, Planet in highlighting the global London Centre and programme-makers can work you’re going to start [with climate crisis and the lessons he’s together in perfect harmony music] and never stop.” learned from his exploits around Hexel’s new book, The Film the world. The adventurer also and Media Creators’ Guide to offered advice for people wanting he composer Vasco Directors, added Hexel, Music, offers more advice to to spend more time outdoors, his Hexel outlined how “know what they’re doing composers and programme- top survival tip and his biggest TV can make the best – they wouldn’t be directing makers alike. fear (www.rts.org.uk/BearGrylls). use of music at an a feature film if they didn’t But the future for compos- TRTS London event in late know their craft and have ers may not be that bright. n As a reader of this magazine, May. Currently, he argued, this a really strong creative view Hexel revealed that “artificial you’ll know about the RTS’s wide doesn’t always happen – with on what they’re trying to intelligence tools that would range of activities, from regional composers and programme- achieve.” It was therefore generate music for projects” events and national conferences makers often failing to sing surprising, he added, “that are being developed. to our bursary scheme and glitzy from the same song sheet. these people should be bad “There are people working award ceremonies. To celebrate Hexel recalled a quote at communicating with a on music software that will another year of growth, we’ve put from Rachel Portman, who composer when it comes to fill in music [to a programme] together some highlights from won an Oscar for her score creating the music for a film”. automatically. I’m quite wor- the past 12 months at the Society, for the 1996 movie version of Composers and directors ried about that.” n including video diaries from our Jane Austen’s Emma. “Many need to find common The RTS London event, ‘How to bursary recipients and backstage good directors are bad at ground, Hexel said. “If you talk about music’ was held at interviews with our award winners giving good direction to can find a shared language Atos on 22 May and produced (www.rts.org.uk/2019AGMvideo). composers,” she said. with a vocabulary that both by Phil Barnes. Pippa Shawley

Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 29 OFF M E SSAGE

s a rule, regulators The show wowed reviewers, with winter. As one of the series’s British lack charisma. several drawing attention to its first- producers says, The Masked Singer is Outgoing Ofcom time choreographer, Oti Mabuse, the “less of a whodunit and more of a Chief Executive South African champion dancer. whosungit”. Sharon White, the Oti is, of course, best known for new Chair of trou- her role as a professional dancer ■ Congratulations to Lee Raftery, bled retailer John partnering celebs on Strictly Come newly promoted to run NBCUni- Lewis, has charisma in abundance. Dancing. She was also a judge on The versal’s European channels across AShe was the proverbial breath of Greatest Dancer. Europe, the Middle East and Africa, regulatory fresh air, unencumbered The quality of Ain’t Misbehavin’s which include Universal, E! and Syfy. by any previous experience in broad- dance routines suggests that Oti is Lee is a friend of the RTS and casting or the wider communications now destined for an equally dazzling worked in Kevin MacLellan’s team sector. Since making her RTS debut at career away from the cameras. to produce a wonderful RTS London the 2015 RTS Cambridge Convention, Convention in 2016. Off Message is White’s appearances at broadcasting ■ Talking of shiny floor shows, Off therefore shamelessly delighted. conferences invariably became a Message was intrigued to see that highlight of these occasions. ITV reportedly outbid Channel 4 for ■ And, finally, political turmoil Among her achievements was the the UK rights to remake The Masked continues to stalk the nation, with impressive way she and her col- Singer, the series hailed for reinvigo- the Brexit Party and the Lib Dems leagues took full responsibility for rating the reality genre in the US. on the rise. Yet, compared with the independent regulation of the BBC. The American version of The Masked early years of Margaret Thatcher’s She held the Beeb to account on Singer – based on a South Korean reign, Brexit-divided Britain looks a diversity and, with typical frankness, format – became a breakout hit for remarkably tranquil place. said the corporation had made the Fox earlier this year. Unusually for an Viewers of the excellent five-part wrong call in taking BBC Three entertainment show, it was especially BBC Studios documentary Thatcher: A online-only. popular with those hard-to-reach Very British Revolution were reminded The plain-speaking and highly under-35s that advertisers crave. of what the UK was like in the early empathetic ex-Treasury mandarin Described as “outlandish” and 1980s. High inflation, unemployment will be much missed in these parts. “wacky”, panellists on The Masked in the millions, inner-city riots and a Off Message can put it no better Singer have to guess the identity of protracted and bitter miners strike than Dido Harding. She described the celebrity singers who appear heavily that split communities. outgoing Ofcom CEO as “a class act”. disguised. “Not very often, a show Shown on BBC Two, it is documen- Here, here. comes along that seems to abandon tary making at its finest – a compel- all the rules… and this is it,” claimed ling mosaic of well-chosen archive ■ Off Message had a spring in his ITV’s outgoing head of entertainment and riveting first-hand accounts from step after attending an exuberant commissioning, Siobhan Greene. key players. If you haven’t seen it, new staging of Ain’t Misbehavin’, the ITV viewers sound like they are in watch the series on iPlayer. It might 1978 musical inspired by Fats Waller, for a treat. The series seems destined even prove to be a distraction from performed at Southwark Playhouse. for a prime-time Saturday slot next the Tory leadership contest.

30 June 2019 www.rts.org.uk Television RTS PATRONS RTS Principal BBC Channel 4 ITV Sky Patrons

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Television www.rts.org.uk June 2019 31