September 2019 Steven Knight Creating a blinder CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF A NATION A collection of music inspired by Japan, from traditional instruments to modern J-Pop AVAILABLE FOR LICENCE AT AUDIONETWORK.COM/DISCOVER/SOUNDSOFJAPAN FIND OUT MORE: Rebecca Hodges [email protected] (0)207 566 1441 Journal of The Royal Television Society September 2019 l Volume 56/8 From the CEO The man who wrote ITV Chief Executive Carolyn McCall, over licence fees for the over-75s, Britain’s answer to the convention’s chair, outlines her which provides a lot of context. HBO’s Boardwalk thinking for the RTS conference in an Mathew Horsman’s piece on the con- Empire, the brilliant interview with Television. She explains, test to own the on-demand market is crime drama Peaky among other things, how a panel of typically well-informed and incisive. Blinders, is the subject consumers will be a key part of this In keeping with the accent on Cam- of this month’s cover year’s Cambridge agenda. bridge, this month’s Our Friend column story. Andrew Billen interviewed We also profile one of the conven- has an East Anglian flavour. Chris Page Steven Knight and found that his life tion’s US speakers, Linda Yaccarino, will need no introduction to viewers in story really is stranger than fiction. head of advertising and partnerships the ITV Anglia region. His sometimes Don’t miss this riveting read. In my at NBCUniversal. Linda is less well maverick approach to weather fore- opinion, it is one of Andrew’s best known in the UK than she is across casting is often a talking point in his ever interviews for Television. the Atlantic, where she is regarded as part of the country. Steven recounts how his childhood one of the most powerful women in Our diarist this month is Good Morn- in Birmingham provided him with the television. I think that Cambridge ing Britain editor Neil Thompson, who inspiration for Peaky Blinders. delegates are in for a treat. shares a fascinating and hilarious RTS Cambridge is only weeks away. Two topics bound to be discussed account of life in the hot seat. I am thrilled by our stellar line-up of at the convention are the controversy speakers. If you haven’t secured your over free TV licences for the over-75s place at the convention, then I advise and the looming battle for SVoD you to book soon. supremacy. Torin Douglas writes a To help set the scene for Cambridge, definitive account of the wrangling Theresa Wise Contents Neil Thompson’s TV Diary Will Boris bail out the BBC? Neil Thompson bumps into his ex-boss in the mosh pit Torin Douglas reveals how the row over free licences for 4 at Latitude – and doorsteps Snoop Dogg in Hollywood 17 the elderly is weighing on the corporation Ear Candy: The Chernobyl Podcast ‘Our audience is not declining, Kate Holman tunes in to Craig Mazin dissecting his it is just dispersing’ 5 brilliant TV series 20 NBCUniversal’s Linda Yaccarino outlines her company’s multi-platform strategy to Steve Clarke Working lives: The agent for disabled talent Louise Dyson, founder of the VisABLE agency, speaks Our Friend in the East 6 to Pippa Shawley Weathermen require a cool head – especially when 23 hanging from a zip wire, says Chris Page Battle royal for SVoD Mathew Horsman analyses the coming battle for Online content comes of age 8 audiences as the old guard prepares to take on Kate Bulkley discovers how digital-first players are the digital streamers 24 making money and gaining kudos RTS Cambridge: Content, consumers The rise and rise of David Gyasi and everything in between The actor describes to Ben Dowell what happened 11 ITV CEO Carolyn McCall guides Steve Clarke through 26 when he finally landed a leading part her plans for the Cambridge Convention Major and Murdoch’s tug of war Playing a Brummie blinder Stewart Purvis reveals how new documents Andrew Billen meets the creator of Peaky Blinders, 28 illuminate the conflict between the media mogul 14 Steven Knight, whose life story is stranger than fiction and ex-prime minister 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 September 2019 3 TV diary Neil Thompson bumps into his ex-boss in the mosh pit at Latitude – and doorsteps Snoop Dogg in Hollywood K, in the spirit of the viewers – almost four points up scoop the Ultimate News Quiz two apologetic full on 2018. We came off air following a years running. What a team! disclosure, this live carousel of many of Hollywood’s ain’t a normal minted media stars, including a good ■ Back to the UK with a bump, week for me. It’s number scooped up in the moment. missing half our anchors, literally August. Piers and I had pursued Snoop Dogg into the and metaphorically, but the show Susanna are off lavs of our Beverly Hills Hotel OB goes on. (deservedly – thought I’d better slip location, where he politely declined The summer bookings are crucial Othat in) on their French car factory- my advances. But I was a lot luckier to our overall performance. The first style summer sojourn. I’m also with Roger Taylor, fresh from wow- week of August is traditionally our sneaking in a bit of R&R and extra- ing the ceremony with Bohemian trickiest week of the year, but our curricular that the normal 100-hour Rhapsody. Piers asked: “Was that a exclusives have included Khadijah week doesn’t allow. train wreck?” Susanna just winked, Mellah, the hijab-wearing teenage knowing it had been a triumph. jockey, fresh from her win at Good- ■ At Latitude, the hybrid Glasto wood (and we plan to watch her open crossed with church fête Suffolk ■ Individually, Piers and Susanna her A-level results live on air the festival, where, among the middle are class acts; and, together, a class following week). aged of the mojito-fuelled mosh pit, pairing. I won’t repeat my Jack and And, in the wake of the El Paso mas- I bump (literally) into my ex-ITV boss Vera Duckworth casting principle sacre, we had Aaron Stark, who was a Peter Fincham for our annual blokey here. Both are at their best when the hair trigger away from carrying out a embrace. show is at its best – live, spontaneous high-school and shopping-mall shoot- We compare notes about Loyle and fleet of foot, such as when a big, ing himself, plus Love’s Island’s Curtis Carner and Freya Ridings like we breaking story has ripped up our Pritchard on sexuality and his on- know what we’re talking about. Trot running order on-air. Or Piers has going relationship with Maura Higgins. off to Neneh Cherry, whom I do. ripped out his earpiece because he’s Result? We’re up two points year fed up with being told we’re 15 min- on year. ■ Best beginning to the working utes over in the middle of a gripping week ever, albeit with post-festival interview. ■ The following day brings a debate lurgy looming large. Fly off to LA, on whether, from a point of sexual where we’re working on a great little ■ The excitement of the pro- appeal, we should “mind the gap” in joint venture with ITV America. gramme’s live coverage of, quite our teeth, sparked by Dakota John- Depart Terminal 5 feeling 80%, arrive literally, everything has ended ITV son’s evident closure of her own 11 hours later at 40%, fly back four Breakfast’s 18-year purdah on TV dental divide. days later at 20%, but job mostly prizes: two RTS nominations, two It allows me in the morning meet- done. Hey ho. Bafta ones and a Golden Nymph ing to quote Chaucer’s gap-toothed, gong for Live Breaking News. All sexually liberated feminist role ■ We decamped Good Morning Britain that in the past 15 months. Not to model, the Wife of Bath. Only on to LA in February for our Oscars cov- mention five years of successive GMB. Nuff said. erage. Despite a peristaltically chal- growth in share and volume, revers- lenging failure of comms mid-TX, the ing a decade of decline. Oh, yeah, Neil Thompson is editor of ITV’s Good show was a total hit, especially with and fending off 500 other journos to Morning Britain. 4 EAR CANDY The Chernobyl Podcast Sky Kate Holman tunes in to Craig Mazin dissecting his brilliant TV series hocking. Bleak. Con- that makes you want to talk about it”, Legasov’s controversial decision troversial. Devastat- Sagal delves into the shocking stories to lie to the International Atomic ingly brilliant. All these portrayed in Chernobyl. Energy Agency about the scale of the descriptions are true The pair analyse each episode and catastrophe in episode 4, and why the of HBO’s five-part highlight which characters and events Soviet authorities concealed the truth retelling of the 1986 were real, and discuss topics such as from their own people.