April 2016 In the hot seat The regeneration game RTS STUDENT TELEVISION AWARDS 2016 3 JUNE 1:00pm BFI Southbank, London SE1 8XT www.rts.org.uk Journal of The Royal Television Society April 2016 l Volume 53/4 From the CEO The RTS is still buzz- It was wonderful to see Lenny Henry implications of the rise of multichan- ing from this year’s being presented with the Judges’ nel networks in the early-evening Programme Awards, Award. The honour recognises event “Beyond YouTube”. Thanks to held at Mayfair’s Lenny’s huge contribution to raising Kate Bulkley for being such an erudite Grosvenor House the issue of diversity in our industry chair and to all the panellists. Hotel. Richard and keeping it high on all of our If data is your thing, don’t miss “Big Madeley was a agendas. Data: What’s the big deal?”, which will superb host, handling an occasionally Away from the glamour of Grosvenor be held at The Hospital Club in London boisterous crowd with good humour House, the RTS was treated to a very on 19 April. Tickets are selling fast so, and tact. Congratulations to all the thoughtful speech from Channel 4’s if you haven’t already booked, I’d winners and nominees. Chief Creative Officer, Jay Hunt, deliv- recommend doing so right away. Of the 200 or so jurors this year, ered in the inspirational surroundings I can reveal that 52% were female of the British Museum. and 27% were black or minority Thanks to Jay and to the evening’s ethnic. I am proud to be part of an chair, John Hardie. His questions organisation that puts diversity at provided an extra dimension to a its heart – and a big thanks to the great event. awards chair, Alex Mahon, for March also gave RTS members an making this happen. opportunity to consider the full Theresa Wise Contents Kirsty Wark’s TV Diary The big breakfast Kirsty Wark tracks down an exotic Easter treat and Chief Creative Officer Jay Hunt explains how she 5 summons up the spirit of Simone de Beauvoir in W1A 18 helped reinvigorate Channel 4 by nurturing an inclusive commissioning culture How to revive a hit As expectations around the return of Top Gear go into Click to cook 6 overdrive, Neil Midgley discovers the secret of rebooting Online food channels are inspiring millennials to hone old favourites 22 their culinary skills. Pippa Shawley logs on to Food Tube and beyond In or out? What’s best for British TV What impact would Brexit have on the UK TV community? A dramatic take on disability 8 Raymond Snoddy samples opinion ahead of the vote in June Maggie Brown meets TV screenwriter Peter Bowker, 24 whose show The A Word examines a family’s complex Power, politics and parties responses to their autistic son Charlotte Moore controls a BBC budget of more than £1bn. 10 Andrew Billen meets TV’s top mandarin TV’s nemesis? Matthew Bell hears a panel of experts warn that the Our Friend in the Midlands 26 likes of YouTube are generating a tsunami of content for Joe Godwin gets a job in Birmingham and asks, ‘Is this younger viewers a renaissance I see before me?’ 14 RTS Programme Awards 2016 ITN goes global The awards ceremony was hosted by Richard Madeley John Hardie tells Steve Clarke how ‘authentic high-impact 31 in London on 22 March. The winners and nominees over 15 storytelling’ is at the heart of ITN’s revival seven pages Cover picture: Ben Jennings 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 2016. [email protected] [email protected] London EC4Y 8EN Overseas (surface) £146.11 Printer: FE Burman, The views expressed in Television Writer Sub-editor T: 020 7822 2810 Overseas (airmail) £172.22 20 Crimscott St, 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 April 2016 3 Your guide to upcoming national and RTS NEWS regional events LONDON NORTH WEST Wednesday 20 April Wednesday 27 April Getting in and getting on Crime tour With Joe Godwin, Director, BBC Venue: Meet at Manchester Academy, and Jude Winstanley, Town Hall, Albert Square, Managing Director, The Unit List. Manchester M60 2LA Chair: Nadine Dereza. 6:30pm Tuesday 3 May for 7:00pm The Great Big Telly Quiz 2016 Venue: ITV London Studios, 6:30pm Upper Ground, London SE1 9LT Venue: Compass Room, The Wednesday 4 May Lowry Theatre, Salford M50 3AZ Sir Paul Nurse Lighting from every angle ■ Rachel Pinkney 07966 230639 Speakers include John Colley, ■ [email protected] Venue: RTS, 3 Dorset Rise, General Manager, Arri Lighting National events London EC4Y 8EN Rental, and Stuart Harris, NORTHERN IRELAND National Film and Television ■ John Mitchell RTS EARLY EVENING EVENT RTS AWARDS School. 6:30pm for 7:00pm ■ mitch.mvbroadcast@btinter- Tuesday 19 April Friday 3 June Venue: ITV London Studios, net.com Big data: What's the big deal? RTS Student Television Upper Ground, London SE1 9LT Panellists: Laura Chittick, Awards 2016 Wednesday 18 May REPUBLIC OF IRELAND Senior Manager, Accenture; Venue: BFI Southbank, London London Assembly elections ■ Charles Byrne (353) 87251 3092 Mark Connolly, Director Media SE1 8XT Steven Barnett, Professor of ■ [email protected] Performance and Investment, Communications, School of Havas Media Group; Pedro Costa RTS CONFERENCE Media, Art and Design, University SCOTLAND Fernandez, Deputy Head of Tuesday 27 September of Westminster, chairs an industry ■ James Wilson 07899 761167 Analytics, Channel 4; and Jamie RTS London Conference 2016 panel including Jim Grice, Head of ■ james.wilson@cityofglasgow- West, Deputy Managing Director, Principal sponsor: NBCUniversal News and Current Affairs, London college.ac.uk Sky Media. Chaired by Torin International Live. How well did the industry Douglas. 6:30pm for 6:45pm Venue: Kings Place, 90 York Way, cover the London election and is SOUTHERN Venue: The Hospital Club, 24 Endell London N1 9AG the capital regularly well served ■ Gordon Cooper Street, London WC2H 9HQ for news and current affairs? ■ [email protected] ■ Book online at www.rts.org.uk RTS MASTERCLASS DAY 6:30pm for 7:00pm Monday 14 November Venue: ITV London Studios, THAMES VALLEY JOINT PUBLIC LECTURE RTS Student Programme Upper Ground, London SE1 9LT Wednesday 11 May Wednesday 11 May Masterclasses ■ Daniel Cherowbrier Annual NAB Review RTS/IET Joint Public Lecture Venue: BFI Southbank, London ■ [email protected] 6:30pm for 7:00pm Sir Paul Nurse: Science as SE1 8XT Venue: Pincents Manor, Calcot, revolution MIDLANDS Reading RG31 4UQ Sir Paul Nurse is the Chief RTS MASTERCLASS DAY Thursday 7 July Wednesday 15 June Executive and Director of the Tuesday 15 November RTS Midlands Conference 2016 Summer BBQ and lecture Francis Crick Institute and RTS Craft Skills Masterclasses More details soon More details soon former President of the Royal Venue: BFI Southbank, London Venue: Spring Grove House, West Venue: Pincents Manor, Calcot, Society. He was awarded the SE1 8XT Midlands Safari Park DY12 1LF Reading RG31 4UQ 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology ■ Jayne Greene 07792 776585 ■ Penny Westlake and Medicine with Leland ■ [email protected] ■ [email protected] Hartwell and Tim Hunt. Local events Event chair: Tim Davie, CEO NORTH EAST & THE BORDER WALES of BBC Worldwide. Reception BRISTOL Wednesday 27 April ■ Hywel Wiliam 07980 007841 sponsored by Fujitsu. 6:30pm ■ Belinda Biggam Networking evenings ■ [email protected] for 7:00pm ■ [email protected] The last Wednesday of the month, Venue: British Museum, Great for anyone working in TV, film, YORKSHIRE Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG DEVON & CORNWALL computer games or digital ■ Lisa Holdsworth 07790 145280 ■ Book online at www.rts.org.uk ■ Kingsley Marshall production. 6:00pm onwards. ■ lisa@allonewordproductions. ■ Kingsley.Marshall@falmouth. Venue: Tyneside Bar Café, Tyne- co.uk RTS AGM co.uk side Cinema, 10 Pilgrim St, New- Tuesday 24 May castle upon Tyne NE1 6QG Annual General Meeting EAST ANGLIA ■ Jill Graham 6:00pm start ■ Contact TBC ■ [email protected] 4 April 2016 www.rts.org.uk Television TV diary Kirsty Wark tracks down an exotic Easter treat and summons up the spirit of Simone de Beauvoir in W1A aster Monday and a the week, but actually we were hardly fit in. The commission didn’t pilgrimage, but in the in a studio the previous Tuesday. happen, but many other temporary culinary, rather than This was quite apt, really, as were structures for the Serpentine did go religious, sense. I was discussing Sarah Bakewell’s new and ahead. The permanent Serpentine in the foothills of the rather zany guide to the existential- Sackler Building is still the British- Tramuntana Moun- ists and the idea of “being”: At the Iraqi Dame’s only building in central tains in Mallorca with Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being and London. my husband, Alan Clements. Apricot Cocktails. EHigh above us, up a death-defying I thought we would have felt the ■ I find train travel joyous and mostly mountain track that passed for a road, presence of Jean-Paul Sartre and peaceful, especially for writing, par- the ancient white walls of Es Verger Simone de Beauvoir if we’d all worn ticularly as I’m deep inside my second restaurant glinted in the sunshine. black woollen turtle-neck sweaters, novel just now. Es Verger is always worth a hike, smoked Gauloises and sipped apricot As I walked to Euston this morning even if on the snaking trail where you cocktails during the recording.