December 2020 -January 2021 Shondaland’s Netflix debut Television www.rts.org.uk September 2013 1 DRAMA Heartfelt confessions and last-minute reprieves. Big reveals and characters in crisis. Discover a world of drama through music and bring your story to life. SEND US YOUR BRIEF DISCOVER MORE [email protected] audionetwork.com/discover Journal of The Royal Television Society December 2020/January 2021 l Volume 58/1 From the CEO Farewell, then, to 2020, and a more recent remote encounter Do read our report of the recent a year that we will all with a mystery entrepreneur’s butler. “Can TV save the planet?” event and find hard to forget. I was delighted by the inspirational this issue’s Our Friend column, writ- What better guide to and heartfelt message from the RTS’s ten by the new RTS Midlands Chair, the past 12 months royal patron, HRH The Prince of Wales, Kuljinder Khaila. Both have important than the always bril- to the TV sector’s production workers, messages for our challenging times. liant Sir Peter Bazal- delivered at last month’s RTS Craft & Finally, a happy new year to you gette. His review of 2020 might make Design Awards. all. I hope you get some proper down- you laugh and cry, as he eloquently HRH’s belief that the TV workforce time after a difficult year. Take care of sums up the year of Covid-19 and will rebound stronger than ever from yourselves and your families. Black Lives Matter. these challenging times is one we Baz also recalls a tense moment on should all take to heart. We carry a full the Central Line, where he helped list of all the winners and nominees. create the Changing Rooms format – Congratulations to every one of them. Theresa Wise Contents Cover: Bridgerton (Netflix) Kate Ward’s TV Diary RTS Digital Convention: Culture shock There are no noisy Christmas parties to attend but, for YouTube’s Cécile Frot-Coutaz describes her journey from 5 Kate Ward, working from home is very far from quiet 20 TV creative to Europe’s foremost player in digital video Comfort Classic: Morecambe and Wise The non-fiction Netflix? Steve Clarke on why the duo’s Christmas shows remain Discovery+ is a late entrant to the global streaming 6 unsurpassed 22 market, says Kate Bulkley. Can it still punch through? Ear Candy: My Life in TV PSB: Time for a radical reset Kate Holman hears celebrities ‘bin, binge or bring back’ As a Government review of public service broadcasting 7 shows that were important to their TV journey 24 starts, Torin Douglas outlines the key issues Working Lives: Visual effects supervisor PSB: In defence of truth and impartiality Russell Dodgson, the VFX supervisor behind His Dark A joint RTS and Media Society panel asks if the UK public 8 Materials, talks to Matthew Bell 26 service broadcasters are facing a fight for their lives Lace and lust PSB: ‘Out with the old thinking’ Shilpa Ganatra explores how Shonda Rhimes has Media grandees assess how the UK’s public service 10 reinvented period drama in Bridgerton for Netflix 28 broadcasters are responding to the streamers’ success Goodbye to all that Can TV save the planet? A year of severe challenges has given British TV A stellar panel tells RTS Futures that television companies 12 its finest hour. Peter Bazalgette looks back on 2020 30 have a vital role in combating the climate crisis Our Friend in the Midlands The political interview unwrapped Kuljinder Khaila urges broadcasters to celebrate An RTS Christmas special event reviews gems of the 15 black voices from Birmingham and beyond 32 genre from the 1950s to the present day Standing up for the marginalised RTS Craft & Design Awards 2020 Matthew Bell discovers there’s a mission behind the The ceremony, presented by Mim Shaikh and 16 company that brings us RuPaul’s Drag Race UK 34 Anne Mensah, was streamed on 23 November RTS Digital Convention: Start with the story A tribute to the television workforce Gary Davey explains Sky Studios’ approach to HRH The Prince of Wales praises the commitment and 18 commissioning hits such as Chernobyl and I Hate Suzie 42 ingenuity of TV production workers, reports Steve Clarke 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 2020. [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 December 2020/January 2021 3 Corrie_RTS_2.indd 1 10/12/2020 17:55 TV diary There are no noisy Christmas parties to attend but, for Kate Ward, working from home is very far from quiet his week heralds the want to be aware of the whole story. a socially distanced walk with Kelly final week of lock- Today, I saw some fantastic report- Webb-Lamb from Channel 4 in our down 2, a week that ing on extreme fans and fan culture local park. would normally be from the Vice world news team, a I bring along my sleeping baby for the start of the satanic true-crime documentary a blast of fresh air as we trade tips on Christmas party series from Vice Studios, and While what we’re watching. The day zips by season. But this year’s the Rest of Us Die: Secrets of America’s in a flurry of Zoom calls and I reflect end is eerily quiet. Quiet, assuming Shadow Government from Vice TV. on the fact that this is the longest Tyou don’t count the dulcet tones of my Drink about 10,000 cups of tea. My period in my career that I haven’t WFH co-workers: a six-month-old, a toddler asks me if I “made any mov- travelled. three-year-old and my wonderful (but ies today”. No pressure… very loud) husband. So far, so 2020. ■ Strategic planning for next year is The day begins with a catch-up with ■ A call with our distribution team wrapping, and I’m presenting to my our team in India. I first got to know and final sign-off on the renewal colleagues on the Vice leadership the Indian TV market over a decade of our partnership with SBS in team. I present a deck that could ago, when I helped launch MasterChef Australia. We have been working do with some design magic (one there. Today, it is a big priority for the together successfully for two years, of those “I made it myself” affairs) world’s streamers, as they compete for but this allows us to expand and but which contains some exciting the attention and subscriptions of an deepen our relationship. thoughts on how we begin to drive audience of over 1 billion. It’s a big commitment. Today, we deeper collab oration across the I joined Vice Media Group in spend an equal amount of time on whole Vice Media Group and capi- November 2019 and was in India the operations and workflows as we talise on our IP. before the end of that year. We have do on the content pipeline. Early on We start every meeting talking an incredible team there, with several in my career in TV sales, I was told: about what Vice content has inspired big, ambitious shows in production. it’s not just what you do, but how you us this week. It is a great reminder of do it. That’s so true. the breadth of what we do, from our ■ Today is entirely blocked off for advertising agency, Virtue, through to the pleasure of viewing. This is ■ Over lunch, I read the inevitable our digital brands. something I try to do monthly. I article about the best high-street I pick out i-D’s 40th anniversary catch up on all the latest episodes Christmas sandwich and fleetingly issue, which I’ve been reading. We are that Vice Studios is distributing or consider Deliveroo-ing Pret to my developing a show with its editorial producing globally. I am still a total house. Come to my senses and team. It has been an incredible expe- TV addict, so this is the part of my decide against it. But only just. rience, because they really are at the job where I have to pinch myself cutting edge of culture and taste form- that I’m paid for the pleasure. ■ Lockdown is over and the first ing – i-D’s motto is: “Fan, not critic”. I It’s very time consuming but it’s Covid vaccine is approved for use. think that’s a great rule to live by. important to watch multiple epi- Feels like a huge moment and an sodes, not just episode 1 or a teaser. opportunity to fleetingly dream Kate Ward is President of Vice Studios at When I speak to one of our teams, I about a return to normal. Meet for Vice Media Group. Television www.rts.org.uk December 2020/January 2021 5 COMFORT CLASSIC Steve Clarke on why Morecambe and Wise remain unsurpassed as popular entertainers n those far-off days, when colour TV was still something of a nov- elty and viewers were restricted to a trio of TV channels, the two funniest people on the box were, without question, Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.