Highlight


Comedy at the crossroads

Comedy has not had the same uplift in budgets and ambition as straight-up scripted fare, but half hours that are as big on drama as laughs are in demand and, increasingly, on-demand. Just don’t call it ‘dramedy’. Stewart Clarke reports. For comedy writers and producers, recent proclamations from industry heavyweights are no laughing matter. “It […]

Emerging kids studios

In spite of the challenges, some studios that had been offering services on a work-for-hire basis are starting to build content creation into their business models, reports Jane Marlow. The fact that a company with the global reputation of Framestore started to “covertly” road test the idea of content creation two years ago gives an […]

HBO Europe: Root’s cause

HBO Europe is well established as a producer in central and eastern Europe, and has now restructured to produce programmes from the Nordics and Spain as well. Original content chief Antony Root tells Jesse Whittock about the plan. While HBO is best known for its agenda-setting US programmes such as Game of Thrones and Westworld, […]

Doubling down on All3Media International

In her first interview since returning to run All3Media International, Louise Pedersen tells Stewart Clarke about doubling the investment in drama, moving into supersized factual and working with owners Discovery Communications and Liberty Global Having left distribution in 2014 for drama production at Colin Callender firm, Playground Entertainment, Louise Pedersen returned to All3Media International last […]

TBI Interview: Mark Linsey’s Studios system

The BBC’s production arm has become a commercial subsidiary, changing its business model for the first time in more than half a century. Founding BBC Studios director Mark Linsey tells Jesse Whittock how the UK creative giant will evolve. “We have a reputation as the best programme makers in the world, and that’s really important […]

Script to Screen: Guerrilla

The story of how John Ridley’s passion project became Sky and Showtime’s latest star attraction, ahead of its UK debut on April 13. Act 1 The Black Lives Matter movement brought race relations right back to the centre of debate in the US. In entertainment, scriptwriter John Ridley has done as much as anyone else […]

NBC’s alternative all stars

Amid the golden age of TV drama, NBC has done something remarkable in launching and sustaining unscripted hits that have fuelled the broadcaster’s hot streak. Mindful that the likes of The Voice, Got Talent and Ninja Warrior provide great numbers but no back-end, it created an unscripted studio last year. With Paul Telegdy in overall […]

MIPTV Hot Pick: Spies

Espionage has perhaps never been more relevant than it is in 2017, with fake news on social media, daily headlines linking Russia to the American presidential election result, and stories of backchannels used by Wikileaks and its founder, Julian Assange, constantly cropping up. UK broadcaster Channel 4 has been a keen proponent on intelligence- and […]

MIPTV Hot Pick: Game of Clones

For Luci Sanan, global formats director at new-kid-on-the-block sales house The Story Lab, picking up sales rights to the provocatively-named Game of Clones is a boon for a number of reasons. It is the first series from Youngest Media, the UK indie that ex-Endemol Shine UK formats chiefs Lucas Church and David Flynn created last […]

Master’s key

With a credit list stretching longer than dozens of other writers combined, 80 year-old Andrew Davies knows the secrets of a good script. He tells Jesse Whittock about his writing process, how he’ll save  Les Misérables from itself, and why he is planing for another productive decade Andrew Davies has a good shout for screen’s […]