ENTERTAINMENT TV
WHAT’S NEXT?
The BBC’s
Str ictly, produced by BBC Studios, returns later this year
demand was for fast turnaround lockdown shows. “Now, nobody wants references to Covid-19 at all, or anything that is shot in your living room,” says Boland. “It has got to be an idea that can be filmed within the restrictions, but not reflect Covid at all.” Because with lockdown guidelines changing, shows could risk looking out of date by the time they air. Boland also says broadcasters are
after funny, life affirming entertainment to populate their schedules. This echoes C4 director of programmes Ian Katz’s recent briefing to indies calling for light-hearted content to inject fun into the schedule in 2021. Katz said: “Britain will be a greyer, poorer, sadder place in 2021… and as we move into a new age of austerity and angst, people will want to kick up their heels and forget their troubles.” Thames’ Amelia Brown thinks
it’s a key moment for the genre. “When there is so much uncertainty, entertainment has a job to do in adding a bit of light into people’s homes and the broadcasters feel the same.” Boland says that many channels
are interested in entertainment reality formats for primetime, having seen the success of Love Island, Too Hot to Handle, Love is Blind, The Circle and
22
televisual.com Summer 2020
Race Around the World. Others say talent led vehicles and familiar formats are also in demand. “There is a new love for the old. It gives a sense of comfort to the viewer,” says Amelia Brown. Thames is bringing back Family Fortunes to ITV this year with Gino D’Acampo at the helm. Many producers note how
audiences have flocked to quiz shows such as Beat the Chasers and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? during lockdown. Remarkable quiz Richard Osman’s House of Games has also thrived on BBC2 against the Six O’Clock News. “The show is fun and silly with a great line up of well known people playing games – it just felt right for the times,” says Fox. Boland notes, however, that
“NOBODY WANTS REFERENCES TO COVID-19 AT ALL, OR ANYTHING THAT IS SHOT IN
YOUR LVING ROOM”
the demand currently is for “very, very low tariff shows” from broadcasters whose revenues have been badly affected by the Covid-19 advertising slump. “All broadcasters have been affected, and they’ve all got much, much less money to play with.” This partly explains the heightened demand for relatively inexpensive quiz shows. With money tight, Boland thinks
broadcasters will necessarily be much more conservative about the talent they work with and will turn to trusted suppliers to make shows. This partly explains why old entertainment brands are being resuscitated. Longer term, the outlook for
entertainment looks good. All producers say they have used the production hiatus to develop new ideas – and that the quality of entertainment TV will improve as a result. But a key reason that entertainment
looks set to thrive is because it is relatively affordable, certainly more than drama. “The fact is, a lot of advertising has left television,” says Boland. “And the obvious answer to that is entertainment.” Drama, of course, has enjoyed
a huge boom in recent years, but its inflated budgets may now be out of reach for many broadcasters. Remarkable’s Fox compares the situation to the end of the 1990s and early 2000s, which saw the rise of reality TV like Big Brother, Pop Idol and Survivor, as well as the launch of quiz show WWTBAM? That entertainment resurgence took place against a background in which dramas had become increasingly expensive. Could the same be about to happen again?
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
