GENRE REPORT
DRAMA
JONATHAN LEWSLEY
ACTING HEAD OF SCRIPTED, UK,
AMAZON STUDIOS EUROPE
What recent or upcoming dramas have stood out for you recently? On Amazon Prime Video, The Boys S2 just delivered so many jaw-dropping moments and yet did so with real heart. I May Destroy You and Normal People have been very special things in their different ways – frank, humane, unlike shows we’ve seen before, and mercifully short episodes in this exhausting year! And it’s hard not to talk about Small Axe - that Amazon Studios US co-produced with the BBC – Steve McQueen, that amazing cast, the importance of telling these different stories – essential viewing. Tell us more about Amazon’s slate of drama from the UK? There’s a great mix of top of class established talent and breaking new stars in our upcoming drama slate - from the UK we have The Power from Jane Featherstone’s Sister and grime drama-rap hybrid Jungle from new outfit Nothing Lost. That spread of talent and stories continues into the rest of the slate, which I am looking forward to being able to talk about soon. What kind of dramas are you looking for? I’m looking for high-impact shows that can really resonate with UK viewers – amongst that, we’re really keen to make shows that appeal to younger viewers, female viewers and extend the diversity of what we do. It’s important our shows feel like really special pieces that aren’t available anywhere else. How much are you looking to commission out of the UK? We’re not making hundreds of shows – we want to make a big noise with each one so it’s about making a handful of scripted shows out of the UK each year. How has COVID affected the drama market? The people I’m really worried about are those just starting their careers in television – the runners and assistants, on set and in development. The Covid era means that opportunities to get started in our industry may be so much fewer - A lot of people are working on how to help, and I’m very glad to see Amazon Studios playing a strong role in that.
example, has four new dramas in the pipeline, with three set to shoot next year, including The Confessions of Frannie Langton based on the debut novel by Sara Collins, and Emily Blunt- fronted The English for the BBC and Amazon. Roanna Benn, co-CEO of Drama Republic,
says there will be a high demand for crew, talent and studio space in 2021. “It’s going to be so busy. So we are trying to crew up early, and get people on board. We’re even casting for something we want to shoot next summer. We want to get people on it because there is a backlog on everything.” The experience of World Productions,
meanwhile, highlights the challenges the drama sector has faced this year – and will face next year. World was shooting three projects in March just as coronavirus spiked – Line of Duty 6, submarine thriller Vigil and The Pembrokeshire Murders. It also had another two projects that were set to shoot in the autumn, legal thriller Showtrial for BBC One and crime thriller The
Diplomat for Alibi. “As we went into the year, it looked like a real
golden year for us,” says Simon Heath. “But it has actually turned out to be a really difficult and challenging one.” Coronavirus has played havoc with World’s
tight shooting schedule. It managed to wrap The Pembrokeshire Murders in March, but closed down Line of Duty and Vigil just before lockdown was announced in March. The indie restarted Line of Duty and Vigil in
the autumn, but had to postpone Showtrial and The Diplomat until next year. These will start prep in January, alongside another commission, thriller Karen Pirie for ITV. “It’s going to be tough,” acknowledges Heath. “There is going to be an absolute traffic jam in the first half of 2021 as these shows that have been delayed start up, and new shows start up.” This busy period will no doubt come as a relief
for freelance crew and suppliers, who have seen their income drop significantly this year due to
“THE PEOPLE I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT ARE THOSE JUST STARTING THEIR CAREERS IN TV”
JONATHAN LEWSLEY, AMAZON
Winter 2020
televisual.com
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