Ben Stephenson, the controller of BBC drama commissioning, is poised to cull a number of BBC1's long-running dramas in order to free funds and airtime to commission new shows.Stephenson also said that audience size was not the sole judge of success for BBC drama.
Speaking as he unveiled the BBC's winter and spring drama lineup, Stephenson said the strategy was a "huge risk ... a bloody terrifying decision" but it was the only way to change what was considered mainstream.
Though the BBC was unwilling to be drawn on what might be cut, Holby City, Casualty, Waterloo Road and New Tricks are thought to be safe.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
BBC 'to axe several long-running dramas'
By Maggie Brown for Media Guardian:
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Oh, good. We look forward to more cutting edge commissions like Hope Springs and Paradox.
ReplyDeleteTragic news. Especially the bit that says Holby City, Casualty and New Tricks are safe ;)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth do they mean? I suppose Survivors, Silent Witness will be for the chop - what a pity they didn't get rid of Holby and Casualty they clog up the airwaves with the same old same. How many stories can you have about sick people with complicated love lives..
Holby must be the worst series in television history. It is so bad it's surreal and everybody who works on it calls it 'Holby Shitty'. They could free up a lot of money by killing it off...
ReplyDeleteIt's not just things like Holby either - it's the crappy adaptations - like the abysmal Day of the Triffids - the stuff that's got one eye on the USA - like the even more abysmal Robin Hood plus populist crap like Girls on the Frontline (Bimbos with Bombs) - what the BEEB needs is more Jimmy McGovern's and fewer dipshits with a media studies degree and a mate who already works at Broadcasting House
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