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| Why British TV producers are going global | Why British TV producers are going global |
| (6 months later) | |
| It's a trend you may have spotted already: British dramas often seem to have an actor from beyond these shores in them these days – often an American. And it's not just because of the need to balance the books by selling the dramas abroad. | It's a trend you may have spotted already: British dramas often seem to have an actor from beyond these shores in them these days – often an American. And it's not just because of the need to balance the books by selling the dramas abroad. |
| With programme-makers' budgets under pressure and viewers expecting the same glossy production values on the small screen as they see on the big one, UK broadcasters are turning to the US and Europe to help fund what they hope will be the next big drama hit. | With programme-makers' budgets under pressure and viewers expecting the same glossy production values on the small screen as they see on the big one, UK broadcasters are turning to the US and Europe to help fund what they hope will be the next big drama hit. |
| But complications can result. The American actor Elisabeth Moss – best known as Peggy in Mad Men – appears in Oscar-winning director Jane Campion's eagerly awaited Top of the Lake later this year. Top of the Lake has a long list of backers, including the BBC and the Sundance Channel, founded by Robert Redford in the US. But the Australian broadcaster ABC pulled out from the venture over Moss's casting in the lead role of Australian police officer Robin Giffin. It wasn't that triple Emmy winner Moss wasn't a big enough name for the show – the problem was that ABC felt there was enough homegrown talent in Australia not to have to cast an American. | But complications can result. The American actor Elisabeth Moss – best known as Peggy in Mad Men – appears in Oscar-winning director Jane Campion's eagerly awaited Top of the Lake later this year. Top of the Lake has a long list of backers, including the BBC and the Sundance Channel, founded by Robert Redford in the US. But the Australian broadcaster ABC pulled out from the venture over Moss's casting in the lead role of Australian police officer Robin Giffin. It wasn't that triple Emmy winner Moss wasn't a big enough name for the show – the problem was that ABC felt there was enough homegrown talent in Australia not to have to cast an American. |
| "There are two things at play here," said Ben Stephenson, the BBC controller of drama commissioning. "One is the world is opening up to British programming more and wanting to invest in it. The other is that British producers are getting more ambitious about the quality and scale of their work." | "There are two things at play here," said Ben Stephenson, the BBC controller of drama commissioning. "One is the world is opening up to British programming more and wanting to invest in it. The other is that British producers are getting more ambitious about the quality and scale of their work." |
| US co-productions have become commonplace on the BBC, from the acclaimed Parade's End (with HBO) to The White Queen, its forthcoming adaptation of Philippa Gregory's War of the Roses novels, with US cable channel Starz and Belgium's VRT.. | US co-productions have become commonplace on the BBC, from the acclaimed Parade's End (with HBO) to The White Queen, its forthcoming adaptation of Philippa Gregory's War of the Roses novels, with US cable channel Starz and Belgium's VRT.. |
| Made by independent producer Mammoth Screen, Parade's End's budget was more than doubled (to about £10m) by HBO's involvement. Damien Timmer, joint managing director of Mammoth, said the bigger budget helped attract talent of the calibre of Parade's End stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall. "Domestic audiences can only benefit from that," he said. | Made by independent producer Mammoth Screen, Parade's End's budget was more than doubled (to about £10m) by HBO's involvement. Damien Timmer, joint managing director of Mammoth, said the bigger budget helped attract talent of the calibre of Parade's End stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall. "Domestic audiences can only benefit from that," he said. |
| Not all recent co-productions have worked, however. The BBC1 drama Hunted, made by Kudos Films and Television and HBO's Cinemax channel in the US, was axed last year after one series despite the star power of Australian actor Melissa George. | Not all recent co-productions have worked, however. The BBC1 drama Hunted, made by Kudos Films and Television and HBO's Cinemax channel in the US, was axed last year after one series despite the star power of Australian actor Melissa George. |
| Another BBC1 drama, Zen, starring Rufus Sewell, had production partners in the UK, US, Germany and Italy, where it was filmed. But its mixture of English and Italian accents felt unwieldy and it was dropped after its first series despite a loyal British fanbase. | Another BBC1 drama, Zen, starring Rufus Sewell, had production partners in the UK, US, Germany and Italy, where it was filmed. But its mixture of English and Italian accents felt unwieldy and it was dropped after its first series despite a loyal British fanbase. |
| Multiple backers, and the need to appeal to audiences in the UK and the US, can lead to conflict and confusion, a product – as one producer put it – of "trying to serve two masters at the same time". | Multiple backers, and the need to appeal to audiences in the UK and the US, can lead to conflict and confusion, a product – as one producer put it – of "trying to serve two masters at the same time". |
| Justin Thomson-Glover, co-chairman of international co-production specialist Far Moor Media, said: "There has to be a shared vision. "Sometimes people are too scared to ask the big questions about casting and you get broadcasters retreating. | Justin Thomson-Glover, co-chairman of international co-production specialist Far Moor Media, said: "There has to be a shared vision. "Sometimes people are too scared to ask the big questions about casting and you get broadcasters retreating. |
| "Ultimately it's the majority funder who will have the say-so, but a big US broadcaster will expect their voice to be important." | "Ultimately it's the majority funder who will have the say-so, but a big US broadcaster will expect their voice to be important." |
| Despite the appearance of Jeremy Piven in ITV's department store drama Mr Selfridge (co-produced with Masterpiece in the US) and Shirley MacLaine in another ITV drama hit, Downton Abbey, it is not a case of shoehorning in a Hollywood star for the sake of it, said Maria Kyriacou, managing director of ITV Studios Global. | Despite the appearance of Jeremy Piven in ITV's department store drama Mr Selfridge (co-produced with Masterpiece in the US) and Shirley MacLaine in another ITV drama hit, Downton Abbey, it is not a case of shoehorning in a Hollywood star for the sake of it, said Maria Kyriacou, managing director of ITV Studios Global. |
| Downton Abbey, created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece, was already a hit in the US by the time MacLaine was cast in its third series. Kyriacou said of Piven's casting: "The really easy answer is that it is based on Mr Selfridge and he was American. The most important thing is you have the right actor for the role and you don't allow the commercial model to dictate what happens creatively." | Downton Abbey, created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece, was already a hit in the US by the time MacLaine was cast in its third series. Kyriacou said of Piven's casting: "The really easy answer is that it is based on Mr Selfridge and he was American. The most important thing is you have the right actor for the role and you don't allow the commercial model to dictate what happens creatively." |
| Mega-budget US shows such as HBO's Game of Thrones (£4m an episode) and Kevin Spacey's remake of House of Cards on the video-on-demand service Netflix, which cost a reported £65m, raised the drama bar even higher. | Mega-budget US shows such as HBO's Game of Thrones (£4m an episode) and Kevin Spacey's remake of House of Cards on the video-on-demand service Netflix, which cost a reported £65m, raised the drama bar even higher. |
| Sky teamed up with the US network NBC to make its new series Dracula, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Australian actor Jessica De Gouw. Sky's head of drama, Anne Mensah, said: "It's set in the UK and I don't think a UK audience will look at it and think it's an American show. | Sky teamed up with the US network NBC to make its new series Dracula, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Australian actor Jessica De Gouw. Sky's head of drama, Anne Mensah, said: "It's set in the UK and I don't think a UK audience will look at it and think it's an American show. |
| "I don't think you lose anything as a co-production – it gives you money to create bigger and better projects." | "I don't think you lose anything as a co-production – it gives you money to create bigger and better projects." |
| Sky has turned to Europe for its remake of the hit BBC4 Swedish/Danish import The Bridge, which will become The Tunnel in the 10-part collaboration with French broadcaster Canal+, made by UK producer Kudos and Shine France Films with a budget of around £15m. | Sky has turned to Europe for its remake of the hit BBC4 Swedish/Danish import The Bridge, which will become The Tunnel in the 10-part collaboration with French broadcaster Canal+, made by UK producer Kudos and Shine France Films with a budget of around £15m. |
| Kudos's chief executive, Jane Featherstone, said: "We have had to work very collaboratively to make sure we are appealing to both nations. I honestly don't know if we have got that right yet. The French like things to be slightly slower, we like them pacier." | Kudos's chief executive, Jane Featherstone, said: "We have had to work very collaboratively to make sure we are appealing to both nations. I honestly don't know if we have got that right yet. The French like things to be slightly slower, we like them pacier." |
| Sky will be hoping to have moved on from the era of the "Europudding", the unwieldy continental co-productions of the 1980s. It was a phrase coined after the 1985 police drama flop Eurocops, in which broadcasters from Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain (and Channel 4 for the UK) took turns to film episodes. | Sky will be hoping to have moved on from the era of the "Europudding", the unwieldy continental co-productions of the 1980s. It was a phrase coined after the 1985 police drama flop Eurocops, in which broadcasters from Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain (and Channel 4 for the UK) took turns to film episodes. |
| But they may not have gone for good, according to Will Gould, the head of drama at Tiger Aspect, which made BBC1's Ripper Street. | But they may not have gone for good, according to Will Gould, the head of drama at Tiger Aspect, which made BBC1's Ripper Street. |
| "Sometimes a script comes to your desk that has four or five different nationalities and a note saying 'these nationalities will change depending on who is financing the project'," he said. "I worry about creating drama purely by the funding. But if there is a valid dramatic reason for having all those characters, I am up for it." | "Sometimes a script comes to your desk that has four or five different nationalities and a note saying 'these nationalities will change depending on who is financing the project'," he said. "I worry about creating drama purely by the funding. But if there is a valid dramatic reason for having all those characters, I am up for it." |
| • This article was amended on 1 April 2013. The original wrongly attributed The White Queen to the screenwriter Paula Milne. It is based on a series of novels by Philippa Gregory, which were adapted for the screen by Emma Frost. | • This article was amended on 1 April 2013. The original wrongly attributed The White Queen to the screenwriter Paula Milne. It is based on a series of novels by Philippa Gregory, which were adapted for the screen by Emma Frost. |
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