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| BBC axes Ben Elton's The Wright Way after Twitter mauling | BBC axes Ben Elton's The Wright Way after Twitter mauling |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Ben Elton's BBC1 sitcom The Wright Way has been axed after its creator felt "bruised" by the critical mauling the show suffered. Shane Allen, BBC executive responsible for the show, starring David Haig, set in a local council's health and safety department and Elton's first BBC1 sitcom since 2005's Blessed, confirmed on Tuesday that it would not be returning for a second series. | |
| Allen, the BBC's controller of comedy commissioning, also warned that the instant reaction and "crucifying" of new comedies on social media such as Twitter made it harder for new programmes to bed in – and urged talent to avoid it. | |
| BBC2's Sue Perkins sitcom Heading Out, which was also given a rough ride by critics and finished its run with fewer than 1 million viewers, has also been dropped. | BBC2's Sue Perkins sitcom Heading Out, which was also given a rough ride by critics and finished its run with fewer than 1 million viewers, has also been dropped. |
| Allen, the former Channel 4 comedy chief who joined the BBC six months ago, also said he wanted to see the return of Absolutely Fabulous after last year's Olympics special, which was expected to have been the last. | Allen, the former Channel 4 comedy chief who joined the BBC six months ago, also said he wanted to see the return of Absolutely Fabulous after last year's Olympics special, which was expected to have been the last. |
| He said he had spoken to Elton about The Wright Way and said the decision to axe it had been made "in conjunction" with the writer and comedian. | He said he had spoken to Elton about The Wright Way and said the decision to axe it had been made "in conjunction" with the writer and comedian. |
| "He set out to write an old-fashioned mainstream comedy and he did exactly that," Allen told a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch on Tuesday. | "He set out to write an old-fashioned mainstream comedy and he did exactly that," Allen told a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch on Tuesday. |
| "Ben Elton was really bruised by the reception. He felt 'If people aren't loving this I am not going to put myself through it again'."Maybe 10, 15 years ago, you might have gone, 'what did people like about it, what are the characters that worked', but people are quite quick to judge and to crucify these days. | |
| "It didn't catch fire with the audience but it wasn't what you could call a flop, over the course of a week it had 3.5 million to 4 million viewers." | "It didn't catch fire with the audience but it wasn't what you could call a flop, over the course of a week it had 3.5 million to 4 million viewers." |
| Allen said he felt the show was a "good effort at trying to do something quite mainstream and slightly old-fashioned, but deliberately so. | Allen said he felt the show was a "good effort at trying to do something quite mainstream and slightly old-fashioned, but deliberately so. |
| "I think it had some brilliant jokes in it but I don't think the characters … Sometimes it's just an alchemy of production. Sometimes things click and they are brilliant." | "I think it had some brilliant jokes in it but I don't think the characters … Sometimes it's just an alchemy of production. Sometimes things click and they are brilliant." |
| Allen added: "I think it was a valiant effort from the guy who co-wrote Blackadder and The Young Ones. | Allen added: "I think it was a valiant effort from the guy who co-wrote Blackadder and The Young Ones. |
| "As a major name in British comedy you give Ben Elton a chance. We are not going to bring back The Wright Way but I'd give him another chance on something else if it felt right and was compelling." | "As a major name in British comedy you give Ben Elton a chance. We are not going to bring back The Wright Way but I'd give him another chance on something else if it felt right and was compelling." |
| Allen said Elton had told him before it was broadcast that it was going to get a rough ride "because I always get a rough ride". | |
| Allen added: "People say he's a sell out because he did all that Thatcher material. Everyone matures over the course of their work, I think that's being a bit harsh to be honest." | |
| Allen said people were "scared of the glare" of being in a mainstream primetime comedy. "They see what happened to the Wright Way or [ITV's Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi comedy] Vicious. | Allen said people were "scared of the glare" of being in a mainstream primetime comedy. "They see what happened to the Wright Way or [ITV's Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi comedy] Vicious. |
| "They see that things can get slaughtered quite quickly. Comedy provokes massive reactions. | "They see that things can get slaughtered quite quickly. Comedy provokes massive reactions. |
| "People feel passionate and that's good, but when people don't like a comedy they are very quick [to react] and I do worry in a world of social media and Twitter people are instantly saying, 14 seconds in, 'this is shit'. | "People feel passionate and that's good, but when people don't like a comedy they are very quick [to react] and I do worry in a world of social media and Twitter people are instantly saying, 14 seconds in, 'this is shit'. |
| "I think, 'come on, give it an episode at least'. We are living in that snap judgment world. A lot of things are loved retrospectively. Only Fools and Horses took two series before it bedded in. | "I think, 'come on, give it an episode at least'. We are living in that snap judgment world. A lot of things are loved retrospectively. Only Fools and Horses took two series before it bedded in. |
| "If people are going to crucify comedy to the extent they did, I think that's really difficult." | "If people are going to crucify comedy to the extent they did, I think that's really difficult." |
| Allen said the worst thing channel controllers could do was "lose their nerve". | Allen said the worst thing channel controllers could do was "lose their nerve". |
| On Sue Perkins sitcom Heading Out, Allen said: "That's something she felt she had achieved what she wanted to achieve and didn't feel she wanted to do any more. | On Sue Perkins sitcom Heading Out, Allen said: "That's something she felt she had achieved what she wanted to achieve and didn't feel she wanted to do any more. |
| "She is obviously a massively key important figure for BBC2, there are other pilots being discussed." | "She is obviously a massively key important figure for BBC2, there are other pilots being discussed." |
| Allen said Jennifer Saunders was working on a new project and said the "door is always open for more Ab Fabs". | Allen said Jennifer Saunders was working on a new project and said the "door is always open for more Ab Fabs". |
| "Obviously. She is brilliant. I'd do anything she wants. [Absolutely Fabulous] is in the national fabric, isn't it? The door's wide open." | "Obviously. She is brilliant. I'd do anything she wants. [Absolutely Fabulous] is in the national fabric, isn't it? The door's wide open." |
| But Allen said it would be for specials rather than an entire series. He also raised the prospect of the return of The Royle Family, for more specials but not at Christmas. | But Allen said it would be for specials rather than an entire series. He also raised the prospect of the return of The Royle Family, for more specials but not at Christmas. |
| Miranda Hart's eponymous sitcom, which transferred to BBC2 to BBC1, will not be back for a new series any time soon, he said. "She is doing a live tour and then has film plans. The fourth series will probably be a long way off." | Miranda Hart's eponymous sitcom, which transferred to BBC2 to BBC1, will not be back for a new series any time soon, he said. "She is doing a live tour and then has film plans. The fourth series will probably be a long way off." |
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