Producing British Television Drama

Local Production in a Global Era

Ruth McElroy, Caitriona Noonan

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781137578754
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

This book presents a compelling case for a paradigmatic shift in the analysis of television drama production that recentres questions of power, control and sustainability. Television drama production has become an increasingly lucrative global export business as drama as a form enjoys increased prestige. However, this book argues that the growing emphasis on international markets and global players such as Netflix and Amazon Prime neglects the realities of commissioning and making television drama in specific national and regional contexts. Drawing on extensive empirical research, Producing British Television Drama demonstrates the centrality of public service broadcasters in serving audiences and sustaining the commercial independent sector in a digital age. It attends closely to three elements—the role of place in the production of content; the experiences of those working in the sector; and the interventions from cultural intermediaries in articulating and ascribing value totelevision drama. With chapters examining the evolution of British TV drama, as well as what might be in store in its future, this book offers invaluable insights into the UK as a major supplier of and market for television drama.

© The Author(s) 2019

Ruth McElroy and Caitriona NoonanProducing British Television Dramahttps://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57875-4_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction

Ruth McElroy¹ and Caitriona Noonan²

(1)

Creative Industries, University of South Wales, Cardiff, UK

(2)

School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

Ruth McElroy (Corresponding author)

Email: [email protected]

Caitriona Noonan

Email: [email protected]

Abstract

This book is a critical response to a moment of profound change in the production and distribution of television drama. Drama content is central to the strategic aspirations of broadcasters, independent production companies and policy-makers helping them to deliver on a range of economic, cultural and political goals. Our analysis foregrounds power and sustainability as two significant terms that merit sustained critique and which underpin contemporary television drama production. This chapter outlines the novel methodological approaches adopted when conducting the many years of original empirical research with television drama professionals which underpins this book’s contribution to the field. We offer a rich and in-depth analysis of contemporary television drama production in the UK, merging global and transnational trends with the enduring significance and value of local production.

Keywords

Television dramaProductionDistributionPublic service broadcastingEmpirical researchSustainabilityValue

End Abstract

This book critically interrogates a key moment of change focusing on how the processes of commissioning , producing and distributing drama content are evolving. It provides readers with original, empirically grounded insight into the factors driving this evolution and focuses on the UK as a major supplier of, and market for, television drama . This is a significant moment in the restructuring of television production as critical discussions continue about the future of European models of public service broadcasting , technological innovation alters audience consumption patterns and greater competition comes in the form of new incumbents . This book is a critical response to this moment. While the forces of globalisation undoubtedly influence television production, we recognise local and global as two ingredients in this mix. It is the mobility, not only of texts, but also of policies , professional practices, and workers across local , national and global territories that resonate clearly and so throughout this book we attend to these different levels. While these processes are often alluded to, they are not consistently documented at the grass roots level of television production , nor are they always followed through in terms of how they impact on what we see on screen. Therefore, this book presents an intervention into scholarly debates by analysing the challenges and opportunities of making television drama in specific national and regional contexts. It critically analyses the specific set of conditions which impact on television drama’s production at a local level and it argues for the value of attending to these conditions in the current digital era.

Our approach is informed by a sense of urgency and crisis in the midst of what is more commonly being framed as a ‘golden age’ of unparalleled abundance. Undoubtedly, a rich compendium of drama is being delivered by recent entrants such as Netflix , Hulu and Amazon Prime , but we eschew reading this as evidence of a sustainable pipeline of television drama production . Instead we assess holistically the broad ecology of television drama production and identify features of stress and erosion that we believe threaten the diversity and sustainability of this ecology . These areas of stress and erosion reflect the prevalence of neoliberal formations of market value, globalisation and deregulation in contemporary television production. Over the past decade or so, television drama has been transformed from a poor relation of Hollywood film to become a transnational phenomenon in its own right. As a corrective to the celebratory discourses of the ‘era of abundance’ and the ‘golden age’, we offer a richer, situated analysis of the precarity of the current ecology of drama production including the public service broadcasters and labour markets that sustain it. Without television drama, there would be a far inferior television service, be that from the subscription video on-demand (SVoD) suppliers or from longstanding public service broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV.

The Significance of Local Production

We advocate for the significance of local production in a global era of digital television . Television drama production has become an increasingly global business ranging from transnational content providers to multi-territory rights deals. However, a focus on international markets and global players can eclipse a deeper understanding of the material realities of who makes television drama. This book presents a compelling case for a paradigmatic shift towards centering the sustainability of local production in our understanding of how the current disruptions are shaping the sector. Like many of those working in and researching this sector, we attempt to make sense of a rapidly changing media environment in which the global and the local are in a dynamic and evolving relationship. This relationship is economic in character as new markets emerge for local content, and at the same time global players enter local production ecologies . However, we argue that there are overarching public values at stake within local production ecologies that go to the specific cultural and social significance of television drama .

Here we pause a moment to distinguish between local production and local drama. While both may overlap they are conceptually distinct. Take for instance the case of the highly successful drama Sherlock (2010–2017). While Sherlock is made in Cardiff , the series ’ fictional location is London , including the iconic 221B Baker Street, home to the eponymous detective. Frequently what appears on screen as London is in fact Cardiff. For example, in series two, episode three ‘The Reichenbach Fall’, scenes that are presented narratively as taking place in the Tower of London were actually shot in the far more accessible Cardiff Castle. Equally, our case study in Chapter 6, Game of Thrones (2011–2019), showcases much of the Northern Irish landscape as part of its filming in the region. Undoubtedly, both productions provide significant job opportunities for the local creative workforce and the opportunity for Cardiff and Northern Ireland to be seen on screens around the world. However, neither series tells viewers about the history or identity of the place or portrays the lives of those living there through their stories. Contemporary drama production renders places simultaneously visible and invisible, and as our research attests, this matters to viewers and local television professionals.

Th...