A sensible article about the BBC!

[NormanH]

Even WB might agree with some of it...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/02/tony-hall-bbc-parasites-long-knife

[Anton Redman]

How marvellously Gruniad

"This article was amended on 3 April 2013. The original referred to curb-crawling rather than kerb-crawling. This has been corrected."

For my input most of BBC output seems to be cloned and built down to a price. The early evening quiz shows, the descendants of Going for a Song, The remakes of Grear Railway Journeys AKA Around the World as Cheaply as Possible. The competition cook stuff. 

50 years ago the highlights of my week were 'The Avengers' and 'Univercity Challenge' seems a shame BBC4 have dropped the latter. The cost of rights stopped them repeating 'Our Friends in the North' possibly the best drama they made last century.

 

[NickP]

[quote user="Anton Redman"]

How marvellously Gruniad

"This article was amended on 3 April 2013. The original referred to curb-crawling rather than kerb-crawling. This has been corrected."

For my input most of BBC output seems to be cloned and built down to a price. The early evening quiz shows, the descendants of Going for a Song, The remakes of Grear Railway Journeys AKA Around the World as Cheaply as Possible. The competition cook stuff. 

50 years ago the highlights of my week were 'The Avengers' and 'Univercity Challenge' seems a shame BBC4 have dropped the latter. The cost of rights stopped them repeating 'Our Friends in the North' possibly the best drama they made last century.

 

[/quote]

The cost of rights? would you like to explain that claim Anton? If you mean residuals there is no way that residual payments would top the budget of a new program? Also it's interesting that the Gruniad syndrome is catching. [:D] 

[Anton Redman]

The rights do now top the cost of a new prog because the actors agents negotiated hard at the time against an open door and in 1995 few other TV channels. Equity in particular pushed for high fees for repeats because it ment it was more liklely remakes rather than repeats would happen.

 Fast forward to 2013 and there would high fees for acting but relatively low fees for repeats.

The classic is Glyn Edwards in the Whinchester Club in Minder. They ran one episode having cut him out before there was a negotiation.

The Two Ronnies were not repeated in the UK till Billy Cotton Junior explained they could either have 25% of something or 100% of nothing. The Two Ronnies had shown in Oz for years with residuals based on viewers rather than orignal fees which worked fine

The story on the Peter O'Toole version of Geofrey Household's Rogue Mail is that the BBC agreed to destroy the master and all copies after two showings on TV within a year because MGM owned the rights. 

My Familly and Other Animals is another example of a programme which was cheaper to remake than repeat

[NickP]

Anton I've sent you a pm. [B]

[Anton Redman]

Yes I have read it but when I tried to reply all were returned.

[Russethouse]

Does anyone else look back and remember plays like Edna the Inebriate Woman or Cathy come Home and think what a shame it is that we don't have that quality of drama anymore?

Or maybe we do and I miss it somehow?

Or did they only seem good because with only two channels, more people watched and the plays were talking points?

Often on a Saturday evening there are two quiz programmes in a row, and although I'm a Pointless addict, to add it to an evening that already has the Lottery quiz programme seems over kill

Personally I think Masterchef has got tired, ( and boy don't they flog that to death, endless repeats) though I love Bake Off and the new sewing programme looks very promising

[NickP]

[quote user="Anton Redman"]

Yes I have read it but when I tried to reply all were returned.

[/quote]

I don't know why; nothing amiss at my end, but hey it's not the end of the world maybe we'll just agree to disagree, amicably of course. [:D]