Five Takeaways From The British Confab

The 2024 Edinburgh TV Festival draws to a close today, and this year’s event has been full of talking points, some positive and other not so much. While execs and creatives on the ground said there was a relatively subdued feel compared to some years when there have been real fireworks, there was a cautious sense that the brutal financial landscape for the British television market might finally be turning into a brighter picture. Indeed, Channel 4 content boss Ian Katz raised spirits and eyebrows in equal measure when he wrote on the eve of the fest that the network’s spending level is back to 2019 levels, while the likes of Charlotte Moore and Anne Mensah shared optimistic views about the future. Here are our five key takeaways from the Scottish capital. (Ed’s note: this article is replacing this week’s International Insider, which will return in its usual form in seven days.)

Risky Business

Sherlock and Dear England writer James Graham set British TV gatekeepers a major task in the festival’s key James MacTaggart Lecture slot on Wednesday night: To find a space for “new universes” akin to Harry Potter or the MCU. That means one thing, as he noted: “Taking risks.” The problem is, at the moment, networks aren’t taking risks, as the tough economic conditions of recent years have led to glut of tried-and-tested program decisions. Graham criticized commissioners for opting for “source material, adaptations and expanded universes,” adding that new stories should be central tenant to commissioning “even in the most difficult climate.” He wasn’t the only one addressing risk taking — or the lack of it — with well-known exec and Edinburgh Exec Chair Fatima Salaria opining that “some of the stories I grew up with wouldn’t make it onto a platform now” during a sombre state of the nations debate. Marianne Buckland, development chief at Downton Abbey maker Carnival, warned it was getting harder to persuade networks to gamble on writers that are “maybe just on the cusp” of success, while former HBO programs chief Sue Naegle cautioned that around the world, there is “fear in the marketplace” that leads buyers to stick with known IP. Some heart will be taken from Channel 4’s Katz, who said British IP would be under threat if broadcasters stop taking risks, while suggesting the UK industry is too reliant on American I.P., a potentially harmful situation as market contraction continues across the pond.

The Middle In A Muddle

The middle has gone from the market. That was the verdict of virtually every British TV boss who spoke at Edinburgh. In practice, what this means is that those ‘schedule filler’-type shows that used to be consumed by millions in 7pm and 8pm slots are no longer viable in the streaming age. The networks are interested in low-cost TV series to keep things ticking and the high-end premium stuff – mostly drama and docs. The streamers have, of course, never played in this mid-range game. “Why would you watch the [mid-range] when you have Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen?” crowed ITV boss Kevin Lygo plainly. “The slightly soft middle ground we used to make a lot of has gone from ITV.” The reality of the shift is proving painful, with numerous production companies shutting up shop the year and more indie closures forecast. When a trio of leading execs were pushed on whether there are too many production companies, the answer was an almost overly resounding ‘yes’, with little room for doubt. “There isn’t enough money and hours to keep everyone alive,” said the BBC’s Dan McGolpin, equally as plainly as Lygo. Edinburgh Exec Chair Salaria worried that the shift will create “an elite class of people who will make elite, high-class premium factual and drama.” On the ground the view was mixed, with a broad but gloomy acceptance that while the shift is causing pain, it is necessary. BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore said the industry was “rightsizing,” and that indies will need help to find a route forwards. Broadcasters have to build up their streaming services in order to compete, and these platforms do not sit particularly well with the mid-range, so there is more structural work ahead to make the business fit for the future. But more pain is likely coming. Indies have often posited that they need to “survive till 25,” but these intense structural shifts mean that this may be tricky. They’ll certainly be hoping that former NBC entertainment president Warren Littlefield’s assertion that “we’re probably two years out from getting through this particular challenging time” isn’t correct.

Fraught Times For Freelancers, Classism Questioned

The middle dropping away is not good news for the ailing freelance workforce, and many at Edinburgh were on hand to reiterate this point. Freelancers tend to use mid-range shows as a way of learning the trade, and without them this nursery slope is destroyed. Freelancers are struggling, recognized by the creation of a new body, Action for Freelancers, unveiled in a session on Wednesday, which is seeking tangible outcomes including better recruitment, improved mental health and enhanced working conditions. The Coalition for Change body, which had been fighting for improvements via a carefully-forged charter, has been closed by its founder, Adeel Amini. Freelancer woes come with working class representation in the spotlight following Graham’s MacTaggart, which argued passionately for greater representation. The industry now needs to ask itself how this can be done amid market contraction and all the usual barriers faced by the demographic. Things ramped up a notch on Friday morning, when the two keynote speakers, consumer champion Martin Lewis and former Countdown icon Carol Vorderman, railed against the TV industry’s treatment of working classes. “We bear a responsibility for not giving the working class a voice within the industry and that has its knock on effects whether you like it or not,” said Vorderman. Will the gatekeepers listen?

Controversies Avoided

This year’s fest was as much about what wasn’t said as what was said. While there was a laudable focus on class and existential questions about British content, at least three major themes were missing from the agenda. First among them was abuses of power. There is an irony in the fact that, within minutes of BBC content chief Charlotte Moore stepping off stage, The Sun revealed that Jermaine Jenas had been fired by the BBC for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a female colleague on The One Show. Jenas denies wrongdoing, but he is the fourth BBC star in recent months to be accused of professional misconduct following the Huw Edwards and Strictly Come Dancing scandals. Is there systemic ill-discipline among male BBC stars? And after the Russell Brand and Phillip Schofield sagas, why does the industry continue to be plagued by abuse of power problems? These questions were not given serious consideration. Secondly, Lisa Nandy, the UK’s new culture secretary, was in Edinburgh this week, but did not attend the TV festival. Deadline is told that organizers attempted to secure time with the Labour minister, but it did not result in a speech or a Q&A. She is now expected to deliver an address at the Royal Television Society London Convention next month. In the event of the Nandy no-show, an industry discussion about the first change of government in 14 years would have been welcome. Then there was the reindeer in the room. The biggest British TV series on the planet this year has been Baby Reindeer, but the Richard Gadd stalker drama’s extraordinary success has also raised searching questions about duty of care and compliance. Netflix UK chief Anne Mensah gave deeply corporate responses about these issues during her Spotlight session, but could they have been explored elsewhere? A panel titled ‘Based On A True Story: Getting Factual Drama Right’ appeared to be the perfect vehicle for such a discussion. Remarkably, Baby Reindeer was not mentioned once. Elsewhere, Channel 5’s spotlight session was dropped from the schedule on the news Ben Frow was suffering from illness and couldn’t make the trip to Scotland. Others such as comedian and actor Sophie Willan missed sessions as the UK’s sickness season came early.

Premium Docs Dominate As Drama Droops

Turns out what the industry actually needed was a heavy dose of 1990s pop music notaglia. A total of three premium doc programs featuring some of Britain’s biggest musical icons of the era were unveiled during the fest — a strong example of the series that now dominate a British TV market missing its middle. Netflix revealed what might be called a Beckham ‘sequel,’ in which Spice Girl Victoria Beckham’s fashion brands empire is explored, and an exploration of boyband Take That from producer du jour Fulwell73 that will include insights from all of its current and former members, including Robbie Williams. Not to be outdone on musical nostalgia, Sky had unveiled Boyzone (working title) on the eve of the fest. It will explore everything from the rise of Take That’s fresh-faced Irish rivals to the sad death of band member Stephen Gately in 2009 — an incident that changed the group forever. There were also announcements about new doc series from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay for Netflix and Queen consort Camilla, about the victims of domestic and abuse, for ITV. While premium docs dominated, it was a more muted affair in terms of drama announcements, with Michaela Cole’s BBC and HBO drama First Day on Earth, Prime Video‘s Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore thriller series The Assassin and Netflix’s How to Kill Your Family, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, the orders unveiled. In years past, British networks used Edinburgh to reveal plans for dozens of scripted projects, but unscripted took center stage in 2024.

Read our full Edinburgh TV Festival coverage by clicking here.