On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021). The BBC funded by the licence fee is a minnow in the TV world. Saving the licence fee will not save the BBC, further inaction will ultimately kill the BBC. If the BBC wants to be a major player in the streaming world, which is what TV is in the 21st century, things do have to change.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
Beacuse this sort of partisan rubbish directed at Boris is getting old.
Poor, defenceless, blameless Boris.
He may be poor in relative terms but he is neither defenceless or blameless as many of his opponents over time have found out. I am exasperated by his lying but the more of this we see the more I want him survive.
Beacuse this sort of partisan rubbish directed at Boris is getting old.
Considering the tar and feathering Johnsonites were happy to give Mrs May over a very long period of time, it is no less than he deserves, and it is entirely his own doing. Unless he resigns it has barely started yet. Mrs May by the way, will still be MP for Maidenhead when Johnson is presenting his fifth series of Supermarket Sweep.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
Beacuse this sort of partisan rubbish directed at Boris is getting old.
The criticisms won't stop because they are legitimate. Besides, as we know, they're not exclusively from the opposition. Expressions of displeasure and eruptions of outright revolt have been witnessed across his own party.
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021). The BBC funded by the licence fee is a minnow in the TV world. Saving the licence fee will not save the BBC, further inaction will ultimately kill the BBC. If the BBC wants to be a major player in the streaming world, which is what TV is in the 21st century, things do have to change.
Indeed. The lack of understanding about the global media landscape when our MPs and other numpties talk about the BBC and why it should or shouldn't keep the licence fee is laughable. The BBC pretence that £3.7bn per year or a number in that region is enough is also ridiculous. A media organisation today needs £12-15bn in revenue just to feed the media investment beast to create enough output for the following year. The BBC is uniquely placed as the major UK media organisation to take advantage of our huge TV and movie production capability and the dominance of English language media globally, but it has clung onto the licence model for 5 years too long instead of gambling on being a global streaming player.
Beacuse this sort of partisan rubbish directed at Boris is getting old.
The criticisms won't stop because they are legitimate. Besides, as we know, they're not exclusively from the opposition. Expressions of displeasure and eruptions of outright revolt have been witnessed across his own party.
Indeed. Even the Scottish Conservatives are joining in this partisan rubbish directed at Mr Johnson, ad libitum. Except the MPs for Scottish constituencies, IIRC?
PS Serious point, though: are the Tory MPs for Scotland revolting? I've lost track.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021). The BBC funded by the licence fee is a minnow in the TV world. Saving the licence fee will not save the BBC, further inaction will ultimately kill the BBC. If the BBC wants to be a major player in the streaming world, which is what TV is in the 21st century, things do have to change.
The bizarre thing about his is there is so much TV now made in his country And the big streamers are investing in new production facilities for even more content to come from the UK.
The BBC should be partnering with them and harnessing it. Co productions with the BBC having initial UK screening rights is something they should do more of.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
Four Lions is still the most surprising movie to have been made. Don't think Channel 4 would approve it today.
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
As I recall, Mr Portillo was pretty dignified about it. More so than some are in that situation.
Yes I have difficulty envisaging a sitting PM actually losing their seat, it's why I can't see Raab becoming PM either. Even Hunt is not completely safe.
I find the overall demographics of his seat still quite hard to read even though Labour would surely win it if they get 300+ seats nationally or in a by election. I was surprised Labour got over 40% there in 2017 but the Tories completed thrashed Labour in the Hillingdon Council elections in 2018.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021). The BBC funded by the licence fee is a minnow in the TV world. Saving the licence fee will not save the BBC, further inaction will ultimately kill the BBC. If the BBC wants to be a major player in the streaming world, which is what TV is in the 21st century, things do have to change.
The bizarre thing about his is there is so much TV now made in his country And the big streamers are investing in new production facilities for even more content to come from the UK.
The BBC should be partnering with them and harnessing it. Co productions with the BBC having initial UK screening rights is something they should do more of.
They tried that but ultimately the licence fee is far too limiting. I'll use Sony as the best example here, they have no streaming service and yet they are the global number one media production company for streaming services. Sony has invested something like $9bn over the last two years buying production companies and building up their own production capabilities. The BBC can't compete with them and when Bad Wolf came up for sale, Sony blew them out of the water despite the founders preferring the BBC as their long te partner.
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
As I recall, Mr Portillo was pretty dignified about it. More so than some are in that situation.
He says that he knew he'd lost when the exit poll came out, but when interviewed by the BBC early on that night, he wasn't asked about his prospects in his own seat.
Saw this online, always liked these 'Europe with areas of equal population' maps, as usually the borders are a bit dodgy and the names are usually nonsense
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
As I recall, Mr Portillo was pretty dignified about it. More so than some are in that situation.
He says that he knew he'd lost when the exit poll came out, but when interviewed by the BBC early on that night, he wasn't asked about his prospects in his own seat.
I seem to remember David Dimbleby saying, 'Michael Portillo has now left us. He looked a little queasy.'
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
As I recall, Mr Portillo was pretty dignified about it. More so than some are in that situation.
Same night as Mellor. The contrast in dignity was palpable.
Having listened to Trevor Phillips and Sophie Raworth this morning on playback, and I have to say Trevor Phillips is outstanding and had a very sad personal story to tell about the time of Prince Philip's funeral, I am beginning to think that Boris may well yet remain in post for a while
Boris lost me over the Paterson debacle and partygate, but I think he will survive the Sue Gray report and the May elections will now be the moment of greatest danger for him, which by that time we should be in an endemic and hopefully calmer waters to replace him
I could be wrong, but I am far from convinced he will go quickly and today's newspapers really had nothing further to add or provided the silver bullet
Can't help but feel that between them Lord Binface and Count Buckethead were splitting a certain class of vote in Uxbridge and South Ruislip there.
That's because Count Binface had previously stood as Lord Buckethead but the rights holder decided to enforce their rights IIRC, so he needed a new character.
Beacuse this sort of partisan rubbish directed at Boris is getting old.
The criticisms won't stop because they are legitimate. Besides, as we know, they're not exclusively from the opposition. Expressions of displeasure and eruptions of outright revolt have been witnessed across his own party.
Indeed. Even the Scottish Conservatives are joining in this partisan rubbish directed at Mr Johnson, ad libitum. Except the MPs for Scottish constituencies, IIRC?
PS Serious point, though: are the Tory MPs for Scotland revolting? I've lost track.
Someone has summarised the position of that tiny band:
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
As I recall, Mr Portillo was pretty dignified about it. More so than some are in that situation.
Alex Salmond going down, was undoubtedly the highlight of an otherwise very crap night in 2017.
Beacuse this sort of partisan rubbish directed at Boris is getting old.
I confess, I'm surprised at your posts about Boris, because I've always thought your comments on various matters showed great integrity and principle, even when I haven't agreed with them.
You reference to "partisan rubbish" is what I struggle with. I don't think it's partisan to point out that having a PM who is a congenital liar and prone to bouts of corruption or, at best, dodgy dealings is partisan. Yes, I'm a Labour chap. But I would never have directed similar attacks at, for example, Theresa May, as I think she was basically honest and decent. Boris isn't, simple as that.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
In historical dramas we readily accept actors having different hair colour, accents, languages and physical proportions than the figures they are representing, but we still have a problem with different skin colours. That’s, to use a phrase many on here hate, white privilege.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
You don't need to be shocking, offensive or even unwoke to be funny of course, but you are limiting your opportunities to be so considerably if you completely rule all three out.
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
As I recall, Mr Portillo was pretty dignified about it. More so than some are in that situation.
Alex Salmond going down, was undoubtedly the highlight of an otherwise very crap night in 2017.
It was certainly a notable event, as was Douglas Alexander's defenestration in 2015.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021). The BBC funded by the licence fee is a minnow in the TV world. Saving the licence fee will not save the BBC, further inaction will ultimately kill the BBC. If the BBC wants to be a major player in the streaming world, which is what TV is in the 21st century, things do have to change.
Indeed. The lack of understanding about the global media landscape when our MPs and other numpties talk about the BBC and why it should or shouldn't keep the licence fee is laughable. The BBC pretence that £3.7bn per year or a number in that region is enough is also ridiculous. A media organisation today needs £12-15bn in revenue just to feed the media investment beast to create enough output for the following year. The BBC is uniquely placed as the major UK media organisation to take advantage of our huge TV and movie production capability and the dominance of English language media globally, but it has clung onto the licence model for 5 years too long instead of gambling on being a global streaming player.
You only have to recall the snooty dismissive comments when Clarkson et al. went to Amazon to see how many people do not get it.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021). The BBC funded by the licence fee is a minnow in the TV world. Saving the licence fee will not save the BBC, further inaction will ultimately kill the BBC. If the BBC wants to be a major player in the streaming world, which is what TV is in the 21st century, things do have to change.
Indeed. The lack of understanding about the global media landscape when our MPs and other numpties talk about the BBC and why it should or shouldn't keep the licence fee is laughable. The BBC pretence that £3.7bn per year or a number in that region is enough is also ridiculous. A media organisation today needs £12-15bn in revenue just to feed the media investment beast to create enough output for the following year. The BBC is uniquely placed as the major UK media organisation to take advantage of our huge TV and movie production capability and the dominance of English language media globally, but it has clung onto the licence model for 5 years too long instead of gambling on being a global streaming player.
The BBC are a day late and a dollar short, when it comes to the modern media landscape.
They’ve probably got about another year, before the window of opportunity closes completely as the market consolidates to a few big players. Dusting off the massive back catalogue, and licensing it to everyone around the world, would be a great start.
(As an aside, trying to explain the concept of the licence fee to most foreigners, is even more weird than trying to explain the concept of the NHS).
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021). The BBC funded by the licence fee is a minnow in the TV world. Saving the licence fee will not save the BBC, further inaction will ultimately kill the BBC. If the BBC wants to be a major player in the streaming world, which is what TV is in the 21st century, things do have to change.
Indeed. The lack of understanding about the global media landscape when our MPs and other numpties talk about the BBC and why it should or shouldn't keep the licence fee is laughable. The BBC pretence that £3.7bn per year or a number in that region is enough is also ridiculous. A media organisation today needs £12-15bn in revenue just to feed the media investment beast to create enough output for the following year. The BBC is uniquely placed as the major UK media organisation to take advantage of our huge TV and movie production capability and the dominance of English language media globally, but it has clung onto the licence model for 5 years too long instead of gambling on being a global streaming player.
The BBC also has a GREAT brand. Still. But, as you say, they need to move fast to monetise and scale up, because in 5 years, certainly 10, it will be too late
If they cling on to their present dwindling fee, which is evermore unsustainable, they are doomed to become one of the irrelevant state broadcasters of old Europe, somewhere between RTE in Ireland and RAI in Italy. Still significant at home but dwarfed globally, and increasingly ignored on any wider stage
I actively want the BBC to survive, as a great British institution (and brand). But they need to wise up. To be fair I think plenty of people within the BBC know this. As it is so bloody obvious
Beacuse this sort of partisan rubbish directed at Boris is getting old.
The criticisms won't stop because they are legitimate. Besides, as we know, they're not exclusively from the opposition. Expressions of displeasure and eruptions of outright revolt have been witnessed across his own party.
Indeed. Even the Scottish Conservatives are joining in this partisan rubbish directed at Mr Johnson, ad libitum. Except the MPs for Scottish constituencies, IIRC?
PS Serious point, though: are the Tory MPs for Scotland revolting? I've lost track.
Someone has summarised the position of that tiny band:
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
As I recall, Mr Portillo was pretty dignified about it. More so than some are in that situation.
He says that he knew he'd lost when the exit poll came out, but when interviewed by the BBC early on that night, he wasn't asked about his prospects in his own seat.
I seem to remember David Dimbleby saying, 'Michael Portillo has now left us. He looked a little queasy.'
Apparently when the Returning Officer read the results to the candidates in the green room backstage he asked 'Everybody happy?' Portillo replied 'Delirious.'
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
I historical dramas we readily accept actors having different hair colour, accents, languages and physical proportions than the figures they are representing, but we still have a problem with different skin colours. That’s, to use a phrase many on here hate, white privilege.
Well it's not about realism (Romans did not speak with British accent, I assume), but verisimilitude. If it doesn't affect the tone of the work the race issue doesn't matter.
I was a fan of Reign, an unfathomably silly but entertaining take on a young Mary Queen of Scots, but a relative couldn't get into it because rather than attempt fake french accents everyone was British. No accounting for taste
What was weird about Bridgerton, which in any case is completely fictional, was the show works just fine and I never once questioned there being black aristocrats, but there is like one scene only that seeks to explain it, which seemed needless as it woul djust raise questions where there were none.
Having listened to Trevor Phillips and Sophie Raworth this morning on playback, and I have to say Trevor Phillips is outstanding and had a very sad personal story to tell about the time of Prince Philip's funeral, I am beginning to think that Boris may well yet remain in post for a while
Boris lost me over the Paterson debacle and partygate, but I think he will survive the Sue Gray report and the May elections will now be the moment of greatest danger for him, which by that time we should be in an endemic and hopefully calmer waters to replace him
I could be wrong, but I am far from convinced he will go quickly and today's newspapers really had nothing further to add or provided the silver bullet
I wasn't expecting anything dramatic from "the Sundays". The weekend has been about Conservative MPs "taking soundings" from constituents and their association members. I suspect many will be in no doubt as to the hostility now widely felt toward Boris Johnson.
The question is whether the coming week sees further revelations as we wait for Sue Gray to report.
Unlike Theresa May who looked frankly glad to be out of it in 2019, this has been Boris Johnson's life goal and he will be dragged out kicking and screaming by either the Parliamentary party acting out of motivated self-interest or, and this is my preference, a vengeful electorate delivering Johnson and the Conservatives the kind of defeat which will make 1906 and 1997 look like mild setbacks.
Having listened to Trevor Phillips and Sophie Raworth this morning on playback, and I have to say Trevor Phillips is outstanding and had a very sad personal story to tell about the time of Prince Philip's funeral, I am beginning to think that Boris may well yet remain in post for a while
Boris lost me over the Paterson debacle and partygate, but I think he will survive the Sue Gray report and the May elections will now be the moment of greatest danger for him, which by that time we should be in an endemic and hopefully calmer waters to replace him
I could be wrong, but I am far from convinced he will go quickly and today's newspapers really had nothing further to add or provided the silver bullet
I wasn't expecting anything dramatic from "the Sundays". The weekend has been about Conservative MPs "taking soundings" from constituents and their association members. I suspect many will be in no doubt as to the hostility now widely felt toward Boris Johnson.
The question is whether the coming week sees further revelations as we wait for Sue Gray to report.
Unlike Theresa May who looked frankly glad to be out of it in 2019, this has been Boris Johnson's life goal and he will be dragged out kicking and screaming by either the Parliamentary party acting out of motivated self-interest or, and this is my preference, a vengeful electorate delivering Johnson and the Conservatives the kind of defeat which will make 1906 and 1997 look like mild setbacks.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021).
I almost hope it is terrible as having sunk so much into it that would be hilarious.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
Uploaded unchallenged by a guy called Matt Spanner, as opposed to being monetised by the official BBC ITV account. A great example of what’s wrong with UK TV companies in their approach to the internet.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021). The BBC funded by the licence fee is a minnow in the TV world. Saving the licence fee will not save the BBC, further inaction will ultimately kill the BBC. If the BBC wants to be a major player in the streaming world, which is what TV is in the 21st century, things do have to change.
Indeed. The lack of understanding about the global media landscape when our MPs and other numpties talk about the BBC and why it should or shouldn't keep the licence fee is laughable. The BBC pretence that £3.7bn per year or a number in that region is enough is also ridiculous. A media organisation today needs £12-15bn in revenue just to feed the media investment beast to create enough output for the following year. The BBC is uniquely placed as the major UK media organisation to take advantage of our huge TV and movie production capability and the dominance of English language media globally, but it has clung onto the licence model for 5 years too long instead of gambling on being a global streaming player.
The BBC also has a GREAT brand. Still. But, as you say, they need to move fast to monetise and scale up, because in 5 years, certainly 10, it will be too late
If they cling on to their present dwindling fee, which is evermore unsustainable, they are doomed to become one of the irrelevant state broadcasters of old Europe, somewhere between RTE in Ireland and RAI in Italy. Still significant at home but dwarfed globally, and increasingly ignored on any wider stage
I actively want the BBC to survive, as a great British institution (and brand). But they need to wise up. To be fair I think plenty of people within the BBC know this. As it is so bloody obvious
It is pretty widely accepted within the BBC that they try too hard to be all things to all people. If they would stick to the knitting they'd be just fine.
Not sure the management, politicians or public has grasped this yet.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
In historical dramas we readily accept actors having different hair colour, accents, languages and physical proportions than the figures they are representing, but we still have a problem with different skin colours. That’s, to use a phrase many on here hate, white privilege.
I have absolutely zero point zero zero problem with black people playing white people, or vice versa - except in cases where the skin colour is crucial to the story - a white man playing Martin Luther King, say, would be jarring and silly. Ditto trans and gays and the rest. Let everyone play everyone. The Woke idea you can only act within your gender, race silo is profoundly corrosive
Moreover, as an aside, there WERE quite a few black people in 18th century aristo Russia. Not as many as implied in The Great but certainly some. The blue-blooded writer Alexander Pushkin was inordinately proud of his part-African heritage
Beacuse this sort of partisan rubbish directed at Boris is getting old.
Poor, defenceless, blameless Boris.
He may be poor in relative terms but he is neither defenceless or blameless as many of his opponents over time have found out. I am exasperated by his lying but the more of this we see the more I want him survive.
Johnson will never again contest a parliamentary election, and the only question now is his working out how best to make money from his impending retirement.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
Uploaded unchallenged by a guy called Matt Spanner, as opposed to being monetised by the official BBC ITV account. A great example of what’s wrong with UK TV companies in their approach to the internet.
Would 'On The Buses' have much value though? I'd have thought all you could monetize is the threat - "Pay us now or we'll put repeats out!" - and that's probably not legal.
Apropos of not much... I was indeed 'up for Portillo'. In fact I was there, at the count, acting as an observer for the Edmonton count (neighbouring constituency, all counted together with Enfield North at Pickett's Lock).
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
As I recall, Mr Portillo was pretty dignified about it. More so than some are in that situation.
I did a count once in a multi seat ward, it was very close and the counters had messed up so it was taking a long time on a very hot day, and we were really worried the closest loser would request, not entirely unreasonably, an official recount, but in fact the person was just chuffed to have come so close, having not been able to get out campaigning at all.
Tory PM bashed by conservatives and backed by revolutionary communists would have seemed quite unlikely a decade ago.
The trajectory of that Living Marxism group is one the fascinations of British politics. The thing is, with people like Munira Mirza actually in within the Downing Street operation, they've very bizarrely added an element of revolutionary populism to modern Toryism. Look very carefully at the particular way the culture war is conducted to see the evidence for this.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
Uploaded unchallenged by a guy called Matt Spanner, as opposed to being monetised by the official BBC ITV account. A great example of what’s wrong with UK TV companies in their approach to the internet.
Would 'On The Buses' have much value though? I'd have thought all you could monetize is the threat - "Pay us now or we'll put repeats out!" - and that's probably not legal.
However much money they might make, it would be more than they’re making now.
Youtube views also come from some very wierd places. My wife knows all sorts of obscure British and American TV shows of past decades, from her previous job of teaching English as a foreign language.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
Uploaded unchallenged by a guy called Matt Spanner, as opposed to being monetised by the official BBC ITV account. A great example of what’s wrong with UK TV companies in their approach to the internet.
Would 'On The Buses' have much value though? I'd have thought all you could monetize is the threat - "Pay us now or we'll put repeats out!" - and that's probably not legal.
Getting any value from it doesn't generally stop content holders from pursuing copyright claims.
The BBC are a bit slow but mass uploads eventually get taken down I think. I know there used to be pretty much the whole backlog of HIGNFY on youtube.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021).
I almost hope it is terrible as having sunk so much into it that would be hilarious.
The streaming companies have so much money it is insane
Apple TV casually dropped $45 million on one sci fi series, Foundation
Amazon Prime spent $80 million on the first season of The Wheel of Time. It hasn't done very well, meh, fuck it, make something else
One season of The Crown costs Netflix about $120 million
The Marvel series Hawkeye costs $25 million for EACH EPISODE - same as Wandavision and Loki
Tory PM bashed by conservatives and backed by revolutionary communists would have seemed quite unlikely a decade ago.
The trajectory of that Living Marxism gang is one the fascinations of British politics. The thing is, with people like Munira Mirza actually inside the Downing Street operation, they've very bizarrely added an element of revolutionary populism to modern Toryism. Look very carefully at the particular way they conduct the culture war to see.
I don't actually know enough about revolutionary communism to notice anything beyond how many of them are very close to, and accepted by, this government.
On the BBC Survival story, and its inability to fight Netflix and Prime etc, there is one slight counter-argument. The big American companies are Woking themselves to death
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
Archive 81 on Netflix is great. Not even a hint of workery, just solid TV.
And, of course, THE GREAT
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
Uploaded unchallenged by a guy called Matt Spanner, as opposed to being monetised by the official BBC ITV account. A great example of what’s wrong with UK TV companies in their approach to the internet.
Would 'On The Buses' have much value though? I'd have thought all you could monetize is the threat - "Pay us now or we'll put repeats out!" - and that's probably not legal.
However much money they might make, it would be more than they’re making now.
Youtube views also come from some very wierd places. My wife knows all sorts of obscure British and American TV shows of past decades, from her previous job of teaching English as a foreign language.
Twitch paid peanuts for the back catalogue of Bob Ross show, the American landscape painter, it got massive viewership.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021).
I almost hope it is terrible as having sunk so much into it that would be hilarious.
The streaming companies have so much money it is insane
Apple TV casually dropped $45 million on one sci fi series, Foundation
Amazon Prime spent $80 million on the first season of The Wheel of Time. It hasn't done very well, meh, fuck it, make something else
One season of The Crown costs Netflix about $120 million
The Marvel series Hawkeye costs $25 million for EACH EPISODE - same as Wandavision and Loki
How can the BBC hope to compete with this?
Production values aren't everything of course, plenty of excellently produced garbage out there, but just in terms of profile, slickness of operation and spectacle, it does seem like the areas the BBC and smaller operators can compete will be much reduced.
Having listened to Trevor Phillips and Sophie Raworth this morning on playback, and I have to say Trevor Phillips is outstanding and had a very sad personal story to tell about the time of Prince Philip's funeral, I am beginning to think that Boris may well yet remain in post for a while
Boris lost me over the Paterson debacle and partygate, but I think he will survive the Sue Gray report and the May elections will now be the moment of greatest danger for him, which by that time we should be in an endemic and hopefully calmer waters to replace him
I could be wrong, but I am far from convinced he will go quickly and today's newspapers really had nothing further to add or provided the silver bullet
Ms Gray's report will I suspect be general in its criticism. The culture of Downing Street will be blamed. Reference will be made to Reynolds's email invitation, so he is finished. Despite attending the parties Johnson will consider himself vindicated.
It is up to Conservative MPs to do the deed. I have written to Cairns demanding he writes to Brady.
The BBC is materially incapable of investing the same $10-12bn per year that the big three are pumping into TV show production and that's because it is limited by the licence fee and public funding model. The BBC could be a global powerhouse of TV production but it's not. That's because it can't raise the necessary money and invest in production houses, in house production and it can't cut the waste of having 17 replications of duties.
It may be worth reminding people that the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon will cost Amazon more money (£340 M + £182 M for rights) than the entire BBC spends on drama in a year (£289 M for 2021).
I almost hope it is terrible as having sunk so much into it that would be hilarious.
The streaming companies have so much money it is insane
Apple TV casually dropped $45 million on one sci fi series, Foundation
Amazon Prime spent $80 million on the first season of The Wheel of Time. It hasn't done very well, meh, fuck it, make something else
One season of The Crown costs Netflix about $120 million
The Marvel series Hawkeye costs $25 million for EACH EPISODE - same as Wandavision and Loki
How can the BBC hope to compete with this?
Production values aren't everything of course, plenty of excellently produced garbage out there, but just in terms of profile, slickness of operation and spectacle, it does seem like the areas the BBC and smaller operators can compete will be much reduced.
And, of course, in time the extra money does count in quality (above and beyond spectacle and special effects) because you can hire the best writers, directors, actors, producers. So you get absolute top notch TV. Just as a football team CAN spend its way to the UCL cup, if they buy enough great players, and hire the best coaches
I have also been following general elections since 92 - and I wasn't up for Portillo.
Salmond 2017 was great but I found it extremely depressing that SNP (or SNP Types if you prefer) managed to keep a majority of Westminster Scottish seats; if only by one.
Comments
Good riddance
Johnson won’t stand in Uxbridge next time, and indeed will probably never again contest a parliamentary election.
His political career is finished, and the question is simply what £$€¥ he can extract from his retirement, as a figure of fun.
https://twitter.com/timspector/status/1482712498616868873
Laters.
https://www.evertonfc.com/news/2451049
Read this remarkable article about diversity and Wokeness in Hollywood and US TV:
https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/hollywoods-new-rules?fbclid=IwAR1iYqNdMGhl68_fw_otlewrIEmL8YYkjGO9bR1C5_UHjzDA5ZsUu1X90Ao
If the US streamers just pump out unfunny PC comedy and tediously liberal movies they won't prosper, either. Perhaps the Koreans will take over, because they don't give a shit and they are highly creative. Squid Game
I can vouch for the paragraphs about the endless hunt for "diversity hires". It is the same in the UK (if not quite as bad). Every job has to go to a Woman or a "BIPOC" (think BAME plus Native Americans)
What is extraordinary in America is that they now have strict racial quotas for movies that want to be considered for the Oscars:
"So, in September 2020, the Academy launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE). For a movie to qualify for Best Picture, producers not only had to register detailed personal information about everyone involved in the making of that movie, but the movie had to meet two of the Academy’s four diversity standards—touching on everything from on-screen representation to creative leadership. (An Academy spokesperson said “only select staff” would have access to data collected on the platform.)
"The Academy explained that movies failing to meet these standards would not be barred from qualifying for Best Picture until 2024. But producers are already complying: In 2020, data from 366 productions were submitted to the platform.
"Meanwhile, CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season. ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards.” (“I guarantee you every studio has something like that,” a longtime writer and director said.)
A telling remark:
"How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. “Best way to defend yourself against the woke is to out-woke everyone, including the woke,” one writer said. Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?"
The funniest TV show in years, and absolutely non-PC (except they have multiple black actors in 18th century Russia? - but why not, it works). Still amazing it got made
I remember the shellshocked look on Stephen Twigg's face. As I was told it at the time, he had a nice little number of a job lined up and had never expected to win Enfield Southgate. He obviously made the best of it, but it clearly came as a complete surprise.
PS Serious point, though: are the Tory MPs for Scotland revolting? I've lost track.
The BBC should be partnering with them and harnessing it. Co productions with the BBC having initial UK screening rights is something they should do more of.
Sue Gray approved an honour for disgraced financier Lex Greensill after pressure from superiors
In email she said: “Grr…but okay”
Qs about her independence come as sources warn report no longer likely to land this week, prolonging Boris purgatory
https://twitter.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/1482730903981993994?s=20
I find the overall demographics of his seat still quite hard to read even though Labour would surely win it if they get 300+ seats nationally or in a by election. I was surprised Labour got over 40% there in 2017 but the Tories completed thrashed Labour in the Hillingdon Council elections in 2018.
NEW - No10 source says that it is “not true to suggest he was warned in advance”.
In response to questions about whether the PM was aware of concerns expressed by people within No10 ahead of the May 20 event.
https://twitter.com/robpowellnews/status/1482725335024250887?s=21
I offer insightful political analysis, you are a partisan shill.
Boris lost me over the Paterson debacle and partygate, but I think he will survive the Sue Gray report and the May elections will now be the moment of greatest danger for him, which by that time we should be in an endemic and hopefully calmer waters to replace him
I could be wrong, but I am far from convinced he will go quickly and today's newspapers really had nothing further to add or provided the silver bullet
A sad tale indeed.
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/scottish-politics/3846792/heres-what-all-6-scottish-tory-mps-say-about-boris-johnsons-lockdown-party-scandal/
You reference to "partisan rubbish" is what I struggle with. I don't think it's partisan to point out that having a PM who is a congenital liar and prone to bouts of corruption or, at best, dodgy dealings is partisan. Yes, I'm a Labour chap. But I would never have directed similar attacks at, for example, Theresa May, as I think she was basically honest and decent. Boris isn't, simple as that.
They’ve probably got about another year, before the window of opportunity closes completely as the market consolidates to a few big players. Dusting off the massive back catalogue, and licensing it to everyone around the world, would be a great start.
(As an aside, trying to explain the concept of the licence fee to most foreigners, is even more weird than trying to explain the concept of the NHS).
If they cling on to their present dwindling fee, which is evermore unsustainable, they are doomed to become one of the irrelevant state broadcasters of old Europe, somewhere between RTE in Ireland and RAI in Italy. Still significant at home but dwarfed globally, and increasingly ignored on any wider stage
I actively want the BBC to survive, as a great British institution (and brand). But they need to wise up. To be fair I think plenty of people within the BBC know this. As it is so bloody obvious
He has some style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dJswJ2h8N0
I was a fan of Reign, an unfathomably silly but entertaining take on a young Mary Queen of Scots, but a relative couldn't get into it because rather than attempt fake french accents everyone was British. No accounting for taste
What was weird about Bridgerton, which in any case is completely fictional, was the show works just fine and I never once questioned there being black aristocrats, but there is like one scene only that seeks to explain it, which seemed needless as it woul djust raise questions where there were none.
The question is whether the coming week sees further revelations as we wait for Sue Gray to report.
Unlike Theresa May who looked frankly glad to be out of it in 2019, this has been Boris Johnson's life goal and he will be dragged out kicking and screaming by either the Parliamentary party acting out of motivated self-interest or, and this is my preference, a vengeful electorate delivering Johnson and the Conservatives the kind of defeat which will make 1906 and 1997 look like mild setbacks.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-10400775/MICK-HUME-think-Boris-BBCs-obsessive-campaign-destroy-disgrace.html
How do these people hold down a job?. Seriously
Not sure the management, politicians or public has grasped this yet.
Moreover, as an aside, there WERE quite a few black people in 18th century aristo Russia. Not as many as implied in The Great but certainly some. The blue-blooded writer Alexander Pushkin was inordinately proud of his part-African heritage
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2017/dec/19/pushkins-pride-how-the-russian-literary-giant-paid-tribute-to-his-african-ancestry
Check - var overturns 4th Leeds goal
Youtube views also come from some very wierd places. My wife knows all sorts of obscure British and American TV shows of past decades, from her previous job of teaching English as a foreign language.
The BBC are a bit slow but mass uploads eventually get taken down I think. I know there used to be pretty much the whole backlog of HIGNFY on youtube.
Apple TV casually dropped $45 million on one sci fi series, Foundation
Amazon Prime spent $80 million on the first season of The Wheel of Time. It hasn't done very well, meh, fuck it, make something else
One season of The Crown costs Netflix about $120 million
The Marvel series Hawkeye costs $25 million for EACH EPISODE - same as Wandavision and Loki
How can the BBC hope to compete with this?
It is up to Conservative MPs to do the deed. I have written to Cairns demanding he writes to Brady.
Salmond 2017 was great but I found it extremely depressing that SNP (or SNP Types if you prefer) managed to keep a majority of Westminster Scottish seats; if only by one.