British TV Dramatists Lament “Austerity” Era As They Navigate Funding Crisis With No Easy Solutions
deadline.comBritish TV drama is entering its “austerity” era. That was the startling observation of one seasoned producer, reflecting confidentially on the panic among his peers since the turn of the year.
Others have been more specific about a funding crisis that is the talk of Soho. Peter Kosminsky, the BAFTA-winning director, spoke of Oscar-garlanded Mark Rylance taking a pay cut to get Season 2 of Wolf Hall made — and even then, the Tudor drama was reworked into a “chamber piece” because budgets restricted exterior scenes.
Patrick Spence, producer of Mr Bates vs The Post Office, tells us that the series, which feels like a sure bet to bag BAFTAs in May, would “not have been made today.” A24’s adaptation of beloved novel Shuggie Bain for the BBC has been in limbo for nearly three years as the zeitgeisty studio struggles to finance production.
The link between these three projects is that they are all British stories. Though glossy and boasting world-class talent, they are struggling to break out of a funding box because of their perceived lack of appeal to international audiences.
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