Roly out the credits

Published Monday 31 March 2008 at 10:45

An Open Letter to Roly Keating.

In February this year the Stage printed my letter challenging you to do something about the woeful state of BBC credits and I later spoke on the BBC Radio’s Today programme of how insulting the Corporation is to both its listeners and our profession with the cavalier way it shows credits. Subsequently, a follow-up letter to the Stage from Alan Schneider made some interesting suggestions, which I shall be pleased to raise with the other officers and senior staff of Equity this week.

On Easter Monday I watched the beautifully shot film - directed by the late and gifted Anthony Mingella - entitled The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Having read and enjoyed the books, I appreciated the screenplay, the performances, the design and cinematography, but what finally cheered me was the creative skill with which Mingella presented the credits. He allowed the viewer to continue to savour the pleasures of the past hour because the credits were so much a part of the total experience. For the presentation department to have intruded would have been impossible, as the information rolled while surrounded by colourful artwork and sound clips that echoed the story we had so beautifully and professionally been told. Thus, no insults, no intrusion, just a continuation of the spell. As I said on the Today programme, no coitus interruptus!

Surely this is the way forward - to encourage, through your code of practise, creative ways to make the credits part and parcel of the piece. Please permit us to have the debate with creative people, not marketing experts, where the views of your public and your programme-makers can lead the way for a new generation to appreciate the different value participation in a drama has from participation in a Gameboy product.

Jean Rogers

Equity Vice President

Address supplied