Mercurio criticizes broadcasters for bias towards adaptations

Published Wednesday 3 October 2007 at 16:10 by Matthew Hemley

Bodies creator Jed Mercurio has claimed broadcasters will always favour adaptations of popular novels over original dramas because they are worried about losing audiences.

Mercurio, who has updated Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for ITV1, told The Stage: “I think broadcasters are worried about attracting audiences and if you do something that is very original, broadcasters worry about how they are going to sell it. How are they going to convey to the audiences what the story is about? Most people think the simplest way is to have a brand that people recognise.”

Mercurio’s comments follow those of Tony Marchant, who has criticised the state of British television drama and accused commissioners of creating a risk averse environment by commissioning adaptations and costume dramas over original shows.

Recently, ITV has announced adaptations of E M Forster’s A Room With a View, Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop and Jake Arnott’s He Kills Coppers. The broadcaster is also dramatising Sarah Waters’ Affinity.

Meanwhile, the BBC is to broadcast adaptations of John Cleland’s novel Fanny Hill, Dickens’ Oliver Twist and Flora Thompson’s Lark Rise to Candleford. It also has the Judi Dench drama Cranford, based on three Elizabeth Gaskell novels.

Mercurio has also spoken out over the rise of reality television, blaming it for reducing the number of British sitcoms currently produced.

He said: “A show like The X Factor is just making fun of people with mental health issues. Reality TV has become the new sitcom and the rise of reality TV has coincided with the demise of the popular sitcom.”