The Stage

Drama indies fear ‘damaging’ disruption at BBC1

Published Tuesday 9 October 2007 at 15:00 by Matthew Hemley

Independent producers have warned that Peter Fincham’s resignation as controller of BBC1 will lead to a period of damaging uncertainty for new drama commissions on the channel.

Fincham announced his resignation on Friday, following publication of an internal report criticising his role in the incident that lead to misleading footage of the Queen being published to the press.

His decision to step down has been met with dismay from producers, who regarded him as a controller with an understanding of the independent sector and the crucial role drama plays on BBC1.

They now fear the commissioning process will grind to a halt under acting controller Roly Keating, currently controller of BBC2.

One leading independent producer, who did not wish to be named, said: “Roly is a drama supporter but perhaps does not understand it as much as other genres. The biggest anxiety for indies is there will be a huge hiatus in commissioning decisions. Keating has to trust genre commissioners to lead the way so there is not a great big gap. I hope he will look to genre commissioners, who are incredibly knowledgeable, and trust their instinct on shows so things don’t get held up.”

Red Production Company boss Nicola Shindler, who has produced shows such as Linda Green for the BBC, said Fincham’s decision to resign was “terribly sad”, claiming he was an “excellent controller to work with”.

She added: “The lack of continuity that will now ensue is always damaging for all production companies. It’s thoroughly depressing really.”

Since Fincham’s announcement, speculation has been mounting as to who will replace him, with some pointing towards Keating as a likely candidate.

Another name suggested has been Jane Tranter, head of BBC Fiction, who is responsible for all drama at the BBC and has overseen successful series such as Bleak House during her tenure.

However, even if Tranter does get the job, independent drama producers still fear a period of uncertainty.

One producer said: “Even if Jane gets it, you then have the question of who takes over from her and who takes over from them. You could end up having a year of disruption.”

The inquiry into the Queen trailer shown to promote a new documentary found there had been “misjudgements, poor practice and ineffective systems” at the Corporation.