The Stage

Series format ‘should be applauded’ says BBC’s Tranter

Published Tuesday 1 July 2008 at 18:10 by Matthew Hemley

BBC drama chief Jane Tranter has defended the number of returning series in the BBC’s schedules, claiming they are “far riskier, more exposing and more complex to crack” than any other form of television drama.

Speaking to the Royal Television Society last night, Tranter also said she had “little patience” for those who believe “high quality is the unique property of single drama” and said she was “losing the will to live over the continual conversation about how wonderful television drama used to be”.

She hit back at people who lament the BBC’s decision to stop the Play For Today strand, claiming the Corporation still commissions on average a minimum of 26 single dramas a year, but said they did not compare to episodic dramas.

“The single works wonderfully for both the theatre and cinema. But people go to the theatre and cinema infrequently, whereas they watch television night after night,” she said.

Tranter added: “Episodic drama locks on to that recurring heartbeat. Series and serials respond to the way people actually use television - not as a poor substitute for the theatre or cinema, but as a medium with unique strengths and creative potential.”

Speaking specifically about series, Tranter said that the “collaborative and long-term creative experience” that they offer television offers writers, actors, producers and directors should be “embraced rather than dodged”.

“It [series] should be applauded rather than seen as a second-class genre useful only for making money or securing ratings,” she added.

The controller of fiction also added that “good drama has to spring from the passion of somebody”.

“It can be the best idea in the world, but if it in some way does not come from the heart - as opposed to intellectual curiosity, interest or financial gain - then the drama will fail,” she said.

Regarding the effect shrinking budgets are having on drama production, Tranter said the BBC was trying to make dramas that “feel small”.

“In our desire to make drama that is startling and extraordinary, we shouldn’t forget the most startling and extraordinary thing of all is the very nature of our human condition. Text and performance is what matters here, not big sets, huge casts and locations. In fact, what we are talking about is probably no more than a couple of sets, a handful of actors and the merest sniff at a location,” she said.