The Stage

Exclusive: Channel 4 admits to discussions about axing all TV drama

Published Wednesday 1 April 2009 at 15:04 by Matthew Hemley

Channel 4’s ruling board has discussed dropping drama completely from the broadcaster’s schedules in an attempt to save millions of pounds following a slump in advertising revenues.

The Stage can reveal that a senior figure put forward the proposal at a recent meeting, although it is understood that most of the 14-strong board are currently not in favour of the idea.

Liza Marshall, head of drama at Channel 4, confirmed to The Stage that the suggestion had been raised at board level, but stressed it had only come from one executive member.

The drama chief added it was “narrow-sighted” to even contemplate removing the genre from the schedules and said: “If you look at the success of The Devil’s Whore and Red Riding, they absolutely define the channel and are more talked about than any other shows on the channel, so to cut drama would be mad.”

She said both Channel 4’s director of television and content Kevin Lygo and its head of programming Julian Bellamy were opposed to any such move, and warned that removing drama from the broadcaster’s schedules would be damaging for the industry as a whole.

“The BBC just don’t commission risky drama and don’t do anything that promotes debate, because they are so nervous. I worked there for seven years and you could never get a provocative drama off the ground. It is very middle of the road.

“I think Channel 4 is so important to do different types of work and it would be a total tragedy if they don’t do drama on Channel 4,” she said.

A source close to Channel 4’s board told The Stage the figure who suggested dropping drama had done so because he felt the broadcaster “is not funded to make drama” and would be better off focusing on documentaries and reality television. It is understood that it is not the first time the senior board member has questioned the broadcaster’s responsibility to commission programmes in the genre.

His latest proposal follows the implementation of a number of measures at Channel 4 aimed at making savings in light of the weakening advertising market. These include pulling out of a planned entry into the radio market, shaving millions off its programming budget and cutting 200 jobs.

The broadcaster has said that it is facing a funding gap of £150 million by 2012, because of competition from digital media when analogue is switched off.

However, removing drama from its schedules would be met with criticism from the independent sector. Nicola Shindler, chief executive of Red Production Company, which made Tony Marchant’s The Mark of Cain for Channel 4, said that it would be a “huge loss to the fabric of television” if Channel 4 stopped airing drama.

“This is a channel where you feel you can be more provocative, push boundaries and challenge preconceptions. In my experience of making drama for Channel 4, they strive for excellence and get the best out of you as a film-maker. And we need the variety of drama that the channel provides,” she said.

Equity general secretary Christine Payne said drama is “one of the cornerstones of UK television” and questioned what kind of a future the broadcaster would have without any in its schedules.

“That Channel 4, which broadcasts such entertaining and challenging dramas as Shameless and Skins, should even consider dropping all drama commissioning beggars belief,” she said.

An Ofcom spokesman said Channel 4’s remit does not include a “specific quota for drama” but that the regulator sees drama as an “important part” of the broadcaster’s offering.

He explained that Channel 4 would have to write to Ofcom formally if it wanted to stop producing in the genre, following which the regulator would make a decision on whether this was possible. He said the government is currently deciding on a model to sustain Channel 4 as a public service broadcaster after the digital switchover and added: “While we recognise drama is expensive to make, we would expect drama production to continue now and following new funding arrangements.”

A Channel 4 spokeswoman said board meetings are a “private opportunity to talk through, discuss and dismiss hundreds of ideas about Channel 4’s future”, but insisted there were no imminent plans to drop drama from the schedules.

“Drama over the last five years has become such a defining part of Channel 4’s programming and has moved much more centre stage than it ever was before. It is certainly not the case that it is imminently about to be dropped,” she added.