British TV drama is entering its austerity era.
Others have been more specific about a funding crisis that is the talk of Soho.
Or perhaps more specifically, American audiences.
Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Day of the Jackal’Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television Limited
Money Drains From Market
Much of this was confirmed in a British Film Institute data dump last week.
The worry is that stories that hold a mirror up to the nation simply get squeezed out of existence.
The evidence suggests this is already happening.
Producers say they are skewing their development slates away from series they fear are destined for the shelf.
I am having to pivot to look at other kinds of material.
Theres no point in me developing more shows likeMr.
BatesandThe Hackbecause theyre unfundable, he explains.
This is bigger than my own personal feelings and my own needs.
WhatsApp Buzzes With Sound Of Workless
The trickledown of this contraction is being felt by those at the coalface.
WhatsApp groups, containing hundreds of freelancers, are buzzing with talk of empty diaries.
We were trying to understand the whole survive until 2025 thing and sharing experiences.
Again, the BFI data supports the anecdotal evidence.
Indeed, the 372 productions last year was comfortably the lowest in at least a decade.
It suggests that investment in the UK is being concentrated on a smaller number of bigger budget shoots.
So there is broad agreement about the problem.
Thats not to say ideas are not being considered by the industry and government ministers.
Its not a huge amount of money.
Tax Break Tangle
Others are unsure.
Pact is not actively lobbying for enhanced tax relief.
The BBCdoes, however, want a comedy tax creditfor shows that cost less than 1M per hour.
There is another thorny issue around tax breaks that is not being spoken about openly.
People are not thinking through the consequences.
The BFI, which plays a pivotal role in designing tax breaks, has echoed this cautious sentiment.
He believes work of a similar order is required on high-end television.
We always back it up with evidence and data, Roberts told MPs last month.
Its a decision by the BBC.
The BBC will argue that it remains the biggest investor in UK content amid attritional real-terms funding cuts.
These decisions are not without creative risks.
Talent pay deals will also come under scrutiny.
Rylance took a cut onWolf Hall, while Toby Jones also reduced his fee to makeMr Bates.
Other actors may be expected to do the same if they feel passionate about getting something made.
The days of cast breakage busting a budget for a big name appear in decline.
The same goes for crew.
But we all have to relearn the art of making lower-budget shows that still deliver high-quality.
We need our resilience more than ever, she says.
It may be the austerity era, but producers are nothing if not professional problem solvers.
