Tuesday, January 08, 2008

ITV - The Place to be?

Yes I'm still alive. Technically homeless and without broadband at the mo - but still breathing. So that can't be bad. Thanks to all for the good wishes.

I hope a great 2008 for you all. We happy breed deserve it.

But I digress. I applauded Mickey Grade's move to ITV, [obviously me and Mickey are like that] he is good news for writers. And lo and behold what does the New year bring? The Royal Today, Echo Beach, Moving Wallpaper and a three night a week Law and Order knock off.

I make no claims as to quality but as far as shows that keep writers from asking 'do you want fries with that' as their day job then they are very good news indeed.

I've got to be honest and say that for a long time ITV drama has been in the doldrums. Okay, crap, and yes I watched the first few minutes of The Royal Today and it was awful. But all soaps are for the first year.

The point is at least ITV are trying. They are creating opportunities for writers with new shows. Taking risks. And might just be the new BBC. Who right now, thanks to Yorkie hasn't got the best of reps with long in the tooth writers despite the gushings of the WGGB.


Anyway, just a quickie to thank you all for your comments over the last year. My postings will be more sporadic until the dust settles but have a great year you bunch of cunts [ that's for Don lol]

11 comments:

Oli said...

Good to have you back, even sporadically.

Unknown said...

Glad you're back. Hope you get your home life sorted soon.

Eleanor said...

Ditto.

Lucy V said...

Alright, you wanker (what? You called me a C***!)

Nice article, agree completely. Watched Echo Beach and MV, didn't want to pluck my eyes out and that's the main thing. And even if I did, as you say, at least ITV are giving us writers *something*. and who knows, maybe Echo Beach can be the first soap opera to use the C word, lol

Anonymous said...

I didn't see Moving Wallpaper but caught Echo Beach which was absolute shite - we all know it was we just don't want to offend Tony Jordan cos he's running that competition - the only defence for EB I can give is that it might just about have got away with it in its originally intended incarnation as an ITV2 early evening soap - but to give it half an hour of ITV prime time was fucking criminal.
DD

Lucy V said...

Can I be so bold as to say tho DD you're probably *not* in Echo Beach's target audience? It's the gals who *generally* like soap, then it's also laydeez who like the likes of Jason Donovan...It's like a mega nostalgia trip for the likes of me, an 80s bird, seeing him on telly again in a soap.

And THEN we've got all those girls in short skirts and bikinis so the spanking content of that is high [just like Hollyoaks] & therefore the teenage boy demo is covered too (blimey o reilly, you know what I mean). And then we have the point that all soap is shit until they get going.

And anyway: Red Planet is well over for the likes of us ; )

Jaded and Cynical said...

On the subject of ITV, the holiday period is the one time of the year when, courtesy of visits to elderly relatives, I'm forced to sit through enough soaps to last any sane man a lifetime.

But I have to grudgingly admit, Coronation Street is better than ever. The writing is outstanding. It's so sharp and funny that at times even a dedicated soap-hater can't help but laugh.

If ITV can reproduce this sort of quality across the schedule then it'll win a lot of fans this year.

Lucy V said...

Coronation Street is my dream job. *Sigh*

Jon said...

Hi ED,
Really hope there's light on your horizon... apologies for not saying anything earlier: I've been battling time-thieves and been trying to cut back my computer screen time in general (it's an eye thing).

I applaud all opportunities for writers (what with being magnanimous and all) but really wish that there was more consideration for a wider audience...

Wouldn't there be a little room in the schedules for, maybe, some non-continuing-drama aimed more at, dare I say it... men?

Sal said...

Good to see you here, hope things are working out OK. All the best

Colin McBride said...

I think it's true that ITV are at least trying now - where they actually haven't for, oh, years now. I miss the golden days of ITV when it produced some really great and varied programming. But the fact that they're creating openings for writers has to be applauded - unlike the beeb which seems to be big on barriers and gatekeepers these days