Hot Topic: drama in crisis

Barbara Machin

• Increase image
• View all images

Barbara Machin says UK drama is boring viewers away from the box.

As a TV writer I've been around the block and observed a few truisms. Every age before your own is the golden age, and we are always at a crossroads. Screenwriters enjoy a drama, and exaggeration is what we do for a living. But who's going to shout me down when I suggest that something is dangerously wrong with the state of current TV drama?

Despite dwindling audiences, why is it that programmes such as The Apprentice and so-called talent shows can routinely thrash the current drama output? Could it be that they provide genuine surprise and unpredictability, and touch the parts of their viewers drama now increasingly fails to reach? That they are must-see viewing? But, hang on - isn't that what drama used to be?

There are notable and fine exceptions but I fear we are all in danger of losing our nerve, verve and fervour. Our world is ratings-driven and increasingly risk-averse. Lack of money and low audience figures both encourage a "play it safe" mentality - so who can blame the commissioners? But are we in danger of boring our viewers away in droves? Give them what we think they want by all means but surely also give them something they hadn't even dreamt of.

Whatever the channel or budget, let's put the adventure back into drama. In our long-running series let's refresh the audience with regular episodes which break the conventions and subvert the storytelling formulas. Didn't you love it when ER told an episode from four different points of views, or when The West Wing assassination episode began with the president shot and then ran time back 10 hours to watch the drama unfold. This isn't rocket science - this is wonderful inventive storytelling informed by brave and confident instincts. These shows have loyal, committed audiences ready for ingenuity and distinction. And the writers are hungry to give it.

Genre drama reliably puts bums on seats - so let's continue to deliver the deliciously familiar with imagination and flair. Cops, medics, lawyers, sure - but let's break the mould. (Life on Mars I applaud you - but remember it took seven years to get to the screen.) Cloned drama brands create lazy, bored audiences who are spoon-fed pre-digested stories and plot-destroying trailers. These viewers are not our future. They are about to die of boredom. We want them on the edge of their seats not slumped on the sofa.

And let's push the boat out and not rely on tried and tested formats. Desperate Housewives, Lost, Six Feet Under, 24 and Dexter have crossed the Atlantic and shown us the way. We can do that too. Of course, our world is chilly and tough but commissioners tend to agree it's not all about money. Time and again the hit shows in the States prove that demanding more of the audience makes for viewing commitment and ratings success.

I know it is far more complex than this. Multiplatform, demographics, video games: okay already. But we can justify ourselves into an early grave. Gut instincts might provide a simpler starting point. TV drama is heading for a crisis and as the business looks for solutions, turn to the writers. Unleash them, nurture them and break their shackles. Give them permission to dream. We'll make you hits, franchises and brands - but first we want to talk about the shock of the new, what's exciting and inspiring and big and bold and different. Let's stop sleepwalking right now. Haven't we noticed the viewers are running for the hills?
Barbara Machin is the Emmy and Bafta-winning creator of Waking the Dead. She delivered the opening speech at the Screenwriters' Festival in Cheltenham this week