The new producer of BBC's Weakest LinkJo Street has completely overhauled the way the shows are made for the forthcoming fifth series, writes Sam Espensen.
The long-running BBC quiz has been given new researchers, a new post-production facility and new editors. Street told Broadcastthat after inheriting the new series she felt the show needed a "kick up the backside, everyone including the researchers but especially in post".
Post work for Weakest Linkhad previously been done at Soho facility Evolutions but after an unknown number of tenders, BBC Post Production won the 142-episode run of the quiz show.
BBC post producer Sonja Rajani offered reasons why she thought her facility won the pitch saying: "We offered [the makers] a good deal and we gave them the chance to have a ?mini-facility' within Shepherd's Bush. We also offered to post the whole programme online, instead of offlining, online, conform and then a complex online for the graphics, which obviously saves time."
The mini-facility will comprise three suites and a rolling staff of editors with an Avid assistant who will run the facility full-time.
Street said her goal was to refresh the format: "You have to really want to work on a programme like this rather than just pay the mortgage, because it's such a long run. I was keen that the new editors came from non-entertainment backgrounds."
Street insisted that there was no issue with Evolutions: "It has given us fantastic service and we were really loath to leave. We've left on very good terms but with a show like this there are other factors than how technically well it's put together."
The new series airs from this month.
No comments yet