BBC Worldwide fund backs 20 shows

The commercial arm of the BBC established the scheme at the start of the year to help indies and in-house production arm BBC Studios win more commissions.

BBCW has given producers up to £20,000 to fund development, receiving international rights in return.

Kate Phillips, former creative director of formats at BBCW, said one of the projects backed had been commissioned by a broadcaster, but declined to reveal more details about the show.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Phillips said: “We can’t just be a traditional distributor any more – we need to ask what we can do to help producers.

We launched this fund about nine months ago and anyone can come and ask us for money… it could be for a sizzle, casting or a run-through. It’s really bloody hard to get your ideas away.”

Phillips, who this week started her new role as BBC controller of entertainment commissioning, said the durability of UK entertainment formats has helped British titles lead the way internationally.

“A lot of formats from other countries are what I call ‘matchstick formats’. They have a gimmick at their heart and you strike them and they burn bright and then burn out. “If you’re looking at formats that have longevity, your Jo Malone slow-burning candle, come to the UK, because they are the formats that succeed,” she added.

The former BBC1 and BBC3 channel executive highlighted the global success of The Great British Bake Off, which has been adapted in more than 20 territories.

She said some countries have tweaked the format, such as Turkish broadcaster TV8, which has stripped more than 200 episodes.

In the German version (pictured), contestants recently cooked an “iced bondage” cake. “Mary Berry would have had a fit if she’d seen it,” Phillips joked.

However, not all territories have been as receptive. “We were trying to sell it in China but the response I got from a steely-faced man was ‘we don’t have formats that make you fat’.”

International evolution

Phillips was speaking on the Have I Got Formats For You panel, alongside Vasha Wallace, executive vice president of global acquisitions and development at Fremantle Media; Caroline Beaton, senior vice-president, international programme sales, Viacom International Media Networks; David Winnan, director of format development and production, ITV Studios; and CAA alternative television packaging agent Scott Lonker.

Lonker said US networks are opening up to new producers they haven’t worked with previously.

In recent years, broadcasters have been ordering a lot of “derivative” formats, he added, which has impacted ratings, prompting many commissioners to widen their net in the search for the next Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? or Survivor.

“There was a time when you only got to pitch if you were at a certain level and they weren’t really listening to new producers,” he said. “You used to have to walk in with a company like Endemol. Now they’re a lot more open to doing development deals with new talent and it’s getting the old mojo back.”

Lonker, who represents indies including Love Productions and The Garden in the US, said Netflix and Amazon are also looking for their own “entertainment hit” to complement their scripted catalogues.

“It’s really early on, but the good news is they’re looking and taking pitches,” he added.

The panellists discussed the trend for family-friendly programming, such as NBC’s Little Big Shots, which is being adapted for ITV by Wall to Wall, as well the plethora of shows based on viral segments, such as James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke and Spike’s Lip Sync Battle.

However, Phillips expressed concern that this viral sensation could make some commissioners more risk-averse.

“My worry – when I was talking about commissioners not having balls – is that it gives them another security blanket because they’ve worked elsewhere. Does a show have to grow a fan base somewhere before we’ll commission it? You still want people to take a chance.”