Chief content officer wants to back bolder scripted ideas and take them ‘as far as we can’
BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips has urged producers not to “sanitise” their drama ideas for the broadcaster, saying she is prepared to back dark ideas and “take them as far as we can”.
Speaking in a scripted-focused session at Mipcom today (13 October), Phillips discussed Mam Tor Productions’ upcoming Half Man from Richard Gadd, calling it a “visceral” and “intense” series that deals with themes of manhood and adulthood.
“I had to watch it half through my fingers,” she said.
“It does not hold back – so don’t sanitise when you think of the BBC. Don’t think ‘the BBC will never go for that’. We are a broad church. If it’s a great story with believable characters, we will take it as far as we can.”
She added that “there is no stopping the BBC” when it gets behind a show.
“I’d urge you not to forget the impact we can make. The streamers may have bigger pockets but we have great impact.”
She said that the same ambitions apply to financing big dramas, insisting it is “not true” that the BBC will not back very expensive ideas.
“BBC Studios knows how to put deals together to get these things financed… we are not naïve to inflationary costs and the pressures indies are under. But the worst thing you can do is not be transparent about what your show will cost. Tell us at the beginning.
“Don’t think ‘the BBC will never be able to afford that’. Yes we will. But we need to know early what we are dealing with so we can work out how to manage it and how to best support the indie to do their best work,” she said.
BBCS president of global content sales Janet Brown asserted: “We are open for business. We want the best and boldest stories and we will help you [deliver them] with the most ambition with the most like-minded partners.”
Philips also further teased her upcoming YouTube commissioning strategy, which she initially revealed in August as one of her key priorities in the top editorial role.
“YouTube is rising so we’re going to put more on there…there will be new commissioning opportunities for indies to make bespoke content for YouTube,” she said.
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