Nothing new on our screens
What I find so amusing about this industry is the number of remakes that are currently being made of classic literature.
This Christmas was the last straw. Although one cannot claim Little Orphan Annie to be “classic literature”, the Radio Times nonetheless advertised that the John Houston version of Annie - the classic film musical of the book, with Aileen Quinn and Albert Finney - was airing on Five over the festive season.
What we were actually treated to was a low-budget 1999 TV version, the quality of which was so dire that I could swear it was coughed up by somebody at Five who was rummaging from a DVD bargain bin at the local Asda. Clearly too much mulled wine.
Mistakes aside, what's the point in remaking something that's already being enjoyed by millions of people? Now we're seeing the fourth TV adaptation in three decades of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.
What does this new version bring that the other versions do not? My wife and I already own at least two versions on DVD!
I give up! I'm going to join in by creating Sensors and Sensorbility, a science fiction remake of Jane Austen's classic - but taking place in space! Set in the year 300,000 on a floating space station, the main cast will be made up of androids who are meddling in the lives of other androids. Next, we'll just shoehorn Doctor Who somewhere in there, pitch it to Russell T Davies and we've got the plot for next year's Doctor Who Christmas episode.
Aghhh! Happy New Year - let's hope 2008's programming is less of the remakes and more originality.
Martyn Drake, Production systems admin
Life outside the M25
Your Lifestyle Survey (Broadcast, 7/12/07 and 14/12/07) paints a depressing picture of our beloved industry - morale is low, ethnic diversity remains shamefully thin on the ground and we are more London-centric than ever.
Isn't it high time that both broadcasters and the industry press paid more than lip service to talented producers who live beyond the M25? It will take much more than the present incentives to truly invigorate the regions.
Broadcast itself could make a valuable contribution to this by taking the odd trip out of the capital city to get to know your regional readers (or at least make time to see us when we offer to come to you).
And when we are trying to get coverage for a ground-breaking new format coming out of the regions perhaps it's time you gave us your ear, or at least a few column inches.
And perhaps include Brighton TV - one of the most successful post-production facilities outside of London - for “The Year In Post” feature (Broadcast, 7/12/07), or any of us not living in the Big Smoke for that matter.
I'll keep on grinding that proverbial axe!
Benita Matofska, Creative director, Electric Sky Productions
The fabric of society
Are you crazy? Bullying (Broadcast Lifestyle Survey 14/12/07) is the cement which holds the structure of our class society together.
Without bullying where would we be? Third World? Worse? Deal with the problem of bullying and we would end up with a fair, honest, productive society where all individuals found fulfilment and everyone lived a decent caring life in the knowledge their value is reflected in their contribution to society. And we can't have that now, can we?
John Lawrence
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