Sky drama chief: development ripe for overhaul

Cameron Roach has set out an ambition to reach out to talent beyond TV and overcome the “short-termist” nature of development after his promotion to Sky drama chief.

Roach, who stepped up from his deputy role last week, signalled an intention to deliver a more mature and bolder slate of shows, squarely targeted at Sky subscribers and ushered in by talent from a range of backgrounds.

He considers the plans more “evolutionary” than revolutionary, continuing the path set out by his predecessor Anne Mensah.

“It is no coincidence that some of our biggest shows – Britannia, Bulletproof, Riviera - have come from independent film companies rather than traditional TV producers.”

Roach’s tactics are rooted in taking a long-term approach to development, using Sky Studios, the fledgling production hub he established last year.

“The industry is structured in a very traditional way, with indies set up to deliver a pipeline of shows,” he said. “We are trying to stimulate innovation in development and help to prompt some ideas from talent from outside the industry who are not versed in TV.

“It is no coincidence that some of our biggest shows – Britannia, Bulletproof, Riviera - have come from independent film companies rather than traditional TV producers.”

Long-term development

Roach will continue to oversee Sky Studios, which he said is able to operate without the same pressure faced by indies. “We will develop in three-to-five year cycles, rather than over 18-24 months,” he said. “We want to back some exciting and different tones and flavours.”

Meanwhile, Roach will continue to host monthly table read sessions with emerging writers to help nurture individuals from outside of the industry.

“We are in a privileged position to be able to fund this kind of thing,” he said. “Indies aren’t always able to use budget in this way, but we have more freedom.”

Alongside the initiatives, Roach pointed to a “philosophy” among his team to constantly nurture emerging talent.

“The industry tends to be a little short-termist, particularly in terms of its relationships with writers,” he said. “There is talent coming through that we are graduating onto our shows and with whom we want to work with for the long-term.”

Roach expects the investment to bolster Sky 1 and Sky Atlantic’s scripted output.

He highlighted the former’s increasingly mature output – flagging forthcoming Mark O’Rowe’s Valkyrien adaptation Temple, produced by Hera Pictures and Bad Wolf’s A Discovery Of Witches, which secured a two-series recommission in November. These sit alongside more high-octane shows such as Curfew and Bulletproof.

Meanwhile the success of Little Island’s Patrick Melrose and the anticipated response to New Pictures / Origin Pictures’ HBO co-pro Catherine The Great has prompted Roach to continue to push boundaries on Sky Atlantic.

“Our landmark shows have made us bolder about what the channel’s next event pieces might be,” he said. “Having a good ecology of second series allows us to be braver about ideas and the type of talent we can work with.”