The Corruption of the British Television Industry

When I was younger I watched an abundance of television, like most kids. I used to think the television was an amazing invention, I was completely in awe of it. And as a child I also wanted to make television programmes when I grew up. That was the goal. I was literally obsessed with television in the 1990's and 2000's.

Television used to really get the creative juices going for me. I wanted to make all sorts of programmes from scripted to non-scripted. I wanted to make documentaries, sit-coms, dramas and game shows as well as films. At school I excelled in media studies and it's not difficult to work out why.

So I hit my later teens and early twenties and I start to seriously get pro-active. I pick up the phone and start phoning broadcasters and production companies, that's what you did back then even in the age of the internet. Also back then they would still give you the time of day even if you were a complete outsider to the industry. They would even send me out pieces of information in the post I'd requested including contacts, yes they were still using postal mail at that time! Try getting broadcasters and production companies to send you contacts these days and you will be laughed at.

Things Were Not What They Seemed

There was plenty of encouragement and I knew what I wanted to do in life. But as I slowly started to work out, things were not quite what they seemed. And they were certainly not what my parents, teachers and lecturers had taught me to believe about the television industry. By the time I hit my 30's unfortunately it was blatantly clear that no matter how much talent you have it makes little difference to your success in the industry. It's not even just about who you know. As I have learnt it's who you know and what mould your prepared to fit into, even if that means sacrificing your entire creative personality.

Television Indies v Television Corporate Giants

Now then, go back to the 90's and noughties and in Britain you will have found a television industry flourishing with independent production companies, prepared to take more gambles on original content. But by 2020 virtually all of the main indies, who's output once counted for around 40% of all British television, have been bought up by huge media corporations.

There are still a lot of independent production companies around but take a look at the Top 10 so called indies, ranked in terms of turnover, and you will see what I mean.

As you can see there isn't a single Top 10 production company that isn't a media giant. The big boys now own a huge number of production companies, and with it wield profound influence. The once almighty Hat Trick Productions whilst miraculously still operational doesn't produce enough programmes to make it into the list of Top 10 tv companies in Britain anymore.

(Hat Trick still produces satirical panel show Have I Got News For You.)

All the once wonderful independent tv production companies have now been swallowed up by corporate giants. So what's the problem with that then you may ask? For some it will be obvious, for others perhaps less so.

Money, Power, Dominance and Global Interests

The principal problem is that those media giants whose operations are global and their primary interests are money, power and dominance well they might just not have too much time to give a damn about the quality of content their newly acquired production companies will be producing for local audiences. The television industry in Britain has now become so globalised that the CEO's of these production companies don't really care much for domestic television, and demand that the programme makers produce content which is globally transferrable.

This means only one thing, the primary objective of British production companies is no longer producing content for a British audience, it is to make content that satisfies global audiences. Furthermore, do not think this problem is exclusive to Britain, not at all, it's happening all over the Western world.

Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of programmes that are made in Britain that can very naturally transcend borders and be shown to global audiences to enjoy without any issues at all. After all in Britain we consume a ton of American television content. But if the primary objective of 'independent' production companies is now to create content that is first and foremost for a global audience, something is lost. But this is just a minor issue when you considering the whole picture.

The Loss Of Experimentalism and Originality

One of the greatest losses to British television over the past two decades because of the great production company buy up has been the loss of experimentalism. In Britain we used to create some ground breaking shows, from drama to comedy and lots in between. But this has all been replaced by mediocrity and a huge dumbing down operation. And a massive does of diversity compliance. We used to export our originality and entertained the world in the process. We still do to a degree but now there is mandatory globalised uniformity to consider.

If you will allow me to hone in on just one genre for a moment, comedy, I will highlight the wrong direction the television industry has moved in. Below are four scenes from four pioneering British comedy shows. The first scene really doesn't need any introduction, it's from Monthy Python's Flying Circus, a BBC comedy sketch show.

If you fancy some even more bizarre comedy check out this scene from a black comedy sketch show from the mind of Chris Morris called Jam. It aired on British screens in 2000. It is the darkest and strangest comedy show of any type I have ever seen on British television. It was television perfection and only one series was ever made, that was probably the right decision. You can't improve on perfection.

If you want more evidence of the high quality television content Britain was once responsible for producing but no longer does then take a look at a scene from a dark comedy called Nighty Night, written by the very talented Julia Davis.

And just one further example let me show you the most unique and well performed scripted, narrative driven sketch show ever made entitled The League of Gentlemen. A kind of horror comedy meets sketch show, it worked brilliantly and the actors performances were Oscar winning.

Trash TV

We also now have trash content in abundance. As you can see from my blog I am no prude but when you look at television content that is being beamed into peoples' homes these days broadcasters and production companies are literally brainwashing us into accepting blatant immorality.

The real problem is that television is still an extremely powerful medium, it has the power to literally program human minds. At the outset the television industry seemed like a very noble human endeavour, and I dare say there were people in the right place with the right mindset, who had no ill will whatsoever.

However, look at television now and you will see an industry that has become consumed by colossal wealth and a political agenda.

Diversity Is More Important Than Quality

Diversity is more important than quality nowadays, that's the first thing to mention. Now of course we all want a television industry that is representative of the community it serves, I think most of us can agree on that. But these days take one look at any mainstream tv channel and the content is built around ensuring minorities and women dominate the scene - quite literally. So tv is now massively unrepresentative, it is not about equality. There is clearly another agenda going on here.

Take a look at mainstream television adverts and the picture becomes even more stark. These days it seems it's almost illegal in advert land to depict a straight, white nuclear English or British family who have no family members that aren't a minority.

The Decline Continues

The decline in standards in British television isn't just marked by an obsession with diversity and the abandonment of experimentalism, it's highlighted by the amount of trash content broadcasters are demanding from production companies. Take a look through your Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) on any night of the week and see what I mean.

Television is now saturated with endless reality shows, from a plethora of real life emergency service documentaries, to Big Brother. Yes they have even managed to bring that back yet again, I think it's with its third broadcaster now - ITV. That's a classic example of a show once celebrated for its ground breaking originality but is now so tired it should be put out of its misery. But no, they bring it back again because it sells globally and makes the elites a lot of money.

(This time ITV are trying to flog, what is now, the trash show Big Brother.)

Keep searching the EPG and you will be treated to a host of embarrassing game shows, dramas where identity politics over shadows the drama, bland and conventional comedies that bore us or make us cringe, endless programmes about the sleazy side of life and celebrity junk shows all over the place. The decline is palpable.

Television Can Still Get It Right

For all the regression though there are still some tv shows that impress. Television does get it right sometimes. And even now on occasion it can do some societal good such as with ITV's drama Mr. Bates v The Post Office, which exposed the greatest miscarriage of justice in legal history.

Television can still be a positive. But it's been infiltrated and taken over by people who have no interest in enriching the academic, artistic, moral and cultural fabric of our society.

These days I have turned my back on the television industry and given up trying to get in, but I still want to make something on screen for a mass audience. But I have more chance of getting a film made than anything put on television.

Peace!