For my Sunny Side of the Doc Meet the Executive interview, the BBC‘s Commissioning Editor for History Simon Young, shared his vision, priorities and three notable examples.
Pipeline
- BBC History: 70-80 hours.
- Specialist Factual: 400 hours.
- History’s broad remit: Ancient to Early 21st century.
- The BBC’s Documentary unit also commissions recent History programs.
Simon Young
Channels
Simon feeds three channels:
- BBC1
Recognizable names and famous faces; very accessible to a wide audience - BBC2
Most BBC History is commissioned for BBC2; the home of specialist factual; targets experts - BBC4
The home for “unashamedly geeky History lovers;” the most intellectual channel for experts
Four Formats
- Drama docs
- High profile single docs: “Single films need to be journalistically strong, and have important stories to tell.”
- Big returnable formats
- Archive-based programs
Recent Hits & Notables
Simon pointed to several documentaries to highlight his strategy:
- Looks at a single property and tells the stories of everyone who has ever lived there
- Returnable format
- Rating extremely well:
- 3.8 million viewers / 17.5 share for highest-rated episode
- #3 among all BBC 2 Documentary / Lifestyle programs in 1st Half 2020
- Led only by Top Gear and Inside Monaco
- Takes the place of soaps that are off air during COVID, because it has the same human drama and storytelling
- Serialized storytelling, meaning four episode arcs that bring people back to keep watching
- Intersection of little pieces of history that wouldn’t normally warrant their own documentary
- The project came to Tom McDonald, the Head of Specialist Factual
- It’s ambitious to spend a lot of time on each house to really resonate with the audience
- (See video interview below)
The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files
- Journalistic single
- Scandal about immigrants from the 1960s-70s who fought deportation from the UK
- The film revealed new information about an issue that has very deep historical roots
- Highly relatable characters
- Current story in today’s journalism: not everyone has received recognition or recompense
- Broadcast last year, and repeated recently (637,000 viewers / 3.6 Share)
- (See video below)
Britain’s Biggest Dig (working title)
- Exclusive access
- A series of archeological excavations in Britain during the construction of a railroad revealed two large cemeteries from 18th + 19th centuries
- There is hope of finding named individuals
- Attracts broadcasters and audiences
- Hasn’t yet premiered
- Simon shared a clip of the discovery of the grave of Matthew Flinders, an early explorer of Port Philip Bay where Melbourne is located
Covid-19
- BBC ‘s commissioning process hasn’t been impacted much
- Especially for independent producers
- The situation “adds a degree of democratization”
It becomes a problem in the production slate (about 50-75% of the slate has been affected)
- Anything that wasn’t already in the editing phase had to be put on hold
- Very difficult to film in field or studio due to safety restrictions
- BBC is re-prioritizing projects based on their status in the production/editing process
- (For example, Britain’s Biggest Dig was pushed forward because it is local and involves a small crew)
- History is a relatively viable category because it is supported by archive footage
Content Desert
There are two pathways for BBC History to thrive in the “Content Desert”:
- Use the archive to tell stories: there was already a renaissance in archival storytelling
- Develop shows with strong dramatic storytelling arcs to fill the space of COVID-delayed scripted dramatic series
COVID’s Audience Impact
- “What BBC makes and what audiences will want to watch will be different in a post-Covid world because audiences appetites and preferences will be different.”
- Documentaries about Covid are not always doing well because viewers are seeking escapism over reality.
Sources of Programs / Coproductions
- Most producers who work with BBC are British, however…
- They do also work with international producers
- It’s all about ideas, i.e. who has an important story to tell, especially in the single journalistic format or when there is exclusive access
How to Pitch BBC
- Visit the BBC commissioning website, which has info about factual genres
- BBC Pitch website
- Email Simon directly with top lines and ideas (both elevator pitch and/or more fleshed out ideas)
(Notes by Becca Wallance)
MORE
A discussion from the Bristol Festival of Ideas with historian and presenter David Olusoga about A House Through Time:
And a YouTube clip of “Windrush”
Don’t miss my Sunny Side interviews with:
- Jorge Franzini – CuriosityStream
- Catherine Alvaresse – France Télévisions
- Fatima Salaria – Channel 4
- Chris Hoelzl – Smithsonian Networks
Lost Generation
- And read David Olusoga‘s Edinburgh address on the ‘lost generation’ of talent due to systematic racism in the UK television industry.