Why we’ve had to improvise, experiment and reprioritise

‘Crews will be strictly limited. Cast members will do their own hair and makeup. Social distancing will be in place’

The UK’S film and television industry has long been the jewel in the crown of our creative sector. It’s a unique national asset which allows us to punch way above our weight worldwide. As the coronavirus struck, it was the fastest growing part of the British economy.

Since then, TV production has come to an abrupt halt. Filming has paused on big BBC shows like Line of Duty, Peaky Blinders and Call the Midwife. We cut back on broadcasts of Eastenders while new episodes could not be made, just as ITV did with Coronation Street. Live events have been postponed or cancelled, leaving huge holes in the schedules. Collapsing ad revenues have brought major challenges to the wider market.

As the UK takes its first tentative steps to ease the lockdown, the question is what can we do to kick-start the industry? At the BBC, we’re determined to do everything we can.

We’ve been looking carefully at how we can safely put some of our shows back into production, and I’m pleased to announce that we plan to begin filming again on both Eastenders and Top Gear by the end of June. We’re also exploring ways to restart shooting on dramas and other major BBC shows.

This is great news for viewers, but it’s also essential for the independent companies making these programmes that have felt the economic shock wave of this pandemic. It’s a sign of what we do to support this sector all over the UK that getting our shows back on the road will include filming from Cardiff to Dumbarton, Birmingham to Belfast.

Of course, we will work within government guidelines. Crews will be strictly limited. Cast members will do their own hair and make-up. Social distancing will be in place. Filming, under way on our new productions of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologues, is showing what’s possible under the restrictions. The BBC’S coverage of VE Day and this week’s Hospital specials from the coronavirus front line are examples of how well we can rise to the creative and technical challenge.

We want to serve our audiences and help TV production get back on its feet, but the priority remains the safety and well-being of production teams and those who work with them.

That’s why the UK broadcasters and independent producers are working together. We want to work on how we can produce great programmes in the weeks and months ahead. We’ve made a start but we will need to think more about what we can do differently.

How we make shows will continue to evolve as lockdown is eased and Government advice develops. But we all want the whole industry to safely return to production. Our shared goal is to find new ways of working to help fire up the engines of British TV production safely and sensibly.

The BBC is determined to do all it can to support this. We have always been the cornerstone of the UK’S creative strength – the lead investor in, and platform for, British voices and talent. But delivering on our remit to make world-class content for all depends on a thriving and diverse independent production sector. That’s why within a week of lockdown we donated £700,000 to support The Film and TV Charity, to help freelancers affected by the hiatus in filming and production. In two weeks we produced a five-point plan designed to maintain the health and viability of our producers during this period of unprecedented disruption.

The package of measures included a doubling of investment in our Small Indie Fund – to £2 million.

This supports small and emerging British producers, two-thirds of which are from around the UK’S nations and regions and a quarter of which have diverse leadership.

Our measures also targeted support toward the most vulnerable companies and those most immediately affected by lockdown.

And they included a plan to supercharge development by injecting more money into keeping the pipeline of quality ideas and programmes flowing, in both the short and the long term.

I am proud of how the whole sector has responded to the Covid-19 crisis.

Like others, the BBC has had to improvise, experiment and reprioritise to keep services up and running. We have worked hard to provide audiences with not only the news and information they need, but the comfort and companionship they value. Shows like The Repair Shop, Race Across The World, Masterchef and The Great British Sewing Bee have all achieved their highest ever audiences.

Dramas like Normal People and Killing Eve have provided must-watch escapism for millions.

The Graham Norton Show, The Ranganation, Have I Got News For You and The Mash Report have all adapted to lockdown to provide much-needed humour and entertainment.

It’s a reminder, not only of the creative excellence of the UK’S television industry, but also of its importance to British audiences.

Now is the time to make sure that this remarkable national success story, built on a thriving independent production sector reaching every corner of the UK, can continue through the coronavirus crisis and beyond.