BBC Drama - The Street
Jimmy McGovern Comes to the Rescue
With the BBC coming under criticism recently for its drama output and commissioning policies, the third series of Jimmy McGovern’s The Street couldn’t come soon enough. If anyone at Television Centre needed a lesson in how to produce ratings-winning drama then Jimmy McGovern is certainly the one to teach it.
Pressure on the BBC
As reported in Vicky Frost’s 20th July Guardian interview with drama commissioner Ben Stephenson, the BBC Trust recently declared that BBC drama needs ‘greater ambition and originality’ in future programming. Despite recent budget cuts, the BBC’s position in terms of terrestrial broadcasting has been strengthened with heavy blows to ITV and Channel 4’s income. The global financial crisis and a subsequent lack of advertising revenue has taken its toll on the commercial channels. Budget television production is very much at the fore in the current climate. Stephen Armstrong’s 22nd June Guardian article ‘The Monster That Didn’t Roar’ suggests that BBC1 currently has a peak production budget of £900k an hour for prime-time drama (down from £1m last year), with ITV looking to downgrade its prime-time drama to as low as £400k an hour.
There have always been comparisons of quality between British drama, in particular the BBC, and that of the US networks, who can afford to pay up to £3.6m an hour for drama production. If ‘greater ambition’ is required then surely this has to be cost-effective ambition. But do reduced budgets really mean that top drama cannot be produced?
Admittedly, big budgets help create big set pieces but great drama doesn’t necessarily need huge financial backing, as screen-writer Jimmy McGovern has proven with his latest series of The Street. Great scriptwriting is the key to creating great drama, the budget is somewhat irrelevant. McGovern isn’t afraid to express his views on television writing in Britain, declaring back in 2008 in an interview with BAFTA's Lawrence Marks that “The more experienced the writer, the more hackneyed and clichéd the idea. They see what's on TV and they regurgitate what's on it because that's what commissioning editors want."
The Street is Simple But Effective
Well, as an experienced writer, McGovern’s own ideas certainly can’t be described as hackneyed or clichéd. His ability to keep you enthralled in what you’re watching is second to none. What sticks out after watching The Street is how easily McGovern is able to extract every last drop of suspense from seemingly innocuous situations. On reflection, the first episode of the series hinges rather simply on a pub landlord’s decision to bar one of his regulars for smoking in the toilets. How can an hour long story be spawned from such a thing? It is McGovern’s ability to hone a drama that reflects everyday life and his superb character construction that makes this a possibility. He is one of of, if not THE, best writer Britain possesses.
The Street Showcases Britain’s Best Talent
The pub landlord in question, Paddy Gargan (Bob Hoskins), has to face the dilemma of whether to enforce the pub ban on young Callum, who just happens to be the son of Paddy’s long term friend and the most feared man in town, Tom Miller (Liam Cunningham). Paddy is in a no-win situation, if he allows Callum and his dad to continue drinking in the pub then he betrays his own moral code of conduct, not to mention losing the respect of his regulars. If, on the other hand, he sticks by his decision he will incur the wrath of Tom, a guy who's clearly not to be messed with. Cue an hour of emotional toil and suspense as matters come to a head with Paddy and Tom, two men caught in a war of personal pride.
Each week The Street follows the story of a different character from the same terraced street (hence the title) in a fictitious northern town, the message clearly being that even the most unglamorous places in the world can provide great drama, each front door containing some hidden secret, each story overlapping but never repeating. This weeks helping was just as interesting with some great performances from Anna Friel as struggling single mum Dee, who is keeping a devastating personal secret from her lover, Danny Mays. Themes of exploitation, relationships, financial difficulties and family loyalty all crammed into 60 minutes.
BBC Ratings Tell The Street’s Story
There are rumours that Jimmy McGovern has opted against penning another series of The Street when the current one finishes, this is believed to be down to the closure of the Manchester studio responsible for The Street’s production (ironically owned by ITV). If allowed to happen this would be a great loss for the BBC as this week’s audience figures proved. The relatively low-budget production still manages to keep viewers tuning in. The Street brought in a 23% audience share from the 9pm slot on Monday, up from 22% last week, compared to ITV’s paltry 15% (Guardian ‘TV Ratings’ July 21st 2009).
There is certainly a message there to BBC executives. It’s not the budget that matters, it’s clearly whether a British audience can believe in what they are watching, or if they can relate to the characters they’re presented with. BBC drama doesn’t necessarily have to be about period pieces or exploring outer space, great stories are found on our own doorsteps, having the guts to go out and find the writers that are willing to tell those stories is the key. Perhaps the BBC should look a little closer to home for its inspiration in these cash-strapped times.
*this interview later appeared in an article for BAFTA.org – In Conversation With Jimmy McGovern and Writers From The Street’
BBC Drama The Street
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