Is TV just painting over the cracks? - July/August 2020 - Royal Television Society
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July/August 2020 Is TV just painting over the cracks? Television www.rts.org.uk September 2013 1
HOW DO WE CREATE MODERN
ORCHESTRAL MUSIC?
We fuse a classical approach with modern production
techniques – from epic, panoramic and inspirational
to bold new hybrid soundscapes.
From big screen to small, tell incredible stories with
Modern Orchestral music.
Find out more
Naomi Koh
n.koh@audionetwork.com | +44 (0)207 566 1441
Journal of The Royal Television Society
July/August 2020 l Volume 57/7
From the CEO
Diversity and inclusion the coming months and look forward the time to talk to the RTS at a very
are back at the fore- to hearing other perspectives on this demanding time for anyone running a
front of the political hugely important issue. news operation. Thanks, too, to Stew-
agenda. Everyone who It may be summer, and we are only art Purvis for chairing this session.
works in the media just emerging from lockdown, but it’s Also outstanding was the “Back in
business is doing some been another frantic period for RTS production” event in which John
soul-searching. Broad- events. Our national and regional Whiston explained to the RTS how
casters and platform owners have centres have excelled by putting on ITV successfully restarted filming its
responded to the new impetus of the some extraordinary webinars and two super soaps, Coronation Street and
Black Lives Matter movement by virtual events, some of which have Emmerdale.
announcing fresh initiatives in order to made a splash internationally and Finally, congratulations to all the
tackle what remains a serious struc- attracted large audiences. Huge winners of the RTS Student Television
tural problem in the UK TV sector. thanks to all of you who have been Awards 2020.
Our cover story is by veteran diver- involved in these events, especially
sity campaigner Marcus Ryder and the panellists and producers.
provides a valuable and passionate At HQ, we’ve had another month of
contribution to the diversity debate. must-watch lunchtime events. I’m
We will be returning to this topic in thrilled that Fran Unsworth could find Theresa Wise
Contents
Cover: The recently unveiled mural on the EastEnders set by
Nottingham-born artist Neequaye Dsane, aka Dreph (BBC)
5 Emma Scott’s TV Diary
Emma Scott realises that she does not want to swap TV
for teaching – and succeeds in Hollywood via Zoom 18 The trouble with experts
Dr Charlie Easmon casts a sceptical eye at the TV
pundits proffering their expertise during the pandemic
6 Working Lives: stunt co-ordinator
Gangs of London stunt co-ordinator Jude Poyer
is interviewed by Matthew Bell 20 The joy of difference
An RTS event unlocks the secrets that made
BBC One drama The A Word such a success
8 Comfort Classic: Father Ted
‘Fathers… finish your breakfast and come outside for your
daily punishment.’ Steve Clarke applauds a comedy gem 22 The real cost of lockdown
Television’s freelance workforce is suffering mentally
and financially from the impact of the pandemic
9 Ear Candy: Talking Sopranos
Steve Schirripa and Michael Imperioli’s podcast is
perfect for bingeing on The Sopranos, says Kate Holman 24 Mining for TV gold
BBC One’s The Luminaries brings a subversive edge
to period drama. Caroline Frost learns how it was done
10 Why black lives have to matter more
Commitment at the top is vital if ethnic minorities are to
achieve equality in the TV sector, insists Marcus Ryder 26 Why we love property shows
Series that hook into viewers’ obsession with their
homes are here to stay, says an expert RTS panel
12 An opportunity for change
The BBC’s new Director-General, Tim Davie, needs to be
bold, argues Roger Mosey 28 Lockdown winners
Viewing of linear channels has surged, but not as much
as it has for on-demand services such as Netflix
14 Keep it safe, keep it simple
The RTS takes a detailed look at the new working
methods getting programmes back into production 30 Our Friend in Leeds
John Whiston hails a TV doctor like no other – and still
finds time to dance the coronavirus two-step
16 No compromise on impartiality
BBC news chief Fran Unsworth says the corporation must
hold those in power to account – without editorialising 31 RTS Student Television Awards 2020
Matt Richardson and Siobhan Greene hosted a virtual
ceremony sponsored by Motion Content Group
Editor Production, design, advertising Royal Television Society Subscription rates Printing Legal notice
Steve Clarke Gordon Jamieson 3 Dorset Rise UK £115 ISSN 0308-454X © Royal Television Society 2020.
smclarke_333@hotmail.com gordon.jamieson.01@gmail.com London EC4Y 8EN Overseas (surface) £146.11 Printer: FE Burman The views expressed in Television
News editor and writer Sub-editor T: 020 7822 2810 Overseas (airmail) £172.22 20 Crimscott Street are not necessarily those of the RTS.
Matthew Bell Sarah Bancroft E: info@rts.org.uk Enquiries: publication@rts.org.uk London SE1 5TP Registered Charity 313 728
bell127@btinternet.com smbancroft@me.com W: www.rts.org.uk
Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 3
Proud sponsors of the RTS Student Television Awards
TV diary
Emma Scott realises that she doesn’t want
to swap TV for teaching – and finds that
Zoom helps her to succeed in Hollywood
I
t’s the end of an era. The ■ Pitching our slate to Hollywood ■ During lockdown, the power of
country is slowly easing out executives via Zoom wasn’t part of the revitalised Beano brand reached
of lockdown. Against the the plan. new heights. The comic production
odds, we’ve delivered a show I soon discovered that all pretence line kept going and delivered each
to the BBC and become sur- and poker face go out the window week, just as it did in the Second
prising best mates with the on Zoom. World War.
Bank of England, and I’m We’ve encountered many LA- My most delightful and bizarre
leaving the Beano for new adventures. based kids, cats, dogs and a truly lockdown moment was being quoted
Our brilliant Beano team adapted to disastrous exploding coffee cup. Not alongside Andrew Bailey, the Gover-
lockdown at lightning speed, despite forgetting the behind-the-scenes nor of the Bank of England, on the
some becoming quite poorly with hysteria in my home and total bans front page of the Financial Times.
Covid-19 symptoms. We mobilised on streaming anything in case it We had been working with the
everyone to work from home early messed with the wi-fi. bank to produce Beano-inspired
and we’ve kept all content production These glitches and travails of tech learning materials to help kids better
across TV, digital and the comic on have, ironically, brought levity, understand money.
track. Endless innovation, creativity warmth and greater acceptance. The launch was brought forward
and cheer has shone through. After all, we are all in this together. to help teachers with home learning.
And did I mention it? We even The press exploded with joy at the
■ At home, my two teenage daugh- managed to sell two shows. prospect of Dennis and Minnie help-
ters somewhat reluctantly adjusted to ing kids to understand interest rates.
me being around a lot more. Funnily ■ Over on the kids’ side of the busi- A skill we all may need in the com-
enough, I quickly discovered I was ness, I’ve seen the sheer ingenuity and ing months and years.…
never destined to be a teacher. Home hard graft that go into keeping our pro-
schooling is officially a nightmare. duction of Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! ■ And then, amid all the madness, I
Give me working in telly any day. on schedule for CBBC this month. decided it was time for me to leave
Beano Studios producers Tim Searle, Beano Studios.
■ Mark Talbot has powered away. He Karina Stanford-Smith and Louise After five and half years, I want to
joined us from Hat Trick Productions Condie, along with the BBC’s Jo Allen, do something new.
to head up our teen/young adult slate have created a really fun, witty show. Taking an old and iconic comic and
based on the comic archive. Working with our fantastic anima- turning it into a digital-first entertain-
In March, he told me that you can’t tion producers, Jellyfish, they have ment business has been a rollercoaster
do a writer’s room by Zoom. “Rubbish,” kept the show on track. Before lock- ride. I’m really proud of what we’ve
I said, and then, of course, he totally down Jellyfish managed to move a achieved.
nailed it: the Beanoverse came alive. team of 250, including 57 artists and I will be cheering from the sidelines,
Suddenly, writers are at even more of 30 animators, to work from home. looking out for the commissions,
a premium, but you can get the atten- Their work is outstanding. while lying down in a darkened room
tion of directors and on-screen talent We are on air in mid-July. I could for a little while.
because they’re not stuck on a set. As not be happier that we’re delivering a
a result, our projects now have addi- dose of much-needed joy and laughs Emma Scott is the outgoing CEO of
tional quality creative talent attached. to kids and families. Beano Studios.
Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 5
WORKING LIVES
Gangs of London
Sky
Stunt co-ordinator
J
ude Poyer is responsible for the choreographing fight sequences or I read that the BBC was making a fantasy
high-octane action sequences and staging shoot-outs. martial arts show, heavily influenced by
bone-crunching but balletic fights Hong Kong films and Chinese folklore.
of Sky Atlantic’s hit crime thriller How did you become a stunt I wanted to be involved, emailed the
Gangs of London. co-ordinator? producers and got the job. I was cred-
Growing up, my passions were film, ited as the show’s choreographer
drama and martial arts. In 1996, when I because there was no contact in the
What does the job involve? was 18, I moved to Hong Kong, where a fight scenes as they involved children.
There are two sides to the job: safety lot of martial arts action movies were
and creativity. We identify scenes that made, to pursue a career in film and What makes a good stunt
are potentially hazardous and, where TV. I stayed for eight years, working as co-ordinator?
possible, remove those risks, or reduce a stunt performer and then taking my You have to have performed a variety
them to an acceptable level. That may first steps in co-ordinating stunts and of stunts and observed other perform-
involve using a stunt double instead of action directing. ers and co-ordinators on set. There’s
an actor or using safety equipment, very little that hasn’t been done before,
such as elbow pads under costumes, What was your first major TV job so you need to draw on a full range of
out-of-shot crash mats or complex in the UK? experience. A creative and visual mind
wire-rigging. Creatively, we could be The BBC children’s series Spirit Warriors. helps. And you need humility. You
6
make something totally safe. Stunts are
Combined physical inherently risky, but it’s the job of a
choreography and
co-ordinator to carry out risk assess-
visual effects in
Gangs of London ments and mitigate the risks.
Have you refused to do a stunt?
If there’s something beyond my exper-
tise, I wouldn’t do it. But, usually, there
will be a way to make a stunt safe
– often by employing visual effects.
Can you share a trick of the trade?
On Gangs of London we used pre-vis
[pre-visualisation] for a lot of the
action sequences. I spent three months
with my team, Gareth and the cine-
matographer, Matt Flannery, in a
rehearsal space and we built the sets
out of cardboard and shot low-tech
versions of the fight sequences and
set pieces.
When it came to the shoot, we fol-
lowed the pre-vis sequences, shot for
shot. This saved time and money. In
the US, it’s been common for more
than a decade; in the UK, there’s resist-
ance to pre-vis. We should embrace it.
Has the job changed over time?
Sky
We have a more safety-conscious
culture now, which is a good thing. As
shouldn’t pretend you know it all – stunts or train cast members for fight a result, we take more time to assess
seek the advice of experienced sequences. Alternatively, on a sitcom risk and plan sequences. We are also
co-ordinators. or soap with only the odd stunt, we making progress in being more
might turn up on the day to, for exam- inclusive.
Are there specialists? ple, teach an actor to fall safely.
There are specialists in, say, vehicle or Is digital technology a threat to the
horse stunts. In the UK, most stunt What stunts are you most proud of? stunt co-ordinator?
professionals have more than one skill, I’m very happy with how Gangs of I welcome advances in technology. We
including, usually, some experience London has turned out. Series creator use it to paint out wires and crash
with fighting. Fight scenes are my Gareth Evans is a fantastic director of mats, which makes stunts more realis-
strongest suit, but I also do a variety of action but also very collaborative, so tic. Long ago, if a person was flying on
stunts, including fire and wire work. we worked together to design the a cable, the hope was that the cable
sequences. It has been gratifying to see was thin enough that it wouldn’t be
Who do you work with? the positive response of audiences. The picked up on camera. But sometimes
Primarily, the director and cinematog- series is stylised, so action scenes are those cables broke.… Now, people hang
rapher, but also with other heads of heavily choreographed, like a dance on ropes that can hold enormous
department, including special effects, sequence. We actually had professional weight but, using visual effects, we
armoury, production design, costume stunt performers playing some roles. remove them from the shot. Knowledge
and visual effects. Together, we are of visual effects is part of the stunt
working to realise the director’s vision. What are the best and worst parts of co-ordinator’s arsenal. I don’t see a
the job? time when we won’t be needed.
When are you brought on to a Stunt people are well paid and we get
production? to see the world – it’s a privilege. It What advice would you give to a
On an action-heavy show such as doesn’t feel like a job – films and fight would-be stunt co-ordinator?
Gangs of London, the stunt co-ordinator choreography are my hobby – and, if it Get lots of years under your belt per-
is brought in early. There’s lots of all comes together, I love seeing the end forming, and study action cinema and
planning, even down to the material result. Occasionally, you encounter the TV, old and new, from all over the
the costumes are made of – if we’re odd director or actor with an ego prob- world. You have to know more than
doing stunts with fire, we want [non- lem, or someone who doesn’t value how to throw a fake punch or land
flammable] natural fibres to be worn. safety on set highly enough. safely; you need to be a film-maker. n
For a fight, we might request long
sleeves so elbow pads can be hidden. Are stunts always safe? Stunt co-ordinator Jude Poyer was inter-
We sometimes scout locations for It would be arrogant to say you can viewed by Matthew Bell.
Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 7
COMFORT CLASSIC
Father Ted
Channel 4
F
ather Ted is one of TV’s
greatest British sitcoms
‘Fathers… finish your Catholic Church would have been
unthinkable in the wake of the child
– up there with other breakfast and come abuse scandals that have rocked the
giants of the genre such institution in recent years.
as Fawlty Towers, Gavin and
outside for your Slapstick is often a vital ingredient in
Stacey and The Thick of It. It daily punishment.’ comedy. In Father Ted, made by comedy
is plain loopy – daft, surreal, edgy in its powerhouse Hat Trick, slapstick is
debunking of the Church and blessed Steve Clarke applauds given a surreal edge in, say, the episode
by four timeless characters.
This quartet were delivered to the
a comic gem (the writers’ favourite) in which Ted
kicks the pompous and tyrannical
small screen fully realised in the first Bishop Brennan in the arse.
episode shown on Channel 4 in 1995: pre-dinner nip of sherry. Father Jack Or as the insanely clumsy Mrs Doyle
the utterly gormless Father Dougal is a sex-obsessed, uber-sozzled priest, again falls out of a window or lurches
McGuire; the debauched Father Jack an alcoholic sometimes in the full grip into a door, the contents of her tea
Hackett; the obsequious housekeeper of delirium tremens. He rarely says trolley scattering across the cluttered
from hell (sort of), Mrs Doyle; and the anything apart from: “Drink! Feck! and moth-eaten sitting room.
eponymous Father Ted Crilly, vain and Arse! Girls!” The set itself is a joy, shabbier even
hapless. There is a lot of the anarchy of The than its occupants.
Ahead of its time, Father Ted is no Young Ones in Graham Linehan and All great sitcoms are based on char-
cosy, suburban sitcom poking gentle Arthur Mathews’ comic masterpiece. acters that jump out of the screen.
fun at well-meaning vicars fond of a The show’s reckless attitude to the Father Crilly, scheming, always on the
8
make and yet ultimately kind-hearted,
Ear candy
is brilliantly portrayed by Dermot Mor-
gan, who was a celebrity in Ireland but
largely unknown in the UK until Line-
han and Mathews came knocking at
his door.
Crilly is another sitcom lovable
rogue, but this time a wayward priest
whose innocent love of money is set at
odds with the teaching of the institu-
tion that employs him. He has been
banished to Craggy Island, the show’s
windswept, rain-sodden location, for
“financial irregularities”.
Father Ted’s sidekick, Father Dougal,
zestfully played by the Irish stand-up
Ardal O’Hanlon (spotted by the writers
performing Shakespeare) is empty-
headed in the extreme, a dunce’s dunce.
As for Pauline McLynn’s matchless
portrayal of Mrs Doyle, let’s just say it’s
comic heaven when she appears in the
sitting room brandishing yet another
pile of sandwiches higher than a bap-
tismal font. “Go on, go on, go on,” she
Now TV
urges, pressing the food on her unholy
Steve Schirripa (left) and Michael Imperioli
employers.
With Father Ted, less was more. Sadly,
Talking Sopranos
the show ran for only three series,
leaving audiences wanting more. Ever
since, the 25 episodes have been on
more or less permanent repeat, a sta-
T
ple of UK Gold and latterly shown by
All 4 and BritBox.
The series’ demise was caused by the he ground-breaking they’ve met on their journeys to
untimely death of Morgan, perfectly US crime drama The stardom.
cast as the eternally put-upon Father Sopranos, from HBO, is The pair reveal in-depth details of the
Ted. He died from a heart attack, aged often ranked as one of characters they play in The Sopranos and
45, the day after recording the final the greatest television share candid comments about what
episode of series 3. Twenty-five years series of all time. some of their fellow actors in the series
later, his legacy as the Catholic priest During its six seasons, were really like.
with a dodgy past is secure. it won numerous accolades. The podcast also treats fans to an
All this plus a cast of minor charac- Thirteen years after the dramatic exclusive reading of a new lockdown
ters who, in a lesser show, would have finale, co-stars Michael Imperioli and Sopranos script, written by creator
received star billing. There’s boring Steve Schirripa have reunited for Talk- David Chase.
priest Father Paul Stone, who can’t stop ing Sopranos, a new re-watch podcast Joining Imperioli and Schirripa are
talking, the alcoholic and self-regarding that takes fans through each episode the show’s producers, writers, crew
TV presenter Henry Sellers, and hyper from the very beginning. and special guests, including fellow
Father Noel Furlong, played by a man The pair recount behind-the-scenes cast members Michael Rispoli, Robert
who would go on to become one of stories, their favourite memories from Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Edie Falco.
TV’s biggest stars, Graham Norton. filming and some surprising facts Whether it’s for a nostalgic trip
Even when coronavirus is beaten, about the real mob lifestyle they por- down memory lane or an introduction
Father Ted will still be making us all tray on screen. to an iconic series, this podcast is
laugh. A tonic for tough times. n The friends give fans an insight into essential listening. For a real binge,
their own lives and friendship. They watch The Sopranos on Now TV along-
Father Ted is on Channel 4 and also discuss their experiences in the TV side the podcast. n
available on All 4 and BritBox. industry and the intriguing characters Kate Holman
Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 9
Director Steve McQueen on the
set of BBC One’s forthcoming
1970s drama Small Axe
BBC
Why black lives have
to matter more
Commitment at the top is vital if people from ethnic minorities are
to achieve a breakthrough in the TV sector, insists Marcus Ryder
A
nother day, another racial injustice fund over the next mentoring programme for our diverse
Black Lives Matter pro- three years. It will create a diversity staff in 2020”.
test. Another day, action group and invest in pro- Two weeks later, on 22 June, the BBC
another testimony by grammes that highlight racial injustice. caused a minor earthquake, in the way
a black figure in the And it will redouble its efforts to only the BBC can, by announcing it
industry about all the increase black, Asian and minority would commit “£100m of its content
direct and systemic racism they have ethnic (BAME) representation both spend on diverse productions and
faced working in the industry. Another on-screen and behind the camera. talent” over the next three years.
day, another statement by a British A day later, Channel 4 announced its I have highlighted three of the bigger
broadcaster about how it is responding commitment to be an “anti-racist” announcements of the past few weeks
to the current crisis. organisation, setting out a six-point but they are far from isolated cases.
When I was first approached by plan to “be a driver of anti-racism in Bafta is consulting on how it can
Television to write this piece, the brief the industry and improve black and address failings around race (my words
was simple: go through recent events, minority ethnic representation”. not theirs). Netflix has a new “Black
assess the different policy initiatives The broadcaster reaffirmed previous Lives Matter” category. And there are a
the industry has announced and offer diversity commitments as well as add- host of additional initiatives and pro-
a prediction as to whether this would ing a few new ones, such as doubling gramming by other broadcasters and
lead to lasting change. “the number of BAME-led independ- industry stakeholders.
And so I started to do just that. ent producers that we commission This has all happened against a back-
On 8 June, Sky announced a £30m from by 2023” and launching “a new ground of almost daily examples of
10black people working in the industry
giving public accounts of their ‘FOR BLACK AND advisory boards and subcommittees to
represent different groups, raise impor-
experiences.
These include Oscar-winning direc-
BROWN PEOPLE, tant issues and give Ofcom focus and
direction.
tor Steve McQueen calling out parts of THE UK MEDIA There is the Content Board, which
the British film industry for “its blatant
racism”, accusations of racism on the INDUSTRY IS A represents the “interest of the viewer,
the listener and citizen”. There is a
set of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and thou- TOXIC PLACE Consumer Panel to “maintain effective
sands of media professionals signing an
open letter addressed to the UK’s major TO WORK’ arrangements for consultation with
consumers”. And there are four advi-
broadcasters calling for substantial sory boards to represent “interests and
changes to “reshape our industry opinions” specific to people living in
into one whose words are supported created and sustained for so long? And the four UK nations.
by action”. to answer that question we must look The nations’ boards are crucial to
It would be possible to go through beyond the broadcasters’ individual “provide specific advice… on matters
each announcement made by every statements and new policy initiatives relating to television, radio and other
broadcaster and dissect whether it will and look at who regulates the industry. content on services regulated by
really lead to substantial long-term If there is a long-term, systemic Ofcom” in the respective nations they
change. Or go through each statement problem across the entire sector we represent.
by a high-profile person of colour in must ask ourselves what has the Despite the UK’s BAME population
the industry and ask, “what do they industry regulator, Ofcom, been doing accounting for 14% of the entire popu-
really mean” and what will be the over the past two decades or, in the lation and therefore being roughly the
repercussions of the statements? But, case of the BBC, the BBC Trust and same size as all the nations outside of
for me, that is missing the far larger then Ofcom? England combined (16%), there is no
and more important picture. When an entire industry seems to be board dedicated to the interests of the
Taken collectively, what has come suffering from an issue it is not good country’s ethnic minority communities.
to the surface in recent weeks is the enough to simply ask whether Chan- Recent events have surely proved
acknowledgement that, for black and nel 4 will be successful in implement- that Ofcom has failed, since its incep-
brown people, the UK media industry ing its anti-racist policy. Or whether tion in 2003, to give sufficient attention
is a toxic place to work. the BBC will be able to start doing a to the task of policing the industry
Privately, black and brown people better job with its £100m commitment. when it comes to ethnic diversity.
have thought this for decades (for as It is the very reason we have an When four different chairs (and innu-
long as I have worked in the industry) industry regulator – to solve industry merable changes in personnel) over
and the research bears this out. wide-issues and for it to put condi- nearly two decades have failed at a
According to The Looking Glass report tions within the broadcasters’ licences specific task it is naive to attribute this
– commissioned by The Film and TV to rectify market failures. to one person’s failings. We must look
Charity and conducted by Lancaster Interestingly, as far as I can tell, instead at structural solutions.
University Management School – Ofcom is one of the few major indus- The time has surely come for a new
black African, Caribbean or black Brit- try stakeholders that has not com- board to be established on the same
ish men are almost 40% more likely to mented on the racial issues that are level as the four nations, with the spe-
have been bullied in comparison to currently raging through the very cific remit of looking at the issue of
men overall working in the industry. industry it regulates. diversity in general and the BAME
The same report said: “BAME women The obvious question is: how did the communities in particular.
are most likely to report that their abil- industry regulator not spot this huge To use the Latin phrase Quis custodiet
ity to speak out about working practices issue in the industry? Or, to the extent ipsos custodes? (Who guards the
or the working environment was nega- that it did, why did it fail to put suffi- guards?): if we want the regulators to
tively affecting their wellbeing”. And, cient conditions within licence agree- do a better job at making sure our
possibly most importantly of all, ments to make sure the issue was industry is a better place for all of us to
“three-quarters of mid-career BAME addressed to a satisfactory degree? work, we need to look at the diversity
women have contemplated a career The answer lies in the structure of of those advising, overseeing and even
change to protect their wellbeing”. Ofcom. The regulator has several judging them.
To their credit, the broadcasters We have a unique opportunity to
seem to be implicitly and explicitly change the industry we all love. And
acknowledging the scale of the prob-
lem and have not defensively tried to
‘HOW DID that means we cannot just look at the
broadcasters.
counter the testimony of black and THE INDUSTRY We must look at the regulators who
brown people working in the media.
They are at least talking about REGULATOR NOT should have ensured we never reached
this position. n
policies that may address some of SPOT THIS HUGE
these issues.
But the bigger question must be: ISSUE IN THE Marcus Ryder is the Acting Chair of the Sir
Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity
how could an industry toxic for non-
white people have been allowed to be
INDUSTRY?’ and an executive producer at Chinese
financial media group Caixin Global Media.
Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 11The BBC’s new
Director-General,
Tim Davie, needs
to be bold, argues
Roger Mosey
FT/Daniel Jones
Tim Davie
An opportunity
for change
S
ome BBC director- pressures on the BBC mean that “no the coronavirus crisis; the worry that
generals are a reaction to change” is no longer an option. decriminalising non-payment could
their predecessor. After BBC executives are fond of Lord Hall, cost hundreds of millions; an absence
the remorseless strategis- but many have been bothered by his of dividends from BBC Studios, as a
ing of the John Birt years, avoidance of the tougher strategic deci- further consequence of the pandemic;
Greg Dyke was chosen to sions that they believe are overdue. “I and undelivered savings from the last
bring the human touch to staff who felt think Tony himself accepts that it is budget round after Hall withdrew
unloved. When Dyke turned out to be a time for something different,” murmurs controversial plans to cut BBC News.
little too populist and freewheeling for one. These decisions cannot be avoided, Further politically toxic savings need
some, the governors opted for a more because the financial outlook is bleak. to be made in the nations and regions.
cerebral traditionalist in the form of It isn’t known whether Hall plans to “They are royally screwed,” says one
Mark Thompson. emulate the Labour politician Liam corporation finance expert.
But, now, we appear to have a conti- Byrne MP and leave a letter behind This would be a grim picture even
nuity candidate: Tim Davie is one of saying, “There is no more money”, but without the likely long-term trends.
Tony Hall’s key lieutenants, supported there is certainly no magic money tree The BBC has come into its own during
by many senior colleagues and repre- outside New Broadcasting House. the pandemic as an institution that can
senting a known quantity, with 15 years The financial worries include: the bring the nation together, and it has
of BBC board experience. The truth, long-running issue of free licences for been buoyed by increased consump-
though, is that he may have to be a over-75s, which has been costing the tion levels even among younger
revolutionary: the external and internal BBC an extra £40m a month during audiences.
12‘THE CONTINUITY CANDIDATE…
MAY [BE FORCED] TO BE
A REVOLUTIONARY’
But it seems improbable that those this undermines the commitment to MSNBC in the US, which is open about
will endure. Consent for the licence fee universality. But that may be forced its left-of-centre position.
will remain shaky if the media habits of upon them, and it could even be an Recent research by the Reuters Insti-
the young resume their regular pattern. ultimatum that the corporation needs. tute for the Study of Journalism at
That, in turn, feeds the bloodlust of the Which parts of the BBC’s output Oxford finds that there is still a public
Tory right, who see a way to diminish should, in future, be funded by the demand in the UK – 76% of those
the corporation by extolling the virtues state for the good of the state – and surveyed – for news to be “neutral”.
of drama and entertainment on You- which might be discarded or be paid Davie should stick on his wall Matthew
Tube, Netflix and the rest. for directly by new financial models? Syed’s recent piece in The Sunday Times,
One well-placed corporation figure A seasoned observer suggests: “Tim which argued that any corrosion of the
notes that two reviews are looming – getting on the front foot with this kind BBC’s reputation for impartiality “is of
the 2022-23 licence fee negotiation and of initiative could change the weather.” unusually grave importance.… This
the Charter mid-point review – and Also at the top of the Davie in-tray could yet destroy the BBC itself, turn-
that “time is short to make a compel- will be the future of BBC News. He, ing a great organisation into a facet of
ling case, and to get the BBC seen as a himself, is not a journalist, but it is a polarisation rather than a bulwark
critical investment”. The national and curiosity of the Hall regime that the against it.”
international economic meltdown outgoing DG – a very effective director Related to that is the imperative to
makes that task even tougher. of news under John Birt – has not make devolution real, and to reflect the
And yet… the BBC still has a much seemed sure-footed as editor-in-chief, whole of the UK. The BBC has been
bigger budget and a more guaranteed from his unfathomable defence of the good at moving staff into the nations
income stream than its UK commer- Cliff Richard coverage to persistent and regions, but much less effective at
cial rivals. ITV or Channel 4 can only crises about impartiality. giving them real power. Almost all the
dream of £5bn a year coming into their Trust ratings are still high, but being top decision-makers still sit in a small
bank accounts. eroded; and one of Hall’s colleagues piece of real estate in W1A. It is time to
One critic says the financial crisis in who is normally stout in the defence give authority and budgets to the likes
the BBC is partly self-inflicted: “It cre- of the BBC describes the current posi- of Glasgow and Salford in a way that
ated an inherently unstable economic tion on employees’ use of social media can allow them to overrule a London
model in the digital era, cemented by as being “like the Wild West”, with an view, rather than the other way round.
the BBC’s inability to stop doing things urgent need for management control. There are, of course, many more
while it continued to add more and The particular problem for the BBC pages in Davie’s “to do” list. Much of it
more.” is that many of its staff’s Twitterings about regulation and distribution and
The question for Davie, then, is reveal the metropolitan, “Remainer”, influencing legislation: the kind of
whether he can get the size and shape liberal bias that its critics have always stuff that is a hard slog but vital if pub-
of the organisation right, and match suspected; and there is a battle ahead, lic service broadcasting is to retain its
that to its core funding, in a way that too, to counter that perception about prominence in a digital era.
has eluded his predecessors. the mainstream output. It is fine for the And he will have to cope with the
One former senior television execu- BBC to be a liberal organisation inter- usual storms that accompany any DG.
tive outlines a possible approach. “BBC nally, and it still needs to do more to One current executive notes that we
drama has stayed in the game despite increase the diversity of its staff. But it should never underestimate how diffi-
being outspent tenfold by its competi- is not acceptable for the BBC on air to cult the job can be and how much
tors,” he says, citing shows from The morph into a news organisation like firefighting is involved. He cites the
Night Manager to Normal People, “because amount of management time spent on
the quality of commissioning and pro- the equal-pay debacle.
duction has stayed up to par. But what ‘PRESSURES Davie will, therefore, need luck. But
the BBC doesn’t need is three or four
terrestrial channels to spread its drama ON THE BBC he also has the opportunity in his early
days to set an agenda and seize control
across.” MEAN THAT of events. He will, I hope, do that.
Another figure with experience of
running BBC budgets concurs: “If ever
“NO CHANGE” Change is coming – like it or not. n
‘fewer, bigger, better’ should apply, it’s IS NO LONGER Roger Mosey is a former head of BBC
now.” The corporate strategists will, of
course, be reluctant to saw off limbs if
AN OPTION’ Television News and is now the Master
of Selwyn College, Cambridge.
Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 13Keep it safe,
keep it simple
Coronation Street
ITV
U
nprecedented times
demand creative think-
The RTS takes a detailed can no longer have half the cast fight-
ing at a wedding. We’ve been reduced
ing. An RTS webinar look at the new working to the essence of soaps – fantastic
heard that shows as scripts and great performances,”
different as ITV’s Coro- methods that have got stressed Whiston.
nation Street, the BBC’s
Top Gear and Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch
programmes back into As for sex, a steamy romp is left to
the imagination. “A lot has to be done
have all learnt how to adapt their pro- production with smouldering eyes rather than
duction routines to keep cast and crew touching,” said the executive. He
safe in the age of Covid-19. assistants and other crew members’ hoped that Corrie would be back to its
The so-called pope of soap, John assistants are banned; cast members full six episodes per week by autumn.
Whiston, managing director of contin- aged 70 or over and children (because For Top Gear, a show famous for its
uing drama at ITV Studios, explained they come with tutors and chaperones) spectacular stunts filmed in exotic
how Coronation Street and Emmerdale are excluded from the soaps’ storylines. climes, executive producer Clare Pizey
have streamlined their filming sched- Location filming is out. If a court told the RTS that Bolton was the new
ules. In the process, they have com- room is needed for a plot, the soaps’ Bogotá. Half of the footage – including
plied with Government-approved carpenters can make one. As Corrie sequences filmed overseas – for the
producers’ guidelines on social dis- gears up for its 60th anniversary in next series of Top Gear was already in
tancing and hygiene protocols. December, expect fewer pyrotechnics the can before lockdown. But filming
Four key phrases have been intro- than usual for an anniversary special. had to resume in the UK.
duced: “Keep your distance”, “Keep in “Normally, we blow everything up,” “It’s a huge change that we can no
groups”, “Keep it simple” and “Keep said Whiston. “We will be doing some- longer go abroad,” admitted Pizey.
away”. Film units are kept in their own thing, but it won’t be quite on the scale “But, sometimes, when you forced into
studio spaces, avoiding shared areas. that audiences are used to.” a constraint, it makes you think differ-
“The only people who move around Scripts (paper scripts are no longer ently. One of the films we’re doing is
are the actors,” said Whiston. allowed on set) have been simplified. a direct result of having to think more
The number of people involved in Rather than the normal 21 scenes per creatively.”
filming is kept to a minimum. Camera episode, 16 or 17 is the new norm. “We Following a difficult patch, critics
14agree that Top Gear, being promoted would give Top Gear a sense of scale using public transport in London and
from BBC Two to BBC One for its 29th but, as with every other production, other big cities. We’re spending more
series, has got its mojo back, thanks to costs are spiralling,” she said. With money – we [consider using] private
the chemistry between presenters luck, the new one metre-plus rule transport to travel to productions – to
Freddie Flintoff, Chris Harris and may help. ensure people are comfortable.”
Paddy McGuinness. For studio-bound series Sunday Pact CEO John McVay said that, on
“With Paddy, Freddie and Chris, we Brunch – three hours of live TV, trans- average, extra costs, including medical
know what we’re aiming for and the mitted 52 weeks a year – Susan King, checks and longer production sched-
performances we’re looking for. All we head of production at the show’s pro- ules, have added between 10% and
do is set up a playground and off they ducer, Remarkable, explained how they 30% to budgets.
go,” said the executive producer. had kept going throughout lockdown. He said: “Indies, where margins
Money that would have been spent “We did the show remotely for about were already slim, [when] trying to
on travel has been diverted to enhanc- eight weeks, while working on a plan soak up those additional costs [face]
ing production values. to return to the studio as quickly as a bit of a challenge. That may change
“We’ve done a film in Bolton that possible,” she said. with new health and safety guidance,
Top Gear
BBC
I would argue is one of the funniest Pre-lockdown, Sunday Brunch but that is what the initial analysis is
films we’ve ever made,” said Pizey. For depended on having guests remain in looking like.”
one item, to ensure social distancing the studio throughout the broadcast. For many freelancers working in TV,
and avoid having two people sat in a That was no longer possible. The the crisis has been a severe setback.
car, one person was strapped to the top number of guests and the size of the However, there was some hope from
of the vehicle. crew have been scaled back, but pre- King. She said that, so far, Remarkable
Even before the health crisis, health senters Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rim- had no plans to employ fewer freelan
and safety were, according to Pizey, “on mer have returned to the studio, albeit cers in future: “We’ll be working really
speed dial”, since men driving fast cars with only one guest present at a time. hard to ensure we’re able to employ
is inherently dangerous. Coping with Video calls have become common- people as much as we were before [the
the threat of coronavirus, therefore, place and have given Sunday Brunch lockdown] at level market rates.”
does not require huge changes to film- access to guests who would have been Pizey added: “As long as we’re making
ing. “They’re quite often two metres unlikely to agree to appear on the show Top Gear, we’ll be using freelancers. One
apart in normal times,” she noted. in person. difficulty is that some of our directors
But the logistics of accommodating Whiston said that one of the biggest make car ads. The bottom has fallen
and feeding 35 people on location is barriers to resuming production was out of that market.
more challenging: “At the moment, we’re overcoming his staff’s fear of contract- “It’s really tough. We can supply
in a hotel in York – but if key workers ing the virus. King agreed that this had work, but there’s not the same amount
need the beds, we have to get out.” been a problem: “A lot of people are of work out there.” n
Travel, too, is something of a head- desperate to get back to work – it is
ache, with spaces in minibuses being important for everyone’s wellbeing Report by Steve Clarke. The RTS webinar
left empty and cars accommodating – but, interestingly, some people are ‘Back in production – unlocking the TV
only one person. still very nervous. production industry in a Covid-19 world’
The studio part of the show is, inevi- “People are happy once they get to was held on 17 June. It was chaired by
tably, more problematic than filming the office. They know the office is Broadcast deputy editor Alex Farber. The
outside. Pizey conceded that having going to be very well set up, with all producers were Tessa Matchett, head of
700 people indoors was impossible. sorts of measures and protocols in press, ITV Studios, and Sarah Booth, direc-
“We’ve got a couple of ideas that place. But they are nervous about tor of communications, Endemol Shine UK.
Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 15No compromise
on impartiality
BBC news chief Fran Unsworth explains why the broadcaster
needs to hold those in power to account – without editorialising
F
ran Unsworth used process to take its course,” she explained.
her recent conversation “Our guidelines had been crossed in
with the RTS to support terms of attributing motivation to the
incoming Director- public, to the Prime Minister.”
General Tim Davie’s Unsworth stressed that nobody on
statement of 5 June, the Newsnight team was disciplined
when he stressed the need for impar- – “We had a robust discussion” – and
tiality across the organisation, regard- emphasised that the programme had
less of whatever battles between the had a “brilliant run during this pan-
BBC and government might be going demic. They got to the care homes
on behind the scenes. “The more valu- first. We did some great stuff on an
able we are to audiences, the greater Italian hospital. That is the totality of
our standing is going to be with the what Newsnight is all about.”
Government,” the BBC’s director of Inevitably, her judgement faced
news and current affairs said firmly. criticism from both sides, leading to
This came as the news chief contin- accusations that she was bowing to
ued to perform a high-wire act, pro- Government pressure. “There was no
viding a platform for the Government’s question of us being cowed by the
crucial health messaging while simul- Government over this,” she insisted.
taneously holding it to account. But was it further proof that BBC
Fran Unsworth
BBC
Interviewed by former ITN CEO and presenters could no longer be relied
editor-in-chief Stewart Purvis, she upon to be impartial? “I think it just
defended her journalists’ challenging criticism of Newsnight in late May, shows how difficult my job is,” she said
of ministers in the daily coronavirus which she said, failed BBC guidelines with a wry smile.
briefings (which ended in late June), in its presentation of Government Another challenge is the corpora-
even if viewers did not always support advisor Dominic Cummings’ contro- tion’s use of social media, now used by
this approach. versial trip to Durham. so many people as their main source of
“When this first happened, there was On 26 May, Emily Maitlis introduced news. Unsworth cited a recent Africa Eye
a sense in the UK of, ‘We’re all in this the programme with the words, “Dom- story, Anatomy of a Killing, that reached an
together, everybody’s got to pull inic Cummings broke the rules. The online audience of millions across the
together’,” she said. “The political country can see that and it is shocked world.
response became contested over the that the Government cannot.” “Social media is a force for good,”
past 10 weeks, and it’s the job of jour- Unsworth said the very next day that she said. “It’s a way of getting informa-
nalists to ask questions and highlight this script “did not meet our standards tion out to particular sections of the
that, even if the public don’t like it.” of due impartiality”. audience who now make it their main
This situation followed a period in “Emily’s comment was rooted in source of information, but it has its
which ministers had boycotted other evidence but the problem was the limitations. It lacks context. A limited
BBC news programmes. Unsworth said language in which it was put – it number of characters makes it quite
she was pleased to see them back on belonged more to the op-ed of a news- difficult to fulfil BBC editorial values.”
Radio 4’s Today, The World at One and paper page than to the introduction of A running controversy is to what
PM, at least for now. “This is an oppor- a BBC broadcast programme,” main- extent BBC News presenters and jour-
tunity to speak to 8 million listeners tained the head of news. nalists can comment freely on social
a week. I wish they would put them- She expanded on why she immedi- media, while adhering to editorial
selves up more widely.” ately criticised the approach without guidelines in their day jobs. The issue
Still citing impartiality, she didn’t waiting for an official internal inquiry. “I is so contentious that former BBC
hesitate to double down on her didn’t need to wait for some complaints News chief Richard Sambrook has
16South West News Service Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol been commissioned by the corpora- and that [the killing of George Floyd] home offices once New Broadcasting tion to conduct a review. was very bad, but there are areas where House is back to normal. Given the example of BBC world it goes into matters of public policy, Meanwhile, on screen, audiences affairs editor John Simpson, who runs which we have to treat impartially have become used to seeing guests his own YouTube channel, in which he – what shall we do with statues? What contribute via Zoom. “What this has is far more opinionated than BBC shall we do with the education system?” shown is that the audience is more impartiality guidelines would allow, Telling the story of the pandemic has tolerant of things [that are] not of high Unsworth agreed that it was compli- provided unique challenges, such as broadcast quality. That’s a lesson we cated, particularly as Simpson and when medical correspondent Fergus can apply going forward.” others were freelance employees. Walsh filmed inside intensive care Lockdown has brought audiences “What licence they have to express units at London’s University College back to the delights of linear-television their views elsewhere is something Hospital. news bulletins and 16- to 35-year-olds we’ve got to look at,” she said. “It was clearly a really important part have been tuning in. “We thought they The coverage of the Black Lives Mat- of the story, how hospitals were coping,” were a lost audience for linear-TV ter protests was another balancing act said Unsworth. “There are so many news bulletins, but they haven’t been. for Unsworth, as she strove to navigate things you have to think about – the But to be honest, there is a question a path between the clear moral cause safety of your people, the perception mark over the longevity of that.” sustaining the movement and covering issues, because Fergus had to go in full Does this give pause to her focus on the protests in all their complexity. PPE, at a time when it was in short a digital strategy? Unsworth hesitated “You can say, ‘I believe black lives supply. A lot of viewers were saying to use the behaviour of the captive matter’ – it’s a statement of fact – but we’d used up some PPE there, which, audience of the past few months as does the BBC sign up to #BlackLives- actually, we donated. It’s important to a long-term guide. She said: “It’s diffi- Matter? The BBC didn’t endorse Black show audiences what is happening.” cult to make a judgement at this stage. It Lives Matter because it’s a campaign. It How BBC News has responded to doesn’t make you reverse your strategy, can endorse the sentiments behind it.” the pandemic will clearly have impli- it makes you take stock and consider.” n She was speaking four days after cations for the department’s future. protests in Bristol culminated in the But Unsworth confirmed that cuts first Report by Caroline Frost. Fran Unsworth, toppling of the statue of Edward Col- announced in January – some 450 jobs director of news and current affairs at the ston, slave trader and city philanthro- to save £80m by 2022 – would go ahead. BBC, was in conversation with Stewart pist. She called the coverage of the With 90% of BBC staff working from Purvis for an RTS webinar held on 11 June. protests a complex area for her staff. home, she predicted that high numbers The producers were Sue Robertson and “The BBC’s not impartial about racism, of staff may prefer to remain in their Martin Stott. Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 17
M
y idea of heaven
is Monty Python’s Dr Charlie Easmon casts a sceptical eye at the TV
Whicker’s World
spoof, Whicker
pundits proffering their expertise during the pandemic
The trouble
Island, where our
hero wistfully
waters whisky while wantonly waxing
words with W. For me, hell would be a
post-lockdown lock-in in a dodgy pub
with experts
full of TV pundits.
Brexit and football have taught me
not only to distrust these people, but to
despise them as they fling unsubstan-
tiated opinions around like the prover-
bial brown stuff hitting the fan. It is
messy, unpleasant and the odour stays
with you for ages.
Football managers are famous for
having opinions on everything, but it
took a steely German, responsible for
guiding Liverpool to their crushing
Premier League championship win, to
bring some sense to the coronavirus
pandemic.
The wise words of Jürgen Klopp
should be on permanent loop in every
town centre, as he told a journalist that
his opinion did not matter and they
should instead go and ask the experts.
However, history has shown us that
everyone, from Mao Zedong to Michael
Gove, can hate experts. Mao was a tad
harsher than Gove and killed quite a
few experts. Latterly, Gove has had to
recant as he claimed the Government
had been “following the science”.
In the eyes of many, that phrase has
become to be synonymous with fol-
lowing the lead lemming off a cliff as
tens of thousands of our fellow citizens
and loved ones have died.
But who are the experts in this pan-
demic and how do they differ from
pundits? Who gets wheeled out when,
and whose voices get heard and whose
get silenced?
Listening back to specialists in virol-
ogy, infection, epidemiology and pub-
lic health, these experts tend to fare
well if they stick to what they know,
but, like everyone else, start to look a
tad less credible when asked to specu-
late. Doctors David Lipkin, Anthony
Fauci and Peter Piot are all still much
quoted on TV networks.
When they do appear on TV, experts
are often shunted aside by a popular US medical commentator
Getty Images/Roger Kisby
creature of modern fiction that the Dr Mehmet Öz has said he
19-year-old Mary Shelley would have ‘misspoke’ after suggesting
recognised. The modern Franken- on Fox News that it might
stein’s monster is the popular TV doc- be ‘worth the trade-off’
to reopen schools despite
tor who is made up of the following
potentially increasing the
parts: a conventional level of attrac- coronavirus death toll
tiveness; well-groomed hair, if they
18have any; reassuring smile; and, finally, praises China’s response to the crisis
the ability as a generalist to comment (“it’s been contained and managed
on specialist subjects knowledgeably very well”) and rebuts each sensible
after hurriedly jotting down a few question posed by the journalist (one
notes before going on air. commentator says that Parrish treats
The US has Dr Phil and Dr Öz (judged every question “like a hostile witness”).
to be as “reliable as the Wizard of Oz” Professor Sanjaya Senanayake, an
by one commentator). One with no hair infectious diseases specialist based in
and the other with a legendary barnet. Canberra, Australia, plays down the
Both have come credibility croppers as threat of coronavirus, while Dr Nicho-
the pandemic has rolled on. The great las Thomas (in Hong Kong) aligns with
saying that, “You can fool some groupthink, claiming: “There is not a
of the people some of the time, but you lot to be worried about.”
can’t fool all of the people all of the Astute comments from the public on
time”, is superbly reflected in the com- YouTube include the telling view that
ments sections in YouTube. If you need the “comments section is giving better
a laugh in these troubled times, the information than the actual video”.
sharp wit of some of these spears the Others observed: “I must be living in
interlocutors’ arrogance and some of it a parallel universe to these experts!”;
is, of course, plain old-fashioned mean. “I came here to get an update – these
Mad magazine has a gap-toothed people obviously don’t have a clue”;
cover star called Alfred E Neuman. and “They don’t build four hospitals in
Alfred’s satirical byline is: “What, four days for flu”.
Dr Charlie Easmon
me worry?”. But I have found it sad TV medics get wheeled in, dropped
to see supposedly serious TV personal- in, dumped and ultimately yanked off
ity medics take this same approach, the media stage. Experts get as much
and often delivered in a patronising ‘THERE HAS right as they get wrong but, regrettably,
manner.
Many lessons can be learned BEEN AN few public-health or social-sciences
experts are given decent airtime. The
from watching the World Health OVEREMPHASIS smarter members of the public can
Organization’s first press conference
on Covid-19. For such a large institu-
ON “CALM work things out for themselves.
Looking back on the past three
tion, it is strange that those involved DOWN, DEAR” months, there has been an overem-
appeared to have received such poor
media training.
SCIENCE VS phasis on “calm down, dear” science
COMMON SENSE’
vs common sense. The public use of
Dr Tedros Adhanom, the WHO’s masks and face coverings is a good
Director-General, comes across as ami- example. Of course, there was scant
able but obsessed with trying to raise definitive scientific research on the use
cash. He is the parish priest less inter- of these because no one had thought
ested in saving your damned soul than it important enough to conduct the
in saving the damned church roof. studies.
Many experts disagreed with WHO That, however, doesn’t stop any
consultant and former Imperial College sensible person working out that the
academic Dr Maria Van Kerkhove’s fewer droplets you spread in the envi-
8 June comment that “it still seems to ronment, the better the outcome for all
be rare that an asymptomatic person concerned.
transmits onward to a secondary indi- Experts and media-friendly doctors
vidual”. This was jumped on by doctors can give you some idea, but it is always
and those parts of the media that dis- best to get a range of views. From that,
liked the idea of social distancing. you can then try to work out what
“That has not aged well” is my makes sense in any disease situation.
favourite comment under a four- No matter how adorable they seem
month-old YouTube clip from early on TV, no one person is infallible, not
February when there had been only even me. n
300 deaths worldwide. The video has
not one but three medical experts Dr Charlie Easmon MBBS MRCP MSc Pub-
talking on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story about lic Health DTM&H DOccMed is: medical
the early stages of the pandemic. I director of Your Excellent Health Service;
suspect all three now wish it could be president of the International Association
erased for ever. You can watch it here: of Physicians for the Overseas Services
bit.ly/AJinside. (www.iapos.co.uk); co-founder of YEHS
The culprits are in the public domain We Care; and co-founder of Global
and so can be named. Dr Mark Parrish, Health Action, Strategies & Solutions
who works for International SOS, (www.ghass.co.uk).
Television www.rts.org.uk July/August 2020 19You can also read
