Birds of a Feather, The Telegraph, diversity in the TV industry
With Steve Hewlett. Featuring the Telegraph's 'digital transformation', falling minority ethnic representation in the creative world, and Birds of a Feather creator Lawrence Marks.
Ed Vaizey, minister for UK Culture, Communications and Creative Industries is today asking senior figures in TV, film and arts to explain the lack of diversity in their industries. We talk to two people attending that meeting; playwright and actor Kwame Kwei Armah and senior TV executive Pat Younge, and ask the founder of the Cultural Diversity Network, Clive Jones, why he thinks black, asian and minority ethnic representation in the creative world is low and is actually going down.
Tony Gallagher, editor of The Daily Telegraph, left the newspaper yesterday as part of an editorial restructure. The Telegraph Media Group said that Mr Gallagher was leaving the company as the business "moves to the next phase of its digital transformation". The newspaper has introduced new apps and subscription packages, and last year began using a metered model for access to its internet edition, which gives readers a numbers of articles for free. So, what further changes does it want to make to remain viable?
With Birds of a Feather, writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran bucked the trend and found a formula to create a much-loved ratings smash. The British sitcom placed as its heart the adventures of a group of female lead characters; and now Dorian, Sharon and Tracy are back on our screens. The new series, being shown on ITV, has been the highest rating comedy launch on ITV in over a decade, with every episode drawing audiences way above the slot average. Laurence Marks joins Steve to discuss the success of the new series, the public's enduring love of the original Essex girls, and his views on why the biggest barrier to successful comedy is fear.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
Last on
More episodes
Chapters
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What's the answer to the declining diversity figures in the creative industries?
With playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah and former TV executives Clive Jones and Pat Younge
Duration: 12:25
The departure of The Telegraph editor Tony Gallagher
With Roy Greenslade, the Guardian media commentator and journalism professor
Duration: 04:31
The revival of Birds of a Feather on ITV
With Laurence Marks, writer and creator of Birds of a Feather
Duration: 09:45
Broadcast
- Wed 22 Jan 2014 16:30大象传媒 Radio 4
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