A production boom is helping to redefine expectations and promote diversity
Speaking at the Royal Television Society’s autumn conference, the former media minister John Whittingdale suggested that the dominance of global streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon and Disney was endangering the future production of distinctively British content. In future, public service broadcasters would need to be legally directed, he suggested, to create programmes embodying a kind of “Britishness” exemplified by old favourites such as Dad’s Army or Only Fools and Horses.
As critics such as the historian David Olusoga have pointed out, attempting to define a supposedly core Britishness in a multicultural, evolving society would be a highly contentious exercise. It would also be a futile one in an industry that is entering a fast-moving, exciting and unpredictable golden age. Startling figures released this week underline that investment from the streamers is helping to transform the scope, ambition and range of TV and film production. Traditional broadcasters such as Sky and the BBC are following suit, spending more on big-budget content. As the year comes to an end, overall investment in shows costing at least £1m an episode is two-thirds greater than the previous record set in 2019 – before the pandemic. Netflix intends to double the size of its Shepperton studios in Surrey. Disney, at Pinewood studios, and Apple, in Aylesbury, are also expanding their footprint. During the course of the past year, the UK has hosted close to 200 major TV and film productions, including the home-grown Doctor Who, Shetland and Ghosts.
