A team-written show? Lead writer of each? £5000 - £7500. (Plus repeat and residual payments.)
My Family - Series 9 Page 6
Quote: Tim Walker @ August 17 2009, 3:09 PM BSTA team-written show? Lead writer of each? £5000 - £7500.
What, per episode? That's not an awful lot for a peak time show, is it?
Quote: john lucas 101 @ August 17 2009, 3:11 PM BSTWhat, per episode? That's not an awful lot for a peak time show, is it?
It's got to be per episode surely.
Quote: john lucas 101 @ August 17 2009, 3:11 PM BSTWhat, per episode? That's not an awful lot for a peak time show, is it?
No, it isn't, is it? No doubt by this stage regular individual writers have had personal deals negotiated by their agents, so there will be variation. However, on a team-written show, every writer is expendable. There is no one writer who has a unique ability to write the characters - nor will there be any writers except Fred Barron with any intellectual rights on the show - so the writing will be cheaper than a hit show written by 1 or 2 writers. The money lies with the actors and the producers. Why do you think successful comedy writers try to get producer/exec producer credits on their shows? Follow the money.
Quite. Keeping an eye on the EP and AP credits can be extremely enlightening.
My Family is not a show that makes me angry in the way certain other sitcoms do (mentioning no names), it is more a show that disappoints me. I can appreciate why it's popular and what role in comedy it fulfils. I just feel that considering the potential resources of the BBC and the writing talent that does exist (honest) in this country, their recent inability to produce a really credible and original pre-watershed sitcom is simply depressing.
Quote: Tim Walker @ August 17 2009, 3:32 PM BSTMy Family is not a show that makes me angry in the way many other sitcoms do (mentioning no names), it is more a show that disappoints me. I can appreciate why it's popular and what role in comedy it fulfils. I just feel that considering the potential resources of the BBC and the writing talent that does exist (honest) in this country, their recent inability to produce a really credible pre-watershed sitcom is simply depressing.
What disappoints me is that My Family has actually helped create a credible 8:30 pre-watershed slot for mainstream comedy, and the BBC has resolutely failed to capitalise on it with more ambitious and well written shows. They've seemed content to tread water, churning out the same lightweight fluff.
Nick (with Ben) made the show, since he left it's been dull to say the least.
Quote: Tim Walker @ August 17 2009, 3:32 PM BSTI just feel that considering the potential resources of the BBC and the writing talent that does exist (honest) in this country, their recent inability to produce a really credible and original pre-watershed sitcom is simply depressing.
Cannot argue with that. I feel the reason is that they're breathtakingly out of tune with their audience; targetted and actual.
Quote: chipolata @ August 17 2009, 3:36 PM BSTWhat disappoints me is that My Family has actually helped create a credible 8:30 pre-watershed slot for mainstream comedy, and the BBC has resolutely failed to capitalise on it with more ambitious and well written shows. They've seemed content to tread water, churning out the same lightweight fluff.
They're just plain scared to. It all costs so much to make that they have been put off trying very hard, after the huge amount of failures in the past 6 or 7 years.
Quote: Aaron @ August 17 2009, 3:40 PM BSTThey're just plain scared to. It all costs so much to make that they have been put off trying very hard, after the huge amount of failures in the past 6 or 7 years.
What's frustrating is that the BBC is a huge organisatioin that can nurture mainstream comedy on both it's digital channels or Radio 4. Hell, I can think of oodles of good, intelligent well-written Radio 4 shows that could, with the right development, transfer to television and stand a chance of appealing to a wider audience. But it never seems to happen. Nor do many shows seem to transfer over from BBC Three/4 to BBC1/2. The digital channels - BBC Three especially - seems hellbent on it's narrow 14-25 demographic.
Yes, certainly so. I begin to wonder if there is some underlying resentment within the corporation, that something nurtured not just by another controller but on a whole different medium, should be able to transfer and steal the limelight?
Was good, was good.
The lastest from an official user on Wikipedia is that Nick will be back for the 2009 Christmas special. Tosh or truth?
I'd *love* it to be true, but I'm afraid I doubht it somehow, though maybe we'll finally find out the truth about Alfie (remember the post card in "The Psyche of Mikey"?).
Quote: Tom Simpson @ August 18 2009, 6:49 PM BSTI'd *love* it to be true, but I'm afraid I doubht it somehow, though maybe we'll finally find out the truth about Alfie (remember the post card in "The Psyche of Mikey"?).
Actually I can't remember what the post card said? Remind me...
...And I haven't got the series 9 DVD to watch...