BBC Drama

[Aquarius1234]

I used to watch most bbc dramas for years and years.
Since BBC have geared everything to I Player first and foremost, rather than for specific BBC one or BBC two.
Apparently there isn't separate controllers anymore. They don't care about where the dramas land like they used to.

Anyway. I'm really disappointed with the lack of really really good dramas in the last couple of years or so.
Budget cuts also maybe.
But wow I used to say nothing beats a great BBC gritty drama. Now I wouldn't even be able to find one 😕
Romance, crime, thriller. Was my thing.
I pay my licence also and have no intention to stop. I'm just very sad at the lack of top quality Dramas. Also I've noticed when there eventually is one starting it's generally mixed or rubbish reviews. !!
I'm shocked at the amount of rubbish/ not good enough stuff that is given the green light !!

We've just finished watching The Jetty with Jenna Coleman in it - it was very good.

We've just finished watching The Jetty with Jenna Coleman in it - it was very good.

It’s sad but all the really, really good shows I’ve watched over the last couple of years are on paid for platforms like Apple, Now TV, Netflix, Prime etc.

You get the odd good one on BBC, but nowhere near the quality and production values of the other platforms.

I know it’s a bit of a to move over to subscription TV but in the grand scheme of things, it’s my entertainment and I want it to be top notch. BBC just isn’t all that (and the licence fee costs more per year than all the others).

I've been watching The Hour 2011! BBC repeat on netflix.
I didn't watch it at the time, probably thought it was gonna be too boring or something.
Really good 1st series. Series 2 wasn't as good, but still heaps better than what we have now.
Love the period.

I've had this discussion with so many people recently. Where are all the decent dramas? Most are completely unwatchable, poorly scripted with a complete lack of plot and characterisation.
Surely it would be preferable to produce fewer dramas that are actually well crafted and not...."we'll try an episode" ...an hour later ..."well we won't bother with the second episode"

Sherwood and The Responder good recently

Loved Blue Lights. Have you watched that?

I’m enjoying Ludwig and currently watching Apples don’t fall but that’s US so may not be your cup of tea.

See, this is what I mean. I thought it was miserable and cliche-ridden as well as being shockingly badly scripted and acted.
I'm glad you enjoyed it though, we're all different

Did you watch it all? I thought that at first but it was brilliant by the end. I’ve watched quite a lot of good stuff on BBC lately. Ludwig is hilarious. Kin, Blue Lights, The Responder were all brilliant. The Newsreader. Maybe it depends what you want to watch.

Sherwood? Sambre, Anatomy of a Fall? The Turkish Detective?

Not gritty drama, but Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams, and Race Across the World.

All good stuff.

I loved the Responder recently. Other than that though, I know what you mean.

Also Vigil is great- 2021 so not new but in case you missed it.

Wow yeah I feel we maybe won't get the stuff of the past. Like Cracker or Clocking Off. Just randomly naming two.
Classic Sally Wainwright stuff.
Romantic comedy drama that was unmissable.
The BBC Sunday night drama like Line Of Duty when it was at its peak.
The writers that are just very talented but aren't around much now.

Annika was one of my favourites. Also blue lights.

I watched it out of boredom, but yeh far from a classic.

Average.
I preferred the other one with Jenna Coleman about the baby.

I think ITV have done some good dramas lately

Not regularly though and always crime drama.
And 90% about the crime and police station.

Cracker was an ITV series, not BBC.

Agree that The Newsreader was good but I think that was bought in. I also enjoyed The Responder.
We haven't tried Sherwood yet so perhaps that's a possibility

Try Sambre - it's on the Iplayer. Truly excellent French drama, based on real events, about a rapist in a small community. Brilliantly acted and written.

Well cuts to the BBC drama budget probably mean they do buy things in more often than creating them these days but there are still some huge BBC programmes like Dr Who. They also sell their own content abroad.

I will do...I do think the BBC have bought in some excellent dramas over the years The Bridge, State of Happiness etc. I just wish they would produce something a bit more imaginative of their own. There are too many crime dramas as OP says.

Okay thanks.

I purposely avoid bbc dramas as they are hard work to watch, I give up as there is no natural flow or good story, just being politically correct and filling in quotas, so as not to leave people out. I just want to see a thrilling drama with good acting.

we loved blue lights too. Annika was ok but mostly for spotting familiar places in Glasgow.

It's the same with Radio 4. It used to have brilliant drama and comedy. It's mostly what educated me.

Now it's just a non-stop miseryfest of awful news, and repeats repeats repeats (of not very good programmes).

Sherwood?