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 !!

Was that the one that sounded like a shit version of Speed?

I find most BBC non period dramas to be a strange combo of over the top whilst underwhelming. It’s like they set out to have a Hollywood plot, but get the same group of Felix’s, Toby’s and Saskia’s (who all met at Cambridge uni Footlights group) to write the script, production, editing and musical score.

They all feel samey and have a kind of ‘Casualty’ feel, so it must be a small group doing them all? They feel like styrofoam Hollywood knockoffs. Lots of shouting and disappointing endings.

Sadly the Tories focused on diminishing the BBC during their time in Government, cuts to the world service were a huge loss to the UK’s soft power and it’s also affected investment here. It doesn’t help that the Tory papers Mail and Telegraph take every opportunity to criticise the BBC…and then when BBC output changes, it’s the BBc criticised again…

I expect the left to criticise it too - that’s what happens when you have an impartial broadcaster. You please no one all of the time.

I think we’ll miss it when it’s gone.

Night sleeper was awful. Dreadful acting. Sherwood series 1 was good, series two was rubbish and we abandoned it.

blue lights was excellent

Weird when you the tories would be the kind of people to watch BBC dramas..

And what's happened to Channel 4 drama.
Very rare indeed.

Real traditional Tories watch the BBC. That fake Reform bunch of cranks that just left would sell their grannies to Murdoch for a fiver.

I quite enjoyed Ludwig. But it is not big heavyweight drama is it?

We are also a bit fed up with police procedurals now so don't bother with a lot of the new stuff that sounds like that.

I have been watching old episodes of Spooks. Now that was edge of the seat drama

I agree! I think the golden age of tv was the 60s and 70s for Saturday and Sunday. I loved the brothers ,the good life etc.showing my age watched as a teenager with nan.i have given up tbh . We have got netflix recently. Can recommend. Been ill over the last year and loads to watch on there.about the same as a tv licence or free with our broadband. Watched baby reindeer outstanding. Virgin river world class.now the crown. I think this is the way of the new world now

Luckily, it’s September which means All Creatures Great And Small on Channel 5.

Some of the really good stuff is in Apple or Disney : Slow Horses, Shardlake

I find if I watch a good thriller series eg on Netflix I binge watch it over a couple of nights cos I want to know what happens then I’m back to square one and end up on BBC with something that isn’t going to keep me awake at night like antiques road show or similar.

I don’t watch real life crime and that seems to be the main thing on sky at the moment.

anyway I do watch BBC. Or other terrestrials.

I've not seen a decent bbc drama in years.

Used to love Cranford, lark rise to candleford and their dickens adaptations. Bleak house, little dorrit. Can't recall anything even remotely as good on recent years.

the growth of steaming channels in my opinion needs to start a debate about the role of the licence fee.and public sector broadcasting in general. The BBC news is world class and needs to be kept but in all honesty what can't be done better by the private sector now?

I watched Laos on Netflix and it was the kind of large budget drama with British actors that the BBC in yesteryear would have made. The BBC really can't compete with drama.

The BBC as a national public broadcaster seem to restricted in drama production with maybe an over focus on diversity and inclusivity with many dramas now having a diverse cast as a rock box exercise and I think many dramas can seem contrived in this sense.

I think the BBC hanging on to strictly despite the controversies surrounding it shows how desperate they are to hold onto anything they portray as a flagship regardless of quality.

The BBC is simply not the institution of was.

I really enjoyed the recent train hijack one - I think it's still running, but was so gripped I watched the first one on live TV, then binge watched five hours worth.
And very spooked by the station internet hacking problems in the week that led to them blocking all the station internets.

its called nightsleeper

The cost of making drama has risen as the BBC's revenue has decreased. So unfortunately they are making less high quality drama (and live sport). It was a Tory strategy to squeeze it till it failed.

I don't agree with the box ticking now as so many actors aren't white, so I have no issue with mixed race couples on screen, or Asian British police officers.
It's the script that seems an issue often.
I have amazon and netflix, shared accounts. And I find the drama there again few and far between. Most stuff that comes our doesn't have great reviews.
Most is 3 stars and very average.
Then you get the odd great one, every 6 months is not good enough for something highly rated and not cheesy or badly filmed.

The psychological dramas on netflix are not going enough imo. Ridiculous OTT.
Acting on netflix often seems stilted and not realistic.

You are right about the lack of drama, but to be honest how can they compete with the likes of Disney and Apple?
When people compare the license fee to other streaming its just not like for like, the BBC offers so much and even though the watchable tv is dwindling I will happily pay it for so many reasons.

Agreed. It’s nothing to do with diversity. It’s the script, plot, production quality and editing that’s the issue. The actors can only work with what they’re given and it’s often of poor quality.

Sherwood will resonate with anyone who lived through, or is interested in the Miners Strikes of 1984. It’s not set in that era, but does flash back. The acting performances, storylines, are excellent. Great actors at their best, and the “who is it” “why did x do it” are not easy to find out so the tension is there. Tenuous family link for us……..a nephew in law directed three of the episodes! We didn’t know until after watching it.

For those who like foreign detective series (subtitled), consider watching the Inspector Montalbano, and Young Montalbano series. Set in Sicily. Think they were first shown on BBC, but Google will help find👍

The Long Shadow (about the Yorkshire Ripper Murders) is very good as well.

Isn't there a drama by the same author as Apple Tree Yard coming up? I know that programme isn't totally the same as the book but the new one might be OK

Less people paying the licence fee and switching to streaming. Less budget.

This is why we stopped our TV licence, four years ago now. I bought some dvd box-sets of old BBC dramas last year, and sighed over past glories.

I tried to watch Clocking Off recently but it was pretty dull

Worth noting that the BBC does not make as many dramas as they used to. Most of the programmes they show are made by independent production companies who then 'sell' them to the BBC, ITV, Netflix or whoever.

The Responder was made by Dancing Ledge Productions, Nightsleeper was made by Euston Films, Kin was made by RTE... etc...

The BBC do still make many of their own dramas - Sherwood, Time, Silent Witness etc but they certainly don't have the capacity (or money) to make all their own programmes.