Can British creatives win the next Harry Potter or Marvel in a “British context”?
That was the challenge posed by James Graham in the traditional post-MacTaggart broadcast in Edinburgh this morning, after talking about how television gatekeepers needed to encourage “new universes” rather than succumbing to the temptation to stick with tried and tested intellectual property.
The Dear England The creator called for “encouragement and ambition” to imagine what “new Harry Potter Universes or Marvel would be in a British context,” and said authors must be given “opportunities and space.”
Responding to a question from Deadline after the event, MacTaggart spoke out and praised the UK ecosystem for directly connecting different disciplines such as theatre, gaming and YouTube to find new talent and ideas.
He criticized the American system for a “separation” between these disciplines, since the entertainment industry is located at the other end of the country, but stated how “Flea bag And Baby Reindeer” were discovered at the Edinburgh Fringe in Great Britain.
“Any world-building in games, for example, can also be transferred to the talent pool of theater and television,” said Graham.
“Corsets and Horses”
Elaborating on his MacTaggart call to create “new universes” rather than “tried and tested intellectual property”, he expressed concern that British buyers fear local working-class stories would not sell abroad.
“They think they can sell a historical, period, corseted and horse-riding view of England, rather than niche working-class stories that could seem exclusionary because of the accent,” he added. “In this economic climate, these shows don’t seem commercially viable.”
He said the world and cultural gatekeepers have been afraid of “newness” since the 2008 crash, pointing to the number of current plays in the West End that are “based on 90s films and musicals”.
“Remember, when you go on a streamer, you know you should start this prestige drama, but your hand moves to the series of Below deck You’ve seen it before,” he added. “There’s something (a lack of novelty) in the mindset.”
Graham was speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, which also featured performances by artists such as Warren Littlefield, Anne Mensah and will.i.am.
