A TV day out
I had an enjoyable day out yesterday going to the BFI andRadio Times Television Festival. As we had a lot going on I didn't originally think of going so was very disorganised booking tickets. J said that the only panel he wanted to go to was the Line of Duty one, which was, of course, sold out, but I thought I would go to a couple of things anyway so grabbed about the last ticket for the Poldark panel and then one for Victoria. Then J spotted another panel that he decided he would like to go to after all, so I got tickets for that one too. The end result was that we both went to one panel and I went to two more. Then, of course, the organisers realised the popularity of Line of Duty and put it in a larger venue, but by that time I'd lost the will to live with ticket booking and decided to leave it (and as I'm an episode behind after being away and don't want to be spoiled that was probably for the best).
The first event we both went to was in many ways the most interesting and informative one. The Radio Times writers of the daily Choices, led by Alison Graham, were talking about their work and how the programmes featured to write about in Choices were picked, how much telly they had to watch and what a tight schedule it could be. Writing about TV was a career they all fell into but they were all absolutely passionate about it. They watch programmes coming up on a preview site which is apparently of terrible quality, sometimes they don't get the end of the programme, the music is nearly always wrong and the voiceovers are done by producers, who *always* have very boring voices. Sometimes they have to review them on the day they go to press which leads to a lot of stress. They also have to cope with last minute changes to the schedule so writing a mini review isn't always easy. They talked us through the page for yesterday's (Saturday) Radio Times Choices, which people in the UK will be able to see was a terrible day for television. They have to fill the page, which yesterday wasn't easy. I shall know to keep an eye out for filler reviews in future :) Jane Rackham talked about her technique for writing about programmes that haven't been broadcast like Strictly and how she tries to come up with things to say. David Brown, who deals with Soaps, talked about the problems of embargoes and how sometimes they make no sense. They all try very hard to avoid spoiling people. It was really interesting to hear all about the processes of writing television previews and trying to help people find what's good for their own individual tastes. They are trying to resist giving a star rating system as sometimes bad telly can be just as enjoyable as good and they must always remember that people have worked very hard to make the programmes. It was a very interesting and fun session with no star names but people who are passionate about television.
J and I had some lunch on the South Bank, which was heaving with people on such a lovely day, and then he went home and I trotted off to the Poldark session at the IMAX. I very much enjoy watching Poldark but I am not fannish about it and it was fascinating to watch a fandom in action from outside it. When I got to the IMAX the entrance was surrounded by women of every age (and I do mean from about 16 to 80) behind crash barriers waiting for the arrival of Aidan Turner. Everyone was very cheery and friendly, laughing and talking with each other, but as more and more people turned up I thought there was going to be a security problem, but that was solved when the security manager told us that if we had tickets for the talk we had better go inside as it would begin as soon as Aidan Turner arrived. Mass mutterings but everyone obediently went to find their seats. The IMAX is not ideal for a Q&A but it seats a lot of people and the sightlines weren't awful so I could see if from a distance. The panel was Aidan Turner, writer Debbie Horsfield and executive producer Damien Trimmer chaired by Alison Graham (a huge Aidan Turner fan). They talked a bit about how Damien Trimmer had wanted to do an 18th century series like Poldark and somebody had said to him "why not *do* Poldark". He wanted Debbie Horsfield to write it though her previous work was all modern and she didn't do adaptations. She discovered she really loved the books and agreed to write the series. They both wrote the name of their ideal actor to play Ross Poldark on a piece of paper and both of them had written Aidan Turner. We saw a couple of clips from the third series which will be full of action. AT said he'd done most of his own stunts (and managed to break his hand). He likes the fact that Ross is a complicated character with many faults. The title of the session was Ross Poldark: Old-fashioned Hero for a Modern World which Debbie Horsfield disagreed with as she thought hero was too simplistic a way to describe Ross's complexities. She trusts the audience to realise that he isn't perfect and makes terrible mistakes but that is something that is more interesting to watch. Alison Graham mentioned the scything scene and the massive publicity about it and there was discussion about the paparazzi and the problems they create. DH said that when fans come to watch the filming there are never any problems, they are all caused by the paparazzi. When questions were thrown open to the audience there were a lot of questions for Aidan and some turned into gift-giving and one request for a hug, which the questioner got away with. Not being fannish about the programme did make me slightly less tolerant of that then I would have been had it been Merlin, Buffy or Highlander (actually I would have been intolerant about that whatever the programme) but it did mean less time for more interesting questions. Someone asked AT how easy it was to lose Ross and become Aidan again and he said it wasn't generally difficult but after a very intense and emotional scene there could be some bleed through. Someone else asked him if he would only commit to positive roles (or words to that effect) to which he very sensibly replied that he didn't want to limit himself as an actor. There was quite an amusing question about how he got on with Garrick the dog. Apparently he's a working dog so only responds when given treats. Another question was about the visual look of the show and whether they deliberately copy paintings. Damien Trimmer responded that they spend time looking at 18th century paintings but don't deliberately set out to copy them. One good question for Debbie was how did she feel adapting a work of a male author originally written in the mid-20th century with more old-fashioned attitudes to women. She answered that it was very helpful to have Winston Graham's son as a consultant (I don't know if she meant that he knew how his father's views would have altered) and that the complexity of the characters made it easier. It was an interesting session, though the squeeing over AT did get a bit embarrassing at times. For the record he had a beard and longish hair which he put into a knot at the back during the session. When he left I saw him on the way out and he's actually quite short, which I didn't realise.
Then it was back to the BFI for the session on Victoria. On my way in I nearly managed to walk into Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes, but did not have the wit to get my camera out in time. This time we were in NFT1 which I much prefer as a venue. The panel was Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes, writer Daisy Goodwin and executive producer Damien Trimmer (again) chaired by Jane Garvey, who obviously enjoyed the series. Daisy Goodwin talked about how she read Queen Victoria's diaries when she was a teenager herself studying history and thus the only person who'd used her History degree (I can relate to that) but the idea for the series came when she was having an argument with her teenage daughter and thought what it might be like to be a teenager and Queen. Both Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes talked about how they'd prepared for their roles by reading a lot about the characters and had been very surprised at how interesting they were. Daisy Goodwin talked a lot about how complicated their relationship actually was even though they were passionately in love. Both Jenna Coleman and Daisy Goodwin talked about Victoria's attitude to pregnancy, childbirth and her children and whether she was a good mother (the jury is out on that one). Jane Garvey complimented Jenna on her acting during the childbirth scene and she said she'd had a lot of tips in the makeup trailer :) Tom Hughes talked about how Albert was an outsider and so could sometimes see things more clearly. We saw a couple of clips, including one with Rufus Sewell as Lord M and Daisy Goodwin said she was rather proud of being responsible for the fact that an obscure 19th century politician now had fanfic written about him (and yes, there is, I've just checked). Questions from the audience included one about how the actors learn their lines which Jenna Coleman said she just remembered them from reading and thinking about the script (Aidan Turner gave a similar answer in the Poldark session). Both Jenna and Tom were asked about their favourite scene which Tom rather amusingly answered was the railway scene without Jenna in it. Jenna was asked what was her favourite costume by someone who had dressed up for the event. The reply was anything without a corset! It was another interesting session, which I'm glad I went to.
I hope the BFI host this event again next year and I manage to be a bit more organised about tickets as it was very enjoyable. There was even a tiny little mention of Merlin as revolving screens were advertising the shortlisted dramas for the RT Best Drama of the 21st Century (so far) and Merlin is one of them. Obviously it won't win but I smiled to see it there.
Unfortunately I was sitting too far back in both panels to take any decent photos but there are some nice ones on Twitter under the hashtags for the programmes.
The first event we both went to was in many ways the most interesting and informative one. The Radio Times writers of the daily Choices, led by Alison Graham, were talking about their work and how the programmes featured to write about in Choices were picked, how much telly they had to watch and what a tight schedule it could be. Writing about TV was a career they all fell into but they were all absolutely passionate about it. They watch programmes coming up on a preview site which is apparently of terrible quality, sometimes they don't get the end of the programme, the music is nearly always wrong and the voiceovers are done by producers, who *always* have very boring voices. Sometimes they have to review them on the day they go to press which leads to a lot of stress. They also have to cope with last minute changes to the schedule so writing a mini review isn't always easy. They talked us through the page for yesterday's (Saturday) Radio Times Choices, which people in the UK will be able to see was a terrible day for television. They have to fill the page, which yesterday wasn't easy. I shall know to keep an eye out for filler reviews in future :) Jane Rackham talked about her technique for writing about programmes that haven't been broadcast like Strictly and how she tries to come up with things to say. David Brown, who deals with Soaps, talked about the problems of embargoes and how sometimes they make no sense. They all try very hard to avoid spoiling people. It was really interesting to hear all about the processes of writing television previews and trying to help people find what's good for their own individual tastes. They are trying to resist giving a star rating system as sometimes bad telly can be just as enjoyable as good and they must always remember that people have worked very hard to make the programmes. It was a very interesting and fun session with no star names but people who are passionate about television.
J and I had some lunch on the South Bank, which was heaving with people on such a lovely day, and then he went home and I trotted off to the Poldark session at the IMAX. I very much enjoy watching Poldark but I am not fannish about it and it was fascinating to watch a fandom in action from outside it. When I got to the IMAX the entrance was surrounded by women of every age (and I do mean from about 16 to 80) behind crash barriers waiting for the arrival of Aidan Turner. Everyone was very cheery and friendly, laughing and talking with each other, but as more and more people turned up I thought there was going to be a security problem, but that was solved when the security manager told us that if we had tickets for the talk we had better go inside as it would begin as soon as Aidan Turner arrived. Mass mutterings but everyone obediently went to find their seats. The IMAX is not ideal for a Q&A but it seats a lot of people and the sightlines weren't awful so I could see if from a distance. The panel was Aidan Turner, writer Debbie Horsfield and executive producer Damien Trimmer chaired by Alison Graham (a huge Aidan Turner fan). They talked a bit about how Damien Trimmer had wanted to do an 18th century series like Poldark and somebody had said to him "why not *do* Poldark". He wanted Debbie Horsfield to write it though her previous work was all modern and she didn't do adaptations. She discovered she really loved the books and agreed to write the series. They both wrote the name of their ideal actor to play Ross Poldark on a piece of paper and both of them had written Aidan Turner. We saw a couple of clips from the third series which will be full of action. AT said he'd done most of his own stunts (and managed to break his hand). He likes the fact that Ross is a complicated character with many faults. The title of the session was Ross Poldark: Old-fashioned Hero for a Modern World which Debbie Horsfield disagreed with as she thought hero was too simplistic a way to describe Ross's complexities. She trusts the audience to realise that he isn't perfect and makes terrible mistakes but that is something that is more interesting to watch. Alison Graham mentioned the scything scene and the massive publicity about it and there was discussion about the paparazzi and the problems they create. DH said that when fans come to watch the filming there are never any problems, they are all caused by the paparazzi. When questions were thrown open to the audience there were a lot of questions for Aidan and some turned into gift-giving and one request for a hug, which the questioner got away with. Not being fannish about the programme did make me slightly less tolerant of that then I would have been had it been Merlin, Buffy or Highlander (actually I would have been intolerant about that whatever the programme) but it did mean less time for more interesting questions. Someone asked AT how easy it was to lose Ross and become Aidan again and he said it wasn't generally difficult but after a very intense and emotional scene there could be some bleed through. Someone else asked him if he would only commit to positive roles (or words to that effect) to which he very sensibly replied that he didn't want to limit himself as an actor. There was quite an amusing question about how he got on with Garrick the dog. Apparently he's a working dog so only responds when given treats. Another question was about the visual look of the show and whether they deliberately copy paintings. Damien Trimmer responded that they spend time looking at 18th century paintings but don't deliberately set out to copy them. One good question for Debbie was how did she feel adapting a work of a male author originally written in the mid-20th century with more old-fashioned attitudes to women. She answered that it was very helpful to have Winston Graham's son as a consultant (I don't know if she meant that he knew how his father's views would have altered) and that the complexity of the characters made it easier. It was an interesting session, though the squeeing over AT did get a bit embarrassing at times. For the record he had a beard and longish hair which he put into a knot at the back during the session. When he left I saw him on the way out and he's actually quite short, which I didn't realise.
Then it was back to the BFI for the session on Victoria. On my way in I nearly managed to walk into Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes, but did not have the wit to get my camera out in time. This time we were in NFT1 which I much prefer as a venue. The panel was Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes, writer Daisy Goodwin and executive producer Damien Trimmer (again) chaired by Jane Garvey, who obviously enjoyed the series. Daisy Goodwin talked about how she read Queen Victoria's diaries when she was a teenager herself studying history and thus the only person who'd used her History degree (I can relate to that) but the idea for the series came when she was having an argument with her teenage daughter and thought what it might be like to be a teenager and Queen. Both Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes talked about how they'd prepared for their roles by reading a lot about the characters and had been very surprised at how interesting they were. Daisy Goodwin talked a lot about how complicated their relationship actually was even though they were passionately in love. Both Jenna Coleman and Daisy Goodwin talked about Victoria's attitude to pregnancy, childbirth and her children and whether she was a good mother (the jury is out on that one). Jane Garvey complimented Jenna on her acting during the childbirth scene and she said she'd had a lot of tips in the makeup trailer :) Tom Hughes talked about how Albert was an outsider and so could sometimes see things more clearly. We saw a couple of clips, including one with Rufus Sewell as Lord M and Daisy Goodwin said she was rather proud of being responsible for the fact that an obscure 19th century politician now had fanfic written about him (and yes, there is, I've just checked). Questions from the audience included one about how the actors learn their lines which Jenna Coleman said she just remembered them from reading and thinking about the script (Aidan Turner gave a similar answer in the Poldark session). Both Jenna and Tom were asked about their favourite scene which Tom rather amusingly answered was the railway scene without Jenna in it. Jenna was asked what was her favourite costume by someone who had dressed up for the event. The reply was anything without a corset! It was another interesting session, which I'm glad I went to.
I hope the BFI host this event again next year and I manage to be a bit more organised about tickets as it was very enjoyable. There was even a tiny little mention of Merlin as revolving screens were advertising the shortlisted dramas for the RT Best Drama of the 21st Century (so far) and Merlin is one of them. Obviously it won't win but I smiled to see it there.
Unfortunately I was sitting too far back in both panels to take any decent photos but there are some nice ones on Twitter under the hashtags for the programmes.