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“From Peak TV To Peak Caution”: BBC Drama Boss Says Industry Has Become “Fearful”


BBC Drama's Lindsay Salt has said "peak caution" replaced "Peak TV" as she unveils James Graham, Joseph Fiennes, Aimee Lou Wood, Rebecca Hall shows.

Addressing producers and press for the first time since taking on the nation’s biggest drama commissioning job, Salt reflected on a decade since the phrase “peak TV” first entered the lexicon, raising concerns over “short-termism” and that “the big bets of the boom era are a thing of the past.” Numerous UK buyers and execs have in recent weeks pointed to risk aversion amidst the broader slowdown and Salt was using her first set-piece – featuring the announcement of 12 new shows including from James Graham, Aimee Lou Wood and Rebecca Hall – to detail the state of play. On ‘character,’ Salt criticized the industry for “tipping too far towards flashy concepts over true characterisation in recent years,” saying that she wants to redress the balance and unearth the next [ Peaky Blinders star] Tommy Shelby or [ Happy Valley’s]Catherine Cawood.

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bbc drama boss