Category: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT
AI Agatha
Agatha Christie has been resurrected using AI to lead a BBC Maestro course that aims to share the Queen of Crime’s writing secrets with budding authors – but it could also be a watershed moment for the use of technology in television production.
Second act
From learning lines to writing them, actors Andrei Alén, Genevieve Barr, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and Leah Purcell discuss their individual journeys behind the camera to become screenwriters, and how they have used their unique experiences and perspectives to shape the stories they want to tell.
Getting the party started
Rivals executive producers Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Alexander Lamb join Missing You EP Richard Fee and directors Kari Skogland and Mohini Herse to consider how to best build TV productions to ensure creativity remains at the heart of the drama.
Staying in with cosy crime
After a decade of grisly, gritty serialised dramas on streaming platforms, is the traditional murder mystery back in fashion? DQ speaks to the makers of five cosy crime dramas to find out why the genre remains popular with viewers and the secrets to their shows’ success.
The future of storytelling
Writers Justin Haythe, Danielle Ward, Iain Morris and Ben Schiffer discuss their feelings towards AI as advancing technology offers the opportunity to help with research, create episodic outlines and even produce full scripts.
Supa styling
Writing for DQ, producer Sheila Nortley discusses building the young cast of Netflix fantasy drama Supacell and how the series sought to improve diversity and representation on and off screen.
How to win a Bafta
Winners from this year’s Bafta Television Awards offer DQ their thoughts as to what it takes to pick up one of the iconic mask statuettes. Spoiler alert: It’s personal.
Green thinking
As television drama goes green on-screen and behind the camera, four executives reveal how they are helping to create sustainable productions and reduce their carbon footprint.
Visual storytelling
As visual effects play an increasingly prominent role in television production, how do those working in this sector see the state of the industry and how can producers best work with them?
Building their own
Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen are among the rising number of actors forging a path into series development and production through their own companies. They speak to DQ about establishing BYO Films, backing new voices and why they don’t want an easy ride to a green light.
Divergent divulgence
Adam Welsh, the founder of the Divergent Talent Group, reveals how his own experiences led him to work towards improving accessibility in the television business and explains what the industry can do to support neurodivergent artists in front and behind the camera.
Made in Israel
For 20 years, Israeli series have demanded attention from global audiences – both in their original form and in the remakes they have inspired. DQ speaks to those behind shows such as Fauda, Prisoners of War and Tehran about their recipes for success.
Life beyond the Hinterland
It marked the emergence of Welsh-language drama on the international stage, but what came next for the makers of Y Gwyll (Hinterland)? DQ speaks to Ed Thomas, Ed Talfan and Gethin Scourfield about their latest projects.
Drama gets shorty
Petra Fried, executive producer of Cheaters, discusses how the shortform drama can help the medium go mainstream, before DQ speaks to the creatives behind three more bitesize series – Hacked, It’s Fine, I’m Fine, and Outlaw.
The hit factory
The winner of three International Emmys in six years, Norwegian broadcaster NRK is pushing a streaming-first strategy for edgy, distinctive scripted series. Head of drama Ivar Køhn tells DQ about its success so far and discusses what’s coming next.
Production’s virtual future
As Star Wars series The Mandalorian paves the way for new technology to shape how TV series are made, DQ looks at the impact virtual production is set to have in the next few years.
The Trek goes on
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman reveals how one of TV’s most storied franchises was brought back to the small screen in the shape of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, and how the latter takes the sci-fi juggernaut in a new direction.
Intimate relations
Having worked on series including Sex Education, Gentleman Jack and Normal People, intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien explains why television’s approach to sex scenes has to change.
Art under attack
Adam O’Neill, art director and the chairman of the British Film Designers Guild, tells DQ how art departments have been affected by the current production shutdown and outlines the biggest changes to his on-set role.
Production shutdown
In part two of a focus on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on television drama productions, DQ speaks to three more producers to see how their latest series have been affected and how development has been pushed to the fore.