In an oddly, but perfectly timed, front-page splash, Media Guardian asks some top television people what television should be for in the current world of converged media.
One of the answerees (made that one up) is Armando Iannucci – a man I’m so obsessed with I would take him with me to a desert island (That’s a hilarious joke of course).
Here’s his response. I’ve printed in full below:
"To the old
perennials (to entertain, to educate and to inform), maybe we should
now add a fourth: to surprise. It’s easy to surrender to the oncoming
technical revolution, where any programme ever made will become
available on any media platform at any time the viewer wants, and just
assume that creative idiosyncrasy will be swept away in this digital
tsunami. Far from it: the lesson from the internet is that people
gravitate towards sites that will point them in the direction of good
things. How often do you click on something unexpected that looks more
interesting than the thing you were looking for in the first place?We’re
all constantly on the look-out for surprises, as long as we know
they’ll be good. British TV has a real chance to mark itself out as a
place where good, surprising TV originates. This will only happen if
we’re more upfront and confident about what we’re making. For example,
BBC3 and BBC4, far from being the low-budget, narrow-remit channels
much criticised by publicity-conscious politicians, should together be
the British HBO, the home of well-made, brave, original programming
that allows talent to play to its strength."
His response is extremely prescient given the conference I was at last Saturday. What is the future for the media – and TV in particular?
Iannucci recognises the lessons the internet is teaching us: "people
gravitate towards sites that will point them in the direction of good
things."
The mediums may be different but the unifying, underlying factor is the same. That’s human behaviour.
Technorati tags: Media Guardian, Television, Armando Iannucci
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