The U.K. government’s decision last week to shut down the pioneering BFI Young Audiences Content Fund sent shockwaves around the industry. Among those incensed was Anna Home, chair of the Children’s Media Foundation (Cmf), a non-profit organization focused on securing the best media choices for young people on all platforms. Home, a BAFTA-winning TV producer whose credits include “Grange Hill” and “Jackanory,” shares her thoughts on the matter in an exclusive column for Variety.
The U.K.’s TV industry is a creative powerhouse that is up there with the best in the world. It survives on a mix of international investment, commercial funding and public subsidy and the kids’ sector is in the same mould. But there are some subtle differences that makes kids a special case in a country which has a long history of supporting its culture through public service funding. The recent closure...
The U.K.’s TV industry is a creative powerhouse that is up there with the best in the world. It survives on a mix of international investment, commercial funding and public subsidy and the kids’ sector is in the same mould. But there are some subtle differences that makes kids a special case in a country which has a long history of supporting its culture through public service funding. The recent closure...
- 2/4/2022
- by Anna Home
- Variety Film + TV
The pioneering BFI Young Audiences Content Fund, funded by the U.K. government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms), will conclude its three-year pilot program on Feb. 25.
The fund, launched with £57 million ($76.6 million), offered up to 50% of the budget of programs aimed at children and young people from U.K. public service broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. It supported 144 development projects and 55 productions, including “Teen First Dates” (Channel 4’s E4), “Makeaway Takeaway” (ITV’s Citv) and “The World According The Grandpa” (Channel 5’s Milkshake!), as well as new projects in indigenous languages including “Sol,” created for the Celtic languages Irish (TG4), Scottish Gaelic (BBC Alba) and Welsh (S4C). There are 24 projects in production still to air over the next two years.
The decision to shut down the fund has been met with resistance from an influential U.K. organization. The Children’s Media...
The fund, launched with £57 million ($76.6 million), offered up to 50% of the budget of programs aimed at children and young people from U.K. public service broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. It supported 144 development projects and 55 productions, including “Teen First Dates” (Channel 4’s E4), “Makeaway Takeaway” (ITV’s Citv) and “The World According The Grandpa” (Channel 5’s Milkshake!), as well as new projects in indigenous languages including “Sol,” created for the Celtic languages Irish (TG4), Scottish Gaelic (BBC Alba) and Welsh (S4C). There are 24 projects in production still to air over the next two years.
The decision to shut down the fund has been met with resistance from an influential U.K. organization. The Children’s Media...
- 1/24/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Alex Westthorp Jan 23, 2017
We revisit Dark Season and Century Falls, two children's dramas that established Russell T. Davies' early screenwriting career...
Russell T. Davies, a man synonymous with the successful revival of Doctor Who, was initially a graphic artist for Why Don't You? but he did several jobs on the show, eventually writing, directing and producing the programme. He showed his versatility when he presented an edition of Play School in its final year. Saturday morning summer filler On The Waterfront made its reputation in part due to Davies' own unique take on the classic serial The Flashing Blade. Next came Breakfast Serials, which Davies both wrote and produced. When Tony Robinson decided to take a break from making Maid Marian And Her Merry Men, an afternoon drama slot opened up and Rtd's first major breakthrough in Children's television drama began with the 1991 science fiction thriller Dark Season.
See...
We revisit Dark Season and Century Falls, two children's dramas that established Russell T. Davies' early screenwriting career...
Russell T. Davies, a man synonymous with the successful revival of Doctor Who, was initially a graphic artist for Why Don't You? but he did several jobs on the show, eventually writing, directing and producing the programme. He showed his versatility when he presented an edition of Play School in its final year. Saturday morning summer filler On The Waterfront made its reputation in part due to Davies' own unique take on the classic serial The Flashing Blade. Next came Breakfast Serials, which Davies both wrote and produced. When Tony Robinson decided to take a break from making Maid Marian And Her Merry Men, an afternoon drama slot opened up and Rtd's first major breakthrough in Children's television drama began with the 1991 science fiction thriller Dark Season.
See...
- 12/6/2016
- Den of Geek
Alex Westthorp Sep 14, 2016
Did fantasy dramas Chocky, The Box Of Delights and Dramarama leave an impression on you as a kid? Revisit those nightmares here...
Spooky, always magical and occasionally downright scary dramas are the bedrock of kids' television. For me, the pinnacle of this sort of programme was reached in the 1980s. The decade saw a new approach to both traditional and contemporary drama by both UK broadcasters: ITV committed itself to regular seasons of children's plays with Dramarama (1983-89), a kind of youth version of the venerable BBC Play For Today (1970-84), which saw the 1988 television debut of one David Tennant. The BBC, building upon an impressive body of work from the early 70s onwards, produced some of its very best family drama in this era, embracing cutting edge technology to bring treats like The Box Of Delights (1984) and The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (1988) to the screen.
Did fantasy dramas Chocky, The Box Of Delights and Dramarama leave an impression on you as a kid? Revisit those nightmares here...
Spooky, always magical and occasionally downright scary dramas are the bedrock of kids' television. For me, the pinnacle of this sort of programme was reached in the 1980s. The decade saw a new approach to both traditional and contemporary drama by both UK broadcasters: ITV committed itself to regular seasons of children's plays with Dramarama (1983-89), a kind of youth version of the venerable BBC Play For Today (1970-84), which saw the 1988 television debut of one David Tennant. The BBC, building upon an impressive body of work from the early 70s onwards, produced some of its very best family drama in this era, embracing cutting edge technology to bring treats like The Box Of Delights (1984) and The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (1988) to the screen.
- 8/15/2016
- Den of Geek
★★☆☆☆The BFI's admirable commitment to preserving classic items from the British film and television industry's past brings this DVD release of The Changes, a TV serial from 1975. Based on a series of books by Peter Dickinson, adapted by Anna Home and directed by John Prowse, The Changes explores a vision of 1970s Britain shorn of modern conveniences. After a sudden strange noise causes everyone to smash up all technology, society collapses to the point that...well, actually, outside of the emptying of the cities, not all that much seems different. Given the premise of the series you might be surprised by how often the protagonist finds old men in flat caps drinking pints of ale in the sunshine outside pubs.
- 8/26/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Iconic children's programme Play School celebrates its 50th anniversary today (April 21).
The show launched on April 21, 1964 and is noted for being the first programme to air on BBC Two.
Play School ran for 24 years until 1988 and was fronted by presenters including Brian Cant, Carol Chell, Johnny Ball, Derek Griffiths and Floella Benjamin.
The programme celebrated landmarks such as becoming the first children's programme broadcast in colour on BBC Two in 1968, and became the first children's show in the UK to feature a black host when Paul Danquah joined the team in 1965.
To mark half a century since the show's launch, Play School will be part of a special exhibition commemorating Children's BBC called 'Here's One We Made Earlier', which is due to open in July at The Lowry in Manchester.
The Children's Media Foundation are also supporting a special reunion of people who worked on the show.
Former head of...
The show launched on April 21, 1964 and is noted for being the first programme to air on BBC Two.
Play School ran for 24 years until 1988 and was fronted by presenters including Brian Cant, Carol Chell, Johnny Ball, Derek Griffiths and Floella Benjamin.
The programme celebrated landmarks such as becoming the first children's programme broadcast in colour on BBC Two in 1968, and became the first children's show in the UK to feature a black host when Paul Danquah joined the team in 1965.
To mark half a century since the show's launch, Play School will be part of a special exhibition commemorating Children's BBC called 'Here's One We Made Earlier', which is due to open in July at The Lowry in Manchester.
The Children's Media Foundation are also supporting a special reunion of people who worked on the show.
Former head of...
- 4/20/2014
- Digital Spy
Feature Alex Westthorp 19 Feb 2014 - 07:00
Nostalgia ahoy! With Sherlock Holmes more popular than ever, Alex looks back at eighties children's drama, The Baker Street Boys...
The BBC's contemporary take on Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories has made Sherlock the most popular television drama series in many years. Benedict Cumberbatch has made Sherlock his own, his approach to the role as radical for the current era as the late, great Jeremy Brett's was a generation ago. Martin Freeman has banished our memories of his role as Tim Canterbury in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's The Office, with his wonderful re-assessment of Dr John Watson. The corporation is making the most of the Conan Doyle franchise. After from two rather lacklustre yuletide cases, firstly with Richard Roxburgh in 2002 then Rupert Everett in 2004; they finally have a hit on their hands. The benchmark hitherto has always been Granada Television...
Nostalgia ahoy! With Sherlock Holmes more popular than ever, Alex looks back at eighties children's drama, The Baker Street Boys...
The BBC's contemporary take on Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories has made Sherlock the most popular television drama series in many years. Benedict Cumberbatch has made Sherlock his own, his approach to the role as radical for the current era as the late, great Jeremy Brett's was a generation ago. Martin Freeman has banished our memories of his role as Tim Canterbury in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's The Office, with his wonderful re-assessment of Dr John Watson. The corporation is making the most of the Conan Doyle franchise. After from two rather lacklustre yuletide cases, firstly with Richard Roxburgh in 2002 then Rupert Everett in 2004; they finally have a hit on their hands. The benchmark hitherto has always been Granada Television...
- 2/18/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Sadie Frost, Gary Kemp, Phil Collins – they all started out in movies from the Children's Film Foundation
A forgotten catalogue of hundreds of British children's films, all shot in the school holidays from the 1950s to 1980s, is to be re-released after lying dormant while many of their young stars rose to fame.
Performers such as Phil Collins, Michael Crawford, Leslie Ash, Susan George, Sadie Frost and Gary Kemp all got their first screen work in Children's Film Foundation features, which entertained the nation's youth at Saturday morning cinema screenings. The British Film Institute has announced that it will be releasing the entire catalogue and screening many of the best features at special events which are sure to attract nostalgic fans and social historians.
"The early black-and-white films from the 1950s were rather middle-class and wholesome, so you can imagine the children throwing their ice cream tubs at the screen back then,...
A forgotten catalogue of hundreds of British children's films, all shot in the school holidays from the 1950s to 1980s, is to be re-released after lying dormant while many of their young stars rose to fame.
Performers such as Phil Collins, Michael Crawford, Leslie Ash, Susan George, Sadie Frost and Gary Kemp all got their first screen work in Children's Film Foundation features, which entertained the nation's youth at Saturday morning cinema screenings. The British Film Institute has announced that it will be releasing the entire catalogue and screening many of the best features at special events which are sure to attract nostalgic fans and social historians.
"The early black-and-white films from the 1950s were rather middle-class and wholesome, so you can imagine the children throwing their ice cream tubs at the screen back then,...
- 6/16/2012
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.